Shorter days. Cooler temperatures. Leaves slowly losing their chlorophyll. Little by little my mountain is beginning to take on an autumnal demeanor. At a snail’s pace, summer is weakening its green grasp.
A crisp day encourages a maple leaf to fall. Crimson falling to its opposite on the color wheel. Emerald green perfectly surrounds and protects so long as winds are calm.
Pin Cushion Moss (Leocobryum glaucum).
Many of you might know that I love a mystery. Some native, something. A plant, an insect, something without a name. Figure out what it is. THIS was my mystery today. If I had not thumbed through a plethora of nature books since childhood, I would not have even known that this is a caterpillar. But that hint carried me to books with photographs of caterpillars. One of many in my library.
This is the only photograph I have of this critter. I took it in October 2013. And now I know what this is!
This is the larval stage, or caterpillar, of a Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar (Isa texula). It’s a venomous caterpillar. Look but don’t touch. Caterpillars in this family, Limacodidae, rather than having peg-like legs, mid-body, as most caterpillars have, have suckers, which creates a floating appearance, slug-like, which gives them their common name. They enjoy eating leaves of oak trees but they have a taste for most any hardwood tree. As adults the moth does not eat, but focuses only on reproduction.
Downy False Foxglove (Aureolaria virginica) is a plant that is hemiparasitic. This means it has chlorophyll and performs photosynthesis but also depends upon another plant for some of its water and/or nutrients.
In the case of Downy False Foxglove, the plant that it choses to depend upon is the White Oak (Quercus alba).
A plant that is native to eastern North America, with a small population found in Ontario.
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All day long people have been saying, “Happy first day of autumn!” Technically though, that would be tomorrow. Here in Virginia, the autumnal equinox arrives at 9:04 p.m. So, no autumn during the day today. But I’ve been celebrating autumn since September 1, since that’s the beginning of meteorological autumn which is based on temperatures. Not celestial objects floating across the sky.
And here in the mountains of Virginia, autumn is just thinking of happening, at least as far as the leaves are concerned. They’re nearly all shades of emerald. This leaf, at the top of the page, is a brilliant candy apple red from a Black Gum Tree (Nyssa sylvatica). One of many of my favorite autumn trees. Its leaves turn this wonderful color and generally hold on to them for while. Right now though, there aren’t many red ones – yet. I’ll be patient, waiting in the crisp autumn temperatures.
As spring turns to summer, early in the year, I always look forward to Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana) beginning to bloom. I have to wait a while since these are late blooming flowers. Late enough that they are here for the Hummingbirds traveling through.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that are on their way south to their winter homes, so very far away, stop at my feeders still stocked with sugar water but they also notice my blooming Obedient Plants and stop for a drink at these flowers. I saw one just today at some of the purple-pink flowers and I know the little guy was happy to find the blooms.
Obedient Plant is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to North American from eastern Canada to northern Mexico, all the way over to New Mexico.
Adult Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera) spiders show up in late summer, early autumn. Just in time to help decorate for Halloween. These good sized (female bodies are about 3/4 inch long, male bodies are slightly smaller) spiders fit the part, showing up in brown/orange bodies with striped legs of cream, brown and orange colors.
It is only the female Spotted Orb Weavers that spin webs, and during the autumn they may turn from nocturnal to diurnal. For the past few days there has been one on the storm door at my back door. Catching insects for its sustenance.
Once an insect is captured by a spider it will be wrapped, round and round with the spider’s silk. I’m not only delighted by the decorating that these spiders do, but I can’t help but celebrate that they from time to time will capture a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.
It’s called Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), though I certainly don’t notice any scent. But this Aster is a beauty, scent or no scent. Native to the northeastern and central US. Host plant to Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly.
A great time to be blooming, providing nectar and pollen to insects when other flowers have already finished their seasons.
And as summer turns to autumn Aromatic Asters add a marvelous color to the landscape. Purple, to go with the oranges and yellows. A perfect color combination.
Seems everyone knows the Dogwood species, Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), which is the Virginia state flower. But there are others out there. Actually there are 17 species of Dogwood that are native to North America.
These white berries look so beautiful on their crimson pedicels (stems). They’re one of the other species of Dogwood. Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa). Those pedicels are one reason I enjoy Gray Dogwood trees. They make me think of miniature bright red trees.
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Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). Blooming with a color that I like to call screaming yellow because it is so bright. Perfect for bringing cheer.
An herbaceous perennial native to eastern and central North America.
These cheery flowers attract many pollinators. Butterflies, skippers, beetles, pollinating flies, bees, and beneficial wasps seek their pollen and nectar.
The bloom season is summer into autumn. Wonderful flowers that I love to see trailside.
Celebrating autumn early. A small tree that I depend on to create the colors of the season. Not many but enough to know what is coming. Red and green. A few of the leaves of Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina) jump ahead of other leaves starting the color change.
A tree that enchants me, not only with red and green but with flowers during the summer that attract large numbers of pollinators. Bees so busy they seem to make the trees hum with glee.
So many favorites. This is one.
