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.

Chicory Or Blue Lettuce?

Blue Lettuce, Lactuca floridana var. villos — Blue Lettuce, *Lactuca floridana*

Such A Tall Blue Flower!

Several days ago I came upon a very tall flowering plant that took me by surprise. It made me think of a plant that I often see with yellow flowers that is quite common in power line rights of way. This one, though, was definitely periwinkle blue! What in the world was this plant. As is my usual course of action, I took lots of photographs. This plant, the only one like it in the area, was very tall, well over 6 feet tall, and I had to bend it over to get a good look at the flowers. I was quite struck by the flower. It was so very similar to the flower of the Chicory plant.

A New Flower – To Me

This new flower, which I had never seen before was Blue Lettuce, Lactuca floridana. Since that first sighting I’ve seen it a few times at higher elevations, on plants that are more easily photographed, not nearly as tall.

Chicory, Chicorium intybus — Chicory, *Chicorium intybus*

Compare The Two

I’ve photographed the two flowers, so that you can use my hands as a means of measuring. The Chicory flower is nearly 1.5 inches. The Blue Lettuce flower is a good bit less than 1 inch. The Chicory flowers grow in groups of 1 to 3, while the Blue Lettuce flowers grow in clusters of 15 to 34. The Chicory plant grows from 1 to 4 feet tall. The Blue Lettuce plant will grow to be from 2 to 7 feet tall.

The Leaves Are Different Too

The leaves of the Chicory plant are narrow and can be dandelion like, while the leaves of the Blue Lettuce plant are wider and 3 to 12 inches long.

Another Periwinkle Blue!

So now I’ve added another periwinkle blue flower to my inventory of flowers here on the mountain. I’m always glad to find new and beautiful things!

Glowing Land Snail

**A Land Snail Glowing On a Lime Green Leaf**

Lot Of Snails

There have been many, many snails this summer. I suppose their number is not unusual. I not only see occupied shells with their slow moving residents, but also abandoned shells bleached white, standing out against the dark soil looking like a mushroom, or a piece of quartz waiting to be found. I have a collection of those bleached shells sitting under my computer monitor reminding me of the natural world that is just outside my door. All sizes, ranging from 1.125 to a tiny .5 inch. Sixteen of them, looking up at me in their swirled arrangement.

Tiny Teeth

These snails eat all sorts of things — fruit, leaves, bark, algae, limestone. Wow! Imagine that, they eat limestone! They manage to eat these things with their “radula”, which is a rasplike structure with tiny teeth that is used for scraping food particles off a surface. In West Virginia Wildlife Magazine it says, “If you place a land snail gently on your hand it may “taste” your skin, a harmless sensation that feels like a cat’s licking.” I don’t think I’ll try that! I’ll just watch, and take photographs!

**A Land Snail Creeping Across The Forest Floor**

A Snake Worth Noting!

Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix — Copperhead, *Agkistrodon contortrix*

Surprise In The Crawlspace

A couple weeks ago, as my husband, Bill, and a friend were working in our crawlspace, in an area where one can’t even crawl, they came upon a copperhead. Having snakes in the crawlspace is not unusual and to some degree welcome, since they eat mice that invite themselves in, despite all our attempts to discourage them. But to find a copperhead is, to say the least, a bit unsettling! We no longer have a copperhead in the crawlspace.

The Question About Hiking

Since I’m out hiking every day that weather allows, I’m frequently asked if I see any snakes. The answer, easily and quickly is NO. Since starting my daily hiking at the beginning of April, I have perhaps seen 6 snakes — all of them run-over, flattened, and all of them little ring-necked (diadophis punctatus) snakes. No wait, there was another snake I saw, a small garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snake, but he too was flattened by car/truck tires. Given the number of run-over snakes, you’d think that we have loads of traffic on our isolated road, but that is definitely not the case. I’ve been told by at least one person that if he sees a snake while he is driving, he aims for it. Poor things.

Today – A Snake Worth Noting!

About 1/4 way through my hike today, on a hillside where I usually notice beautiful southern hare-bells, and yummy looking cinnabar chanterelles, I finally saw a snake worth mentioning! It was a copperhead. I recognized him right away. I occasionally see them around our yard, and in that case, I just turn around and go the other way. This fellow was slithering up the hillside, minding his own business. When he realized that I was there, looking at him, he raised his head and stayed in his zig-zag position, perfectly motionless, letting me take lots of photographs. Such a cooperative model!

Parting Words

After taking enough pictures that I was fairly confident that I had gotten at least one decent pict, I continued on my way, but only after telling him to spread the word that he and his family are not welcome in our crawlspace!

Turquoise Mushrooms!

Blue-green Wood Stain Mushrooms, Chlorociboria aeruginascens — Blue-green Wood Stain Mushrooms, *Chlorociboria aeruginascens*

The Last Day Of August

I was out extra early this morning for my hike. That’s a mighty good idea during the summer, since there are rain showers or thunderstorms so often in the afternoons. This summer that has certainly been the case. It has been much more rainy than a normal summer, and I’ve gotten good and drenched a couple times!

So Many Mushrooms!

I can’t say what a normal summer of mushrooms is, since this is only the first summer I’ve been keeping an eye on Mother Nature up here, but it really seems like we’ve got quite a plethora of these amazing things. I’ve been amazed at the variation of color in the mushrooms. Seems like every color of the rainbow is represented.

A Few Days Ago A New Color

A few days ago, I came upon a new color, one that I had never seen in a mushroom before — turquoise! I took photos and came home to find that I had not gotten the focus just right. Another trip up the mountain brought the same results. These mushrooms are very tiny – about 1/4 inch across and focusing is a challenge but today, success! Yay!

Blue-Green Wood Stain

As you can see in the photo captions, these mushrooms are Blue-green Wood Stain Mushrooms, Chlorociboria aeruginascens. The book I often use for mushroom identification, Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians, by William C. Roody, says that actually finding the fruiting body (or what we call the mushroom) is a bit unusual. What is normally seen is just the stained wood, as in the picture above. Interesting! And another beautiful mushroom color!

Bright Yellow

Oleander Aphids, Aphis nerii — Oleander Aphids, *Aphis nerii*

But They Are Beautiful!

Okay, I must admit, my number one priority in taking photographs is the visual impact. It can be the creepiest critter around, but if it is gorgeous to look at — with no thought of what it is, it will become a pict for me! I suppose that in this case, many of you will mumble under your breath, “There goes Brenda again. Another really creepy bug!” But look at that wonderful brilliant screaming yellow! The color of the Corvette Stingray that is my dream car!

Screaming Yellow At 2000 Feet

I’m always on the lookout for the unusual, or the usual that everyone else overlooks. I think this might fill the bill. Way up the mountain – adjacent to one of my favorite little slopes, where I found multitudes of Wild Columbine early this summer, where I am finding Cinnabar Chanterelles, where there are Woodland Sunflowers growing in profusion; this is where I found this impressive streak of yellow.

Milkweed And Oleander Lookout!

These tiny things are Oleander Aphids, Aphis nerii. They also attack Milkweed. This is what they are on, so far up the mountain. Wouldn’t you know, they are not native. Apparently they arrived on this continent, along with their namesake, Oleander. Both the Oleander and the Oleander Aphid are from the Mediterranean region. I hope there is something up there that is hungry for Aphids!