Northern Pearly-eye (Enodia anthedon) with a wingspan of 1.5 to 2.5 inches. These butterflies feed on fungi, carrion, dung, and sap from Willows, Poplars and Birches.
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White Coral Jelly Fungus (Sebacina sparassoidea)
A severe drought and no mushrooms. Finally it rains and there they are again.
The White Coral Jelly Fungus grows in eastern North America, most often near dead Oak trees, though sometimes on or near other deciduous trees. These fruit bodies show up in late summer.
Mushrooms fascinate me. Such a different form of life. I pay no attention to their edibility or inedibility. Too often a mistake can be made. I find it best to just enjoy their beauty. Photographs are much more satisfying.
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School has started here, and in some locations much earlier, that means autumn is thinking of making a showing. Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) will soon be blooming, tempting bees, butterflies and the last of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
This butterfly, a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), has been tempted by the nectar of the Pineapple Sage and its brilliant red blooms.
Autumn soon.
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A Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis). This is the ventral side of this butterfly. Wings up and closed. You are seeing the bottom side of its wings.
And this is the dorsal side of a Red-spotted Purple. The top side. As in this species of butterfly, butterflies often have very different looks, dorsal and ventral sides.
The dorsal side of a butterflies’ wings are often used in sexual signaling and for luring mates.
The ventral side of a butterflies’ wings are often used for camouflage to avoid predators.
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A week ago I did a post about a very small Robber Fly (Gnat Oger) (Holcocephala fusca). Tonight’s post is about a Robber Fly (Promachus rufipes) that is one of the largest of the Robber Flies, measuring in at 1.25″ to 1.5″.
These Robber Flies are ravenous predators. One will find the perfect spot, perching on a branch or a leaf and wait for its meal to fly into view. Springing into action to capture it in mid-air, clasping it with its claws. Using its proboscis, enzymes are injected that will paralyze the prey and digest its insides. Then it simply lands and sucks its meal as if it was a milkshake.
They’re good creatures to have in your garden since they will eat pest insects like Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (Halyomorpha halys). I’m hoping too that they’ll take a liking to Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula).
We just have to hope for more of these Robber Flies to come along to save the day.
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Blackberry Lily (Iris domestica)
Not a native. Native to Asia. But still it is one of my favorites – a rhizomatous perennial. The seed pod that will split open to display a cluster of seeds which resemble a Blackberry.
Thomas Jefferson grew this beautiful flower in his gardens. Me too.
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Totally delighted to see a Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) caught in a spider’s web today. Yes, some spiders will eat SLFs. Yay! Eat’em up little spiders!
Though I wish there was some way to easily control these recently (2014) arrived insects from Asia, I have my doubts that potential predators – insects, such as Praying Mantises, Wheel Bugs, Yellow Jackets and Ants; Spiders; and birds such as Chickens and Cardinals will present a perfect solution.
But I’m hoping to be surprised.
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A bit less than a week ago the remains of Hurricane Debby came through bringing 5.88 inches of rain, special delivery, to my cabin. That lovely rain brought down three trees, domino style, across the lane, totally blocking us in. One of them a Persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana)(a Persimmon tree, above). But a call to a neighbor that has a tree service and lickety-split — freedom!
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Youngsters, moms, and dads all together at the feeders. The height of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) season here on the mountain. Mighty hard to count them as they bounce around in mid-air but snapping a picture does help. I see 18 of them in this picture. I would not have guessed that many.
They sure slurp down a lot of that syrup.
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I was raised in Maryland. A state I love. And I love the state flower, designated as the state flower way back in 1918. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). I purchased some to plant in my garden at the Greene County Farmers Market last year. This (above) was then.
This is now. A little ways to go but well on its way to making me quite proud to have some of Maryland’s state flower blooming in my yard.
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