Author: Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

Clean Up Crew

Three Black Vultures, part of Mother Nature’s clean up crew, were here yesterday just checking things out and making a lot of noise. Look closely. There are three there. They were on the roof making thumping noises and on the front steps making sounds like car doors slamming. But they decided it was a false alarm and soon took off to look for other places where cleaning was required.

There are two different species of Vultures that live in this area. One is the Black Vulture Coragyps atratus), as you see in the picture above, and the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) that has a red head.

Not only do these cool creatures clean up the environment by eating dead carcasses, but their stomachs contain acids so strong that nasty diseases that might be contained in the dead carcasses (think anthrax, botulism, cholera, rabies) are totally destroyed.

Thank you Vultures. You may be creepy, but you are also appreciated.

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A Comeback

Not the sort of bird I normally see. A trip out of my usual mountain environment allowed me to see a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). Declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Conservation Act. Threatened with extinction due to DDT and other pollutants. And like the Bald Eagle which is surprising me left and right with its surging population, the Brown Pelican is also making an impressive recovery.

Dogbane Leaf Beetle

A dazzling jewel in the world of insects. The Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus). As you might guess because of its name, the Dogbane Leaf Beetle depends to a great extent on the many species of Apocynaceae, the Dogbane family. Not a difficult task, since there are 4,555 species in that family, which includes Milkweed plants. This particular jewel of a beetle lives on and eats Dogbane and Milkweed.

As the beetle eats Dogbane and Milkweed plants, it takes in poisonous cardiac glycosides, and releases the nasty chemicals when threatened by predators. With its jewel like colors it is advertising that it is not to be messed with. This warning strategy is called aposematism, something that is used by many insects and other animals.

Native to eastern North America. The “auratus” of its scientific name is from the Latin “aureus” which translates to decorated with gold. That seems appropriate.

A Guest

I’ve been seeing many juvenile Skinks (Broad head Skink [Plestiodon laticeps]) or (Five-lined Skink [Plestiodon fasciatus]) here. They are so tiny and cute. A delight to see.

Yesterday I discovered that one had managed somehow to get into my cabin. They are little, but not that little that it would magically squeeze in through a small space. At that moment of discovery I was glad that there is not a cat that lives here. The reason why? My Mom’s cat would have eaten it. Or, the cat would have become best friends with it, which is what happened years ago at our house in Arlington. I discovered a snake in our basement that our cat, Casey, thought was there to play with him. I managed to catch the snake and take it to the woods to release it. When I returned Casey was howling unconsolably. It was if Casey had lost his dearest friend. How dare I take that snake away.

But all ended well here at the cabin. I captured the juvenile Skink and it is again out in its wild world. Hooray.

Birds Eat Beetles

Yesterday I posted about Spotted Cucumber Beetles (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) (which has just been revised). They are not something that you want in your vegetable garden. They particularly like cucurbits, or melons, gourds, squash and cucumbers.

Today I happened upon this photograph from last summer of an Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). I’m not sure that the image will allow you to see it, but on my computer I can clearly see that it has captured, and is about to eat a Spotted Cucumber Beetle.

A friend of many years (I’d say an “old” friend, but he is not old!) asked me about controlling these beetles. Well, here ya go Blaine, one environmentally friendly method of control is to encourage birds to visit your garden and help with these pests. Even if they aren’t interested in nuts and seeds that you might offer, a birdbath is a great attraction.

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Revised)

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata). A handsome beetle, but one not to be welcomed to your garden if you are dedicated to growing melons, gourds, squash or cucumbers. They are specialists on these crops, which as a group are called, cucurbit crops. Spotted Cucumber Beetles will also feed on other plants in addition to cucurbits.

If you happen to have problems with these beetles, the Internet is filled with many environmentally friendly ways to discourage these pests. Check it out.

Beetles are in the order Coleoptera. They have protective, usually hardened, wing covers that enclose the wings that are used for flight. That is what you see here, the yellow wing coverings with 12 black spots, which are called elytra.

A Big Dragonfly

A Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia). This is a male. The female has a brown body and three dark patches per wing. Their diet consists of small insects like mosquitos and gnats. A good thing to have around. They in turn are eaten by various fish, frogs, and birds, and other aquatic insects.

Common Whitetail larvae are aquatic and spend many months or years feeding on other small aquatic insects. At this stage they have a mortality rate of 99.9%. As adults they have a lifespan of just a few weeks.