Coral Honeysuckle

A perennial vine, native to the eastern United States. Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) with flowers that provide nectar to hungry Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the blooms as well. The Coral Honeysuckle is the host plant for Spring Azure Butterflies and Snowberry Clearwing Moths.

The berries of this Honeysuckle are eaten by many birds, including Quail, Robins, Goldfinches, Purple Finches, and Hermit Thrushes.

A lovely Honeysuckle, native and well behaved.

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Amazing Mom Spider

Hoping you’re not freaked out by this photo. I had to share this with you, a mother Wolf Spider (Lycosidae). AND those yellow-green dots on her back are her babies. If you look carefully at the image, you can actually see their legs.

The Wolf Spider is a different sort of mom, particularly in the spider world. She carries her eggs in a silken egg sac, attached on the spinnerets at the end of her abdomen. She goes about her normal hunting, while carrying the egg sac. Her abdomen is in a higher than normal position so she doesn’t drag and harm the eggs.

After those eggs hatch, she helps the babies out of the silken sac, and they climb onto her back, where they stay for as long as several weeks. They bring along the yolks from their eggs to eat as they are developing. If a spiderling falls off, mother spider will stop what she’s doing to rescue the little one.

There are 200 species of Wolf Spider in North America, and they all have these amazing moms.

The world of nature astounds me.

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Smooth Solomon’s Seal

Smooth Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), in bloom up here in the woods. It is an herbaceous perennial, native to eastern and central North America. 

Often found in rocky woods, happy in either dry or moist soil. Like the Yucca, it’s another plant in the asparagus (Asparagaceae) family.

Smooth Solomon Seal can very slowly form colonies in favorable conditions through its rhizomes. Bees, butterflies and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds enjoy its nectar. Its berries turn to blue-black in autumn. Robins, Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush, and Veery enjoy eating those blue-black berries.

I know where the colonies are and love to go past them in my roaming.

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Happiness At The Birdbath

An Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), kindly posed for me at one of my birdbaths. They’re in the area year round, though not necessarily here in my yard. I try to tempt them with dried mealworms which they sometimes like. Without the mealworms they wouldn’t be feeder birds, preferring to eat insects, and small fruits and berries. Surprising as it sounds, they will also on rare occasions eat shrews, and small amphibians such as tree frogs and snakes.

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Hide And Seek

It was a game of hide and seek. The female Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) and I. The game ended in a draw. Though I was able to get photographs, they left me still wanting more and better images. And she seemed to leave with a very quiet chuckle.

I seldom see Hooded Warblers. They eat insects, spiders and other arthropods, so they don’t come my the feeders.

Hooded Warblers come here during the breeding season. It’s wonderful to have them for the summer, stopping by on rare occasions to get a drink at the birdbaths.

This encounter leaves me with hopes that a male Hooded Warbler will show up one of these days soon. As is normally the case, the male has a much more distinctive appearance, bright yellow with a striking black cap that seems to have ear flaps all attached to his head with a chin strap. Hoping I’ll capture him in pixels so that I can share him with you.

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Rattlesnake Weed

Rattlesnake Weed (Hieracium venosum). Native to south-central Canada, through the eastern United States. It has the common name of Rattlesnake Weed, since it is thought to be found in areas where rattlesnakes frequent. That common name too, is an excellent example why one should depend on the scientific name rather than the common name. There is another plant, native to the southwestern portion of North America with the very same common name of Rattlesnake Weed. But each and every plant has its very own unique scientific name. This other plant has its own scientific name of Euphorbia albomarginata. If only they had easy to remember scientific names.

But back to the Rattlesnake Weed of my woods. Its basal leaves, which are normally its only leaves, are unusual. Bluish-green with deep red veins, and hairy at the edges.

The flowers, bright yellow, look a little bit like Dandelions on wiry stems, growing one to two feet tall.

Ah nature! So many amazing things to discover. So many things to learn about.

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Punctuation In The Natural World

An Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma). One of the species of butterfly that overwinters as an adult. Imagine a warm winter day, you’re hiking along a mountain trail and there in front of you is an orange butterfly. This might be what you are seeing. This one has seen many miles.

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Just A Number

Overnight, one of the digits that represent my age changed. Funny how that happens. Here I am, celebrating with a bow in my hair, on the left (my right).

Today, being a special day, I was on alert for something unusual to show up in the world of nature. That seems to happen on holidays, birthdays and other red letter days.

While outside this afternoon, I was paying attention to the songs of the birds in the woods. Two relatively new to me, at least for this season, stood out. The first that I heard, a Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). This image is the Redstart I was pleased to see and photograph just a few days ago.

The second song was of a Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus). I haven’t seen any yet this season. This picture is from April of 2020.

Both these birds eat mostly insects and other arthropods during the summer. Since they don’t come to my feeders, I’m able to entice them into view by keeping my three birdbaths filled with fresh water.

Looking forward to seeing more birds here for the breeding season as spring turns to summer.

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Spring Yucca Blooms

I went out on the back hillside this afternoon to get photographs of the Yucca filamentosa with its spears emerging, soon to be blossoms. Those spears resemble the asparagus that is growing in the vegetable garden, several feet away. Much to my surprise, as I was searching the Internet for information on Yuccas, I discovered that they’re in the asparagus family, Asparagaceae.

Why is this species of Yucca called filamentosa? You can see why, in this second image from this afternoon. Oodles of threadlike filaments curling from the leaves.

A month from now there will be gorgeous Yucca blooms. Bringing me pure pleasure.

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Tawny Emperor

A Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton), one of my hiking buddies that keeps me company as I trek up the mountain. Native to the eastern half of North America from Canada to northern Mexico. Their sole host plant is the Hackberry tree (Celtis occidentalis). Plenty of those trees around here. As adults, these butterflies don’t go to flowers for their meals – what we would expect – but for food they go for carrion, sap and dung. Oh my.

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