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.

Multiflora Rose

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) native to east Asia. These roses bloom right along with Blackberry bushes up here in the mountains. Often people will see the roses and mistake them for blackberry blooms. They do look a bit similar but there is a very easy way to tell the difference between the two. By their pollen. Blackberry pollen has a pale gray color and Multiflora Rose pollen is bright screaming yellow.

Blackberry is a native plant that is considered by some to be invasive in our woods. But not so quick. There is no comparison to the aggressive/invasive nature of Multiflora Rose versus the more tame growth of Blackberry bushes. Multiflora Rose expands its territory through seed, root sprouting, and layering. Layering happens when a cane bends down and touches the soil, develops roots and takes off on its own with no need for the parent plant. And CLIMB. The Multiflora Rose climbs 10 feet to 15 feet UP into the branches of trees. All this extremely prolific growth of the Multiflora Rose allows it to form impenetrable thickets that exclude native plant species and even hampers the nesting of native birds. 

All this about the invasiveness of this noxious weed and I’ve gotten sidetracked! I wanted to point out to you that there are some blooms of this plant that are cotton candy pink. Not white. The pink is unusual to see, making me stop in my tracks, but it is indeed also Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora). Don’t be fooled by its beauty. It too is indeed an extremely aggressive invasive plant.

Itchy

Male Poison Ivy flowers

Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is in bloom right now. The plants are dioecious, meaning that each plant is either male or female. All the plants get flowers, male or female flowers. Blooms that looks quite similar, a greenish-yellow color with a width of less than 1/2 inch. Male flowers have prominent stamens covered in brilliant yellow pollen.

Many buds with a few open Poison Ivy blooms

Female flowers, with a prominent pistil, and only small underdeveloped stamens without the striking yellow color. The female blooms develop white drupes which are an important and popular winter food for many birds.

Poison Ivy buds, yet to become flowers

I’ve been fortunate to have a lush patch of Poison Ivy growing in an ancient oak tree that brings in a wonderful assortment of woodpeckers, including Pileated Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers. Poison Ivy makes the birder in me totally happy.

Starry Campion

Starry Campion (Silene stellata) is a native plant found in the eastern and central United States. It is here on my mountain, greeting me as I roam the trails. Pollinators are mostly moths and an occasional bumblebee that slurp the nectar.

A herbaceous perennial plant, loosely branching, 12 to 30 inches tall. The flower has 5 snow white fringed petals which create a 3/4 inch bloom, held by a pale green bell-shaped calyx. Its leaves are lance-shaped, in whorls surrounding the stems. Blooming July through September.

Mountain trails without fail provide fascination.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Oh So Good For You

Within a week or so my blueberries are going to be turning to their bloom covered midnight blue, signaling the start of a wonderful time of year – blueberry season. There are maybe a dozen mature blueberry bushes in front of my cabin, in front of the wood shop, and in front of the vegetable garden.

Blueberries contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide abundant health benefits. 

These berries will ripen over the course of many weeks. I don’t get to all of them as they reach their best but birds in the area know of their existence and help with the harvest. I love to share with the feathered creatures.

And picking blueberries is quite the popular activity with all the family. All three generations of us.

Fiery Skipper

A few days ago while I was getting photographs of Maple-leaf Hydrangea, a Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) was resting on one of the Hydrangea leaves and seemed to want attention. Here it is in all its handsome golden glory.

For some, skippers are a confusing family in the group of flying insects called Lepidoptera. All moths, and skippers are also butterflies. The most reliable difference I can see in these three families is in the antennae. Butterflies have antennae that are very thin with a knob or thicker end. Skippers, much like butterflies, have very thin knobbed antennae, but the knobs are tipped with distinct hooks. In this photo the hook is there pointing off to each side. Moths, particularly males have comb-like antennae. The female moth’s antennae is much more narrow and spindly.

Butterflies, skippers, and moths use their antennae for similar purposes, including smelling and navigation. They use both antennae together, helping to find their way.

Puddling

An aggregation of butterflies at a mud puddle. Sometimes moths do this too. This is called puddling. It’s mainly the male of the species that you’ll find puddling. This moist soil or sand provides salts and minerals which the male of the species passes along to the female in their sperm. This improves the viability of the female’s eggs. These salts and minerals will increase the couples chances of producing another successful generation.

Jackie, thinking of you. Short and sweet.

Bright Day In The Garden

Bright sunshine, with warm temperatures, and brilliant colors in the garden. In posting this image, I have to explain. Though I am truly dedicated to planting natives in my garden, there are a small number of choices that are based entirely on sentimentality. As is this one. My Mom’s favorite flower, the Iris.

Oh the Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), having a grand time, enjoying seeds that I’ve put out. There are times when I can’t count the number of the little ones that are out there adding color to the world.

And to add the perfect accent, the crimson of the male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). What a lovely, bright day in the garden.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). As a Habitat Defender in Shenandoah National Park, this one certainly keeps me busy. Except that it is so prevalent this is an easy invasive to deal with, compared to some others.

The Invasive Plant Atlas calls Garlic Mustard an Ecological Threat. It is quite clever in its ways, being a plant that is allelopathic, meaning it produces compounds that impede seed germination of other species. It is also a plant that is quite happy to be in very dense shade, but it is equally happy growing in full sun.

Though native to Europe, Garlic Mustard first showed up in the US in 1868 and can now be found throughout the northeastern and midwestern United States.

Easy to pull, just make sure you get all the root, and if the plant is in flower, be sure to place the plant in the trash. Otherwise, those flowers will continue to mature and turn to seed, even though it has been pulled up. What a nightmare!



Gemmed Satyr

An unusual butterfly that I seldom see, Gemmed Satyr (Cyllopsis gemma). Its native range is Virginia south to Florida, west to the eastern third of Texas, south to Guatemala.

With a wingspan of about 1.5 inches, those wings contain a fascinating feature. The ventral (underside) hindwing has black reflective spots which make me think of a cute Jumping Spider waiting to scare off predators with its big bright eyes.

The larval host of this Satyr is uncertain but has been speculated to be Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon) and other grasses. Adults aren’t attracted to flowers but to tree sap and rotting or overripe fruit. Something that I’ve been known to put out on my back porch to attract butterflies.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!