Our autumn is now past its peak. The wind has come through in a rage, taking not just the leaves but some branches and trees as well.
Here, sitting in a Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe).
Dogwoods are so beautiful all year long. With their leaves gone and the berries still there, that adds up to extra beauty.
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Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum), can be found in large colonies emerging from their thick rhizomes in the spring. Clusters of white flowers form at the end of their long arching stems. In the autumn you’ll find these beautiful clusters of red berries at the end of those stems.
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Spiders love to decorate for Halloween, and I appreciate it so much. They spin their webs all over my cabin, making it look wondrously spooky.
This is the species of spider that created the web where this drama occurred today at lunch. A Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera).
As I sat eating lunch, I noticed a bit of action taking place at one of the spider webs, just outside the window. A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) had become tangled in the web and was fluttering about madly. The spider was sitting on the web looking quite pleased and hungry.
And then, out of the blue, “Here he comes, to save the DAY!!” A migrating, Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) enters the scene. I don’t know if it was attracted by the brilliant red-orange of the butterfly’s wings, or if perhaps the tiny bird was thinking of stealing the spider’s meal. Hummingbirds do eat insects, by the way, including insects trapped in spider webs. It approaches the trapped Red Admiral and in short order the butterfly escapes – becoming nobody’s meal, and the hummingbird came around to the feeder filled with syrup, just for the migrating hummers.
Looking something like a Yorkshire Terrier, or a dragon in a Chinese New Year parade, a White-marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar (Orgyia leucostigma). Not a caterpillar to be picked up since those cute hairs can easily puncture your skin and cause hives and a skin rash. Those four white tufts on the right side can also lean toward yellow.
Look but don’t touch!
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The Brown-hooded Owlet caterpillar (Cucullia convexipennis). As a person who turns to all things art and color, this caterpillar truly speaks to me. It makes me think of the quilts that I have created over the years, to the pastel paintings that I’ve done, and more just waiting to happen.
A small critter, this caterpillar is almost one inch in length. Not only itself a beautiful color, it spends time on gorgeous Asters and Goldenrods, host plants of the Brown-hooded Owlet. The caterpillars feed on the Asters and Goldenrods, but as adult moths, they do not eat at all.
These caterpillars are found in the northeastern United States and close by Canada.
The splendor of nature is out there just waiting to be found.
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Under the blazing midday sun a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) uses its long proboscis to sip nectar from a Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
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Native to eastern and central North America, Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium) blooms for us toward the end of summer. A tall one, often growing to between 5 and 7 feet tall.
And if you’re curious, as I was, there is this from the New York Times. “AS the story goes, there once was an Indian medicine man named Joe Pye who used concoctions from a wild plant found growing in the nearby woods to cure typhoid fever. His brew is said to have halted an epidemic that raged in Colonial Massachusetts. Hence this local plant became forever known as joe-pye weed.”
Joe Pye Weed attracts an assortment of pollinators, including Skippers (Hesperiidae), one of which I’ve included here and in the image below.
The nectar of the flowers attract the Skippers, as well as Honey Bees, Butterflies, Moths, and other Bee species. Occasionally the flowers can be fragrant.
A very attractive flower for the month of August.
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Don’t miss the little things when you are out in nature. Little things in nature can be so cute, like this Banded Tussock moth caterpillar (Halysidota tessellaris). They look like tiny Yorkshire Terriers to me. Cute as they are though, don’t pick one up. Their furry coat can cause an itchy rash that will last a couple hours, or perhaps even a couple days.
I discovered this one on my watering can handle today. Normally you’ll find them eating the leaves of Oak, Ash, Birch, Willow, Poplar, Walnut, and Grape.
Little things in nature, worth looking for!
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The Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) on one of its many host plants.
Silvery Checkerspots depend upon several composites as their host plants including Asters, Coneflowers, and Sunflowers. These two photos are of a species of Sunflower, Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus).
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Pennsylvania Leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus). A member of the Soldier Beetle family, Cantharidae. Native to North America.
These Leatherwings are on Wild Ageratum (Eupatorium coelestinum), though I’ve read their favorite color is yellow, such as Goldenrod. I guess they are not that particular.
They are considered a great pollinator. And they love to eat aphids, as well as grasshopper eggs, caterpillars, mealybugs and many other garden pests.
I’m glad to have these beetles around, helping out with pollination and pest control.
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