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Hoary Mountain Mint
Hoary Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum) are blooming up here in the mountains and will continue into early autumn. It has a soft look. That word “hoary” speaks to its silvery look. The blooms, creamy white to lavender with lavender spots. The mint scented leaves cry out to be made into a tea. The plants grow…
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Echinacea In July
Echinacea purpurea, or the common name, Purple Coneflower, is blooming right now. An herbaceous, perennial that is native to eastern North America. Though common in gardens, this species is fairly uncommon in the wild. Pollinators of Echinacea are bees, butterflies and skippers. In the autumn, leave the seedheads and you’ll be rewarded by Goldfinches coming…
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Inflated Lobelia
Inflated Lobelia (Lobelia inflata), tiny flowers, in shades of white, pale blue and lavender, with a hint of yellow inside. Blooming from July to October. And like many of the plants growing around us, it is poisonous. Here you can see the the “inflated” fruit of Inflated Lobelia which gives this plant its common, as…
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What’s Up There?
I had another visit today, from a wonderful bird, a Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). They don’t get seen often, but my blueberries are ripe now and they love them. Blueberries are a sure draw for many birds. Over the course of just a couple minutes I was able to get more than 40 images of…
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A Good Day For Birds
Two surprise birds today. Two females. An American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Not interested in sunflower seeds or shelled peanuts but the birdbath I’ve put out for her. And another female. A Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) on her way to the blueberry bushes that are still filled with yummy berries to tempt her. A good day…
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Wild Basil
Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare), is an herbaceous perennial, and member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. True Basil is also part of the Lamiaceae family. Being in that family, it has a square stem like so many mint plants that I have growing in my gardens. Flowers, 1/2 inch long are formed together in fuzzy clumps.…
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Click Beetles
This is an Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus), one of about one thousand species of Click Beetles in North America. These Click Beetles have something other beetles don’t have, a flexible connection between the first and second section of their thorax. This allows them to move their heads and first pair of legs independently from…
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Anchor Stink Bug
Anchor Stink Bug (Stiretrus anchorago). Found in Central and mostly eastern North America. This is a good guy of the stink bug world, feeding on beetle larvae and caterpillars, including many agricultural and gardening pests such as the Mexican Bean Beetle and the Japanese Beetle. There’s incredible variation in the coloring of the Anchor Stink…
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Barred Owl
Barred Owl (Strix varia). Yesterday afternoon as I wandered out into the vegetable garden, I heard a great cacophony of bird calls. Much more than what I usually hear. Within seconds a Barred Owl flew out from its ill chosen perch and settled onto a branch across the way. Things settled down immediately. I went…
