Creepy Looking But Good Insect

The largest of the true bugs in the family of Assassin and Ambush Bugs (Reduviidae). Generally about an inch long, sometimes reaching 1.5 inches. These are North American Wheel Bugs (Arilus cristatus). They’re found in eastern Canada, the United States, south into Mexico and Guatemala.

Good because they prey on garden pests, caterpillars and beetles. Among those are, Tent Caterpillars, Japanese Beetles, Mexican Bean Beetles, and Cabbage Worms. This Wheel Bug is a good guy.

And that creepy look? You should take that as a warning. Though it is said to be gentle, a bite will be brought on by rough treatment, or provocation. Its bite is extremely painful, though it doesn’t have venom. Don’t pick it up!

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An Invasive Introduced In 1806

Groan. Yes, introduced in 1806, to Long Island, New York, as an ornamental, for erosion control, and for wildlife uses. Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), native to east Asia, and some parts of China.

The flowers of this species of Honeysuckle provide food to deer, rabbits, hummingbirds and other animals. Its fruit, the berries pictured above, are quite popular with deer, small mammals, birds and other animals. Those animals in turn distribute the seeds, which have contributed to the plant becoming highly invasive.

Since it’s nearly Thanksgiving, I have to say that I’m thankful that Japanese Honeysuckle, if you have a small patch invading your garden, is easily removed. If you’ve got a larger problem with it, that’s another story.

Up Here

Many of the colorful leaves are covering the ground now, providing a place for overwintering animals to snuggle down, to survive through the cold of the jacket and mitten season.

Not all leaves are down though. There are still brilliant hues out there cheering the mountains. Here a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) greets the few people that manage to come up this far.

Still not the time of year that pleases me most, when the woods are a black and white ink drawing.

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A Ping Pong Ball With Feathers

A week ago this little bird agreed to model for me and my camera. It and many of its friends know me well, waiting to hear me calling as I set out meal worms and sunflower seed hulls for them. And they come right away for their meals. This, a Chickadee (Poecile).

These Chickadees, that weigh less than half an ounce, make me think of ping pong balls covered with feathers, complete with a feathery tail, two little feet and a beak.

I’m only listing this bird as a Chickadee (Poecile), without going further, not listing its specific species. In North America, there are seven Chickadee species that regularly occur on the continent, and two of those species, the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), and the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) both live in my area, and also interbreed making it extremely difficult for me to know exactly what species one or the other is.

Whichever they might be, I love having them around. They are extremely friendly birds, making me feel quite welcome in their world of nature.

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Feeder Buddies

The feeder has only been out a couple days. I expected the birds would take a while to discover it. Maybe a week or two. But the Chickadees (Paridae), and Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) came right away, as if they had been waiting for just a short time for their seeds to show up.

I love hanging out with my cousins, my best friends, and these two species of birds, Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, are also close cousins, members of the family, Paridae.

And they don’t need to have a family reunion to get together. They see each other at the feeder every day.

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First Day

I put some meal worms, nyjer seed, and sunflower kernels out yesterday. The first time, after many, many months. Right away a Chickadee showed up, perhaps because I always call to the birds to let them know I’m putting food out for them.

The Chickadees have continued. I saw three this afternoon out there. And this female Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted subspecies)(Colaptes auratus auratus), in a Flowering Dogwood tree. The Flicker may take a little while longer to approach the feeder. They aren’t quite as fearless as Chickadees are.

We’ll see. Stay tuned!

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Blue

Some of Mother Nature’s artwork. Frost on the storm door on January 3, 2014, when the overnight low was 17°, the high that day was 37°, and 1/2 inch of snow fell.

Tomorrow’s high is predicted to reach the mid-eighties. Certainly this is not January, but is this actually November?

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Color Coordination

Red berries. Red bird. Good timing for the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), finding those berries of the Flowering Dogwood tree.

I haven’t started feeding the birds yet. Soon though.

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Tree ID Thanks To Bark

Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) is a tree that has a bark that is unmistakable. A tree that can be identified even during a season that is often a challenge to figure out which tree is which species – during the winter. And though I’m not a fan of common names, this one is certainly appropriate, at least for trees with a few years of growth to their credit. Younger trees aren’t shaggy.

Shagbark Hickory is found in the eastern US and southeastern Canada. If things go well for the tree, a Shagbark Hickory can grow to be 150 feet tall, and can live to be 350 years old.

Lots of these hickories up here on my mountain. Their leaves are gone now, but it’s easy to tell what species of tree they are, because of that bark. That’s good. I can use all the help I can get.

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