Host Plant – Tendrils

Mistletoe in Arizona

Juniper Mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum). Looking back at photos from a trip to the Southwest. Such a wonderful part of the country. I love to roam out there. To find new plants and animals. This, a species of Mistletoe that I was not familiar with.

Juniper Mistletoe is a plant that grows on Juniper trees in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, California, Texas and northern Mexico at elevations from 3,200-7,500 feet. It’s a hemiparasitic plant, meaning it contains chlorophyl and performs some photosynthesis but obtains part of its water, or nutrients from its host plant.

More Hickory

Continuing on a thread that I started yesterday. These nuts are Bitternut Hickory. All Hickory nuts are edible but with this one, as the name implies, is one that you might want to skip. There are much better nuts in the woods.

Some moths have the Hickory tree as their host plant. One that is often seen in the fall is the Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar. Those long hairs are used as protection against predators and may irritate the skin of sensitive individuals. Use caution.

Another moth caterpillar that uses the Hickory tree as their host plant is an incredibly large one, the Hickory Horned Devil. Growing to 5.5 inches to 6 inches in length, it’s the caterpillar of the Regal Moth. Despite its size and amazing look the caterpillar is totally harmless with no poisonous spines.

The Regal Moth, the adult of the Hickory Horned Devil is of course large as well and can fill the space of a hand, with a wingspan of 4 to 6 inches. There are also butterflies that use Hickory trees as their host plants including Hickory Hairstreak and Banded Hairstreak.

Right now as autumn blazes through those Hickories are waiting to be discovered. Get out and look for the amazing golden glow, and compound leaf. Could be a Hickory.

Variegated Fritillary

Unlike other Fritillaries, that exclusively use native Violets as their host plant, the Variegated Fritillary depends on many plants as its host plant including those Violets and also Passion Vine, Pansy, Purslane, Mayapple, Flax, and others.

The Variegated Fritillary has a “long” life as an adult compared to some other butterflies, living between two and ten weeks. Some portion of those weeks as a butterfly are spent nectaring at flowers such as Asters, Common Milkweed, Dogbane, Thistles, Coneflowers, Tithonia, and Ironweed.

Variegated Fritillaries are found in South and North America, in moist meadows and woodland edges.

Creamy white, reddish-orange, metallic blue with shiny black hairy spines. Here with the typical Fritillary host plant, a native Violet leaf. So many caterpillars are amazing. This is one of them!

Great Spangled Fritillary

One of many species of Fritillary that depend on native violets as their host plant, Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele). They’re seen in the central and northern United States and southern Canada sporting a wingspan of about three inches.

Many adult butterflies have a very short life. In contrast, adult Great Spangled Fritillaries live from June to September. In early September they will mate. Females will lay their eggs near or on native violet plants.

Right after hatching the larvae will tunnel into the soil seeking a place to spend the winter in a state of diapause or “hibernation.” Come spring they’re close to where those native violets will be growing, ready to provide nourishment for the caterpillars. Keep in mind violets, that pop up in your garden, grow in your lawn, the Fritillaries depend on them.

Violets for the Birthday Girl

She’s celebrating her 104th birthday. Absolutely marvelous. She’s part of an amazing family. A family that brings love to everything they do. And she loves Violets. So Violets it will be.

There are somewhere between four hundred and five hundred different species of Violets in the genus Viola, and those Violets are scattered all over this planet.

I’m really pleased to find many many different species of them here on my mountain, up in Shenandoah National Park and other places that I roam.

I’m thrilled to find an unknown leaf, an unknown flower and Violets always surprise me with their variety.

There is even at least one small shrub in the genus Viola which grows in Portugal. Most other species are either perennial or annual plants.

I don’t think I’ll be getting to Portugal anytime soon but that’s fine. There’s so many Violets here to keep me busy with finding, photographing and identifying them.

Keep in mind as you’re tending your gardens to leave some of the Violets. They’re beautiful and they are depended upon by many of the Fritillary butterflies as a primary host plant.

Sending loads of Violet thoughts and many hugs to you, birthday girl!

Common Hackberry

Tree bark offers great opportunity to identify a tree during the winter. Some more straightforward than others. One tree that through its bark is a cinch to figure out, Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). Its bark makes me think of a 3D topo map with all the ridges and valleys laid out and wrapped around the trunk.

The amount of furrowing increases as the tree ages. This image above is a younger tree than in the first photo.

Another point I pick up on in identifying, no matter what the season is, is the presence of Hackberry Galls, which are very often present on the twigs or leaves. These are caused by irritation of cells due to an insect called a Psyllid feeding on the Hackberry leaves and small branches.

In early summer you will find drupes (the fruit of the Common Hackberry Tree) on the trees. As the drupes mature they will go from green to a rich coppery purple color.

One last morsel of information not related to the identification of this tree is about a butterfly. The Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) depends on the Common Hackberry Tree as its exclusive caterpillar host plant. No Common Hackberry Trees, no Hackberry Emperors.