Early Autumn’s Gorgeous Tree

Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), showing off in early autumn with a few leaves of knock your socks off scarlet among its many leaves that are still rich green. This one has fallen away from the tree to rest on a rock cushioned with moss.

Black Gum is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to eastern North America. 

As the season develops, so does the scarlet coloring, replacing the rich greens. All become scarlet, and beautiful.

Large numbers of bees are attracted to its flowers in spring. I am attracted to the colors of its leaves in autumn.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Oil Beetle

Roaming through the autumn leaves, an Oil Beetle (Meloe). If you see one, don’t pick it up. They have a defensive tactic to discourage predators. When provoked a bright orange, oily, poisonous chemical, called cantharidin will be released. This chemical on human skin will create very painful blisters.

A good sized beetle judging by the leaves that it is rambling across. Oil Beetles can grow to be 1.25 inches long.

Look but don’t touch.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Cobalt Crust Fungus

What a find this afternoon. Looking around and seeing this brilliant color, I was sure someone had been using a can of bright blue spray paint. It didn’t seem possible to find this color in nature. And certainly not a fungus. But for sure, it was a fungus I was seeing, growing on a downed, quite thick grape vine.

A quick Google search and I found what I was looking for. This is indeed something of nature. Cobalt Crust Fungus (Terana caerulea). A saprobic crust fungus. A saprobic fungus is one that feeds on dead or decaying woody plants. These fungi are wonderful for our environment, breaking down wood and other debris in forests, helping to create healthy soil, making nutrients available for plants and animals in the woods.

I still can’t get over that color. So bright and beautiful.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Showing Off Its Crimson Side

Happy first day of astronomical autumn. Quite the rainy day here but it’s time to celebrate nonetheless. First I’ll celebrate that I’m getting rain. Hooray! Something that is needed to a huge degree. Second I’m celebrating AUTUMN. Hallelujah! Lovely, warm colors all over the woods.

Celebrating with me are the Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus florida). They’re showing off their crimson side. They begin this process way back in late June, when the chlorophyll production begins to slowly shut down. Very slowly. Their leaves begin to turn from summer green to crimson. Very slowly. Mark your calendars and check out those Dogwood leaves. It really starts that early.

I hope you’re celebrating the arrival of autumn too.

A Lizard Again

Well, finally! I haven’t seen an Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) in eons. The last photo I have of one is from September of 2015.

I’ve been wondering where they’ve been. What they’re up to. That top photo is the one I saw yesterday morning. A little one. About 4 inches long. They range in size from 4 inches to 7.25 inches. This photo, immediately above, a larger Fence Lizard, is from June of 2012.

Fence Lizards are arboreal creatures that eat insects, spiders, and many other invertebrates.

The little one that I saw yesterday morning didn’t seem to be in the mood for conversation, so I didn’t find out what it and its friends have been up to, but it was super to see one again.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Maryland State Flower

So happy to find a new vendor at the Greene County Farmers Market. Lauren Taylor (www.belovedbrook.com) is selling native plants. Ah! Lauren is speaking my language.

Several weeks ago I got Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) plants from Lauren. My first time to have the Maryland state flower. I’ve had other Black-eyed Susans but these are the real thing. I grew up in Maryland and these flowers say “home” to me.

The first blooms have faded, and have been cut back to encourage continuing blooms. And PRESTO, there they are! A bit smaller than the first flowers, but beautiful for sure. I’m taking great care to keep them watered. This drought is keeping me busy, lugging water. I’m already looking forward to next year’s blooms and for many years after. Generally these plants are short-lived perennials, but they usually reseed prolifically.

I’m not the only one happy to see these Maryland flowers. Here a Variegated Fritillary enjoys the nectar of a Black-eyed Susan bloom. They attract many other butterflies, and is the host plant for Silvery Checkerspots (Chlosyne nycteis).

I’m hoping that these plants will indeed, reseed prolifically!

_____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Alvin?

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

The Eastern Chipmunk lives in wooded areas with deciduous trees, whether up here in the mountains, or in suburban areas with woods or parks around. They’re found throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. These Chipmunks like rocky areas, with brush piles, and dense shrubs to provide cover.

Small creatures, they are only 5 to 6 inches long, with a tail that is 3 to 4 inches long. Their average life span is less than 2 years but very fortunate Chipmunks could possibly live up to 8 years. Living those short years as solitary animals, with the exception of the breeding season.

Mighty fast! A chipmunk can run up to 21 miles per hour. Just try to get near one for a photograph, and you’ll see.

They eat grains, nuts, fruits, insects, and berries, using their inner cheek pouches as they are gathering their food. They store this food throughout their territory or in their underground tunnels. As winter approaches they stock up on more food.

During the cold of winter they will enter a state of torpor in their underground tunnels, with lower body temperature, lower heart rate, lower breathing rate and metabolic rate. Sleeping off and on during winter, waking occasionally to eat until spring finally arrives.

I’ll always remember when I lived in Arlington, Virginia, there was a family of Chipmunks that would frequent the area just outside our back door, Mom and Dad, and 2 little ones. What a treat to see!

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

A Giant In The Butterfly World

The largest butterfly in North America, with a wingspan of up to 6.9 inches. The Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).

And in a less often seen, ventral view.

As an adult, the Giant Swallowtail dines on the nectar of many species of flowers as well as liquid from animal feces. Quite the contrast, don’t you think?

The caterpillars of these butterflies have a remarkable camouflage technique to avoid predation by taking on the look of bird droppings.

If that doesn’t discourage a potential predator, they also can use their osmeteria, which is an organ that has the appearance of a forked tongue to frighten that predator away.

The caterpillars of the Giant Swallowtail are considered a pest for those growing trees in the citrus family such as Orange and Lime.

Also in the citrus family here in Virginia, the Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata), is host to both the Giant Swallowtail and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

I’m quite glad that I don’t have orchards of citrus trees. I love having these Giant Swallowtails around to amaze me with their remarkable size.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Maize Flower Fly

Maize Flower Fly (Toxomerus politus). This was a challenge to figure out this exact species. But perhaps the challenge is nearly all the fun!

These attractive flies enjoy being around us for our sweat, which provides them a source of water and salt. But it is not a Sweat Bee (Halictidae). Keep in mind, flies have one set of wings, and bees have two sets. Flies’ wings are straight out to the side when the fly is at rest, and bees’ wings are folded up over their body when at rest. The antennae on flies are small, and the antennae on bees are lengthy.

These little Maize Flower Flies are often found around corn plants. Their larvae do us a favor by eating soft-bodied pests like aphids. As adults they eat nectar and pollen. Measuring in at about 1/3 inch in length.

I came upon this Flower Fly up in Shenandoah National Park two weeks ago. They’re native to North America, Central America, and South America.

And who would have thought that a fly could be so lovely.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Sycamore

Golf ball sized orbs with tiny little spikes all over them. These were found behind the cabin. One was broken open to reveal loads of seeds. What in the world?

Scratching my head brought about an answer. These are seed balls of American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), a tree that I know well, but hadn’t paid any attention to the flowers or the seed balls. The flowers, both male and female on the same tree are rather inconspicuous. The seed balls usually fall from the trees in late winter and early spring.

Don’t be confused by the number of trees that have the same common name of Sycamore. This one has the scientific name of Platanus occidentalis, and no other tree has that name. It’s native to southeastern Canada and the central and eastern United States.

The bark of the American Sycamore is ragged, shedding its outer surface, exposing a lovely, quite pale yellowish-green to almost white color. Makes me think of marble tree trunks.

The leaves of the American Sycamore are reminiscent of a Maple leaf. Maple leaves though are opposite on their branches while the Sycamore leaves are alternate.

I’m captivated by streams that are outlined by these trees. Trees of marble marking the meandering flow of the water. Beautiful.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!