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Wild Black Cherries
July 29, 2026 Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), a tree that provides food for a huge assortment of birds and mammals, both large and small. Native to a vast swath of North America, including the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada, some parts of Mexico and down to Guatemala. If you’re feeling adventuresome, hold…
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Painted Lady On Apple Mint
July 28, 2026 A Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) eating the nectar of Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens). As an adult, the Painted Lady butterfly lives from 2 to 4 weeks. Favorite host plants for Painted Lady butterflies are thistles, hollyhocks, sunflowers, and mallows. This butterfly has the widest distribution of any butterfly globally. It lives in…
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Juvenile Eastern Towhee
July 26, 2026 I happened to capture an image of a juvenile Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) a couple weeks ago. It, along with Mom and Dad were enjoying the birdbath which brings in many birds that I wouldn’t see otherwise. This early stage of plumage is only kept for a few weeks after fledging. They…
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Many Of The Fledglings Are Here Now
July 24, 2026 Fledglings of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are at the feeders these days, keeping me busy, mixing up sugar and water for their feeders. The formula is, 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar to each 1 cup of water. No telling whether females or males are out there battling each other. At this…
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Many Gray-headed Coneflowers
July 23, 2026 The Gray-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) showing off its natural tendency to grow tall and bend one way or the other, usually all in the same direction. A lovely brilliant yellow to cheer the world. The flower heads are made up of as many as 15 ray florets growing to 2 1/4 inches…
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Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth
July 22, 2026 With a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches, this is a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth (Darapsa myron). It’s found from Maine, south to southern Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas. Their caterpillars have a large, creepy look about them, but they are non-venomous and safe to handle if…
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A Silvery Checkerspot
July 21, 2026 A little bit bigger than the teeny Hairstreak butterflies that I mentioned in my past two posts, this Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) has a wingspan ranging from 1 3/8 to 2 inches. They are native to North America, and can be found in the eastern and central United States and further north…