An exquisite butterfly whose brilliant colors warn any predators of its toxicity. Malay Lacewing (Cethosia hypsea). It’s native from Burma to Indonesia and the Philippines. And if you’d rather not travel that far to see it, it can be occasionally found at Brookside Gardens, Silver Spring, Maryland, in their butterfly house.
Rain yesterday. Rain today. Rain in February, 1.25 inches. Much needed. It should have been snow, but the temperatures were much too warm for February. But the trees, the plants, each and every one happy.
And in the rain, one of my favorite things in my world of nature, here on my mountain. American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) with their rain soaked leaf edges a classic ocean wave pattern.
More and more Oriental Bittersweet vines (Celastrus orbiculatus) seem to be magically appearing in my woods. It’s not literally magic though. The female vines produce berries which birds and other berry eating animals dine on and then distribute the seeds far and wide.
And that is where the little seedlings appear. Far and wide, even where no other such vines exist. This seedling is exactly what I search for. The easiest way to stymie these vines. A simple task of pulling it up. I like to take along a trowel to ease it out of the soil.
As you pull it out of the ground, if you see bright orange roots — BINGO! You’ve got an Oriental Bittersweet seedling. That orange is what you want. Whether it is the root of a seedling or the root of a mature plant it will be orange. Be sure to leave the seedlings or other parts of the plant, to dry for a couple days, on a surface where it won’t take root again. Concrete, a tarp, in the trash. Don’t let it have another chance.
Don’t be fooled. I’m referring to the plant as a vine, but it can appear to be a trailing shrub too. Trying very hard to fool us. Pale green, inconspicuous blooms arrive in May, and by July, green berries appear.
By October the yellow capsules that contain brilliant red berries are ready to open to join the leaves that are turning yellow for an autumn celebration.
Oriental Bittersweet is an aggressive, rapidly growing vine that smothers out other plants quickly. It wraps around anything it can find, including itself. Hoping you don’t find any.
I’m sad to say, an exotic invasive, Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), is spreading rapidly throughout my woods. This is what the vine looks like right now in the middle of winter. Red berries encased in bright yellow capsules, that get eaten by birds and other animals and then distributed by the critters, often long distances away. Oriental Bittersweet is dioecious, which means pollen and fruits come from separate male and female plants. That in turn means that if you see these berries, you are more than likely only seeing half the Oriental Bittersweet plants – only the female plants.
And another image of Oriental Bittersweet as it looks right now, midwinter.
Native to China, Japan and Korea this difficult to control vine was first introduced to the United States sometime around 1860 as an ornamental plant.
More on identification of Oriental Bittersweet in my next blog post.
Skipping months ahead, June, and Lavender will be blooming. Ah that scent! I love it. Most people enjoy it too but many insects, including fleas, ticks, flies, and moths are repelled by the scent. As you can see, apparently not Cabbage White butterflies (Pieris rapae). Along with other butterflies, bees are attracted to Lavender, who feed on the pollen and nectar.
If I were a spider, would I wear four pairs of shoes?
White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes) on ‘Firebird’ Coneflower (Echinacea).
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia). A sparrow that is here in central Virginia all year long. Mainly a ground feeder, eating insects spring, summer and autumn. Dining on seeds and various fruits as the weather turns cold. The Song Sparrow is one of the most variable songbirds, with as many as 30 different phases of this species from one location to another across North America. They love to challenge me.
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Hellebores. Native to southern and central Europe, where they’re often found growing in the mountains in stony clay soils. It’s no wonder they seem so at home here in my gardens. Though not a native, I must say they are well behaved and know just where their bounds are. They welcome snow in late January with a surprise of bloom to those who don’t expect it.
Today is a delightful day. Not only snow falling several hours this morning that has continued into this afternoon which now coincides with what the weather folks are saying, “Snow this afternoon.” But also a diminutive bird that I only see in the winter, and for the most part only at the birdbath, has made himself known. I first caught sight of him preening in the apple tree, after taking a bath, in the snow.
Diminutive, indeed, smaller than a Chickadee. And that “Ruby Crown” is not always visible, though depending on which direction the little bird is looking, I can usually see it. It is only on the male of the species though. They are short distance migrants, moving from far northern North America as well as the western mountains to southern and southwestern United States and Mexico during October and April. Makes a day special when I get to see one.
Many caterpillars aren’t to safe to pick up. If you don’t know what the species is that you’re admiring, proceed with caution. These are four caterpillars that can cause a very itchy rash if you pick them up. To be safe, look but don’t touch. This one is a Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae). They’re native to the eastern half of North America.
A pretty one that I see frequently. The White-marked Tussock Moth caterpillar (Orgyia leucostigma). Another caterpillar of eastern North America which can become a pest in Christmas tree farms. Oh NO.
And this beauty is a Banded Tussock Moth caterpillar (Halysidota tessellaris). Found in the eastern three-quarters of North America, excluding west of the Rockies.
And this wild and crazy looking creature is a Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar (Euchaetes egle). They’re found on Milkweed and Dogbane, from southern Canada south through Texas and Florida in North America.
