Giant Puffball Mushroom

Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). Easily, of all the many mushrooms that I have seen growing along the trails I hike, this species of mushroom is the coolest one I have ever seen. They look to me like something that has arrived from outer space, sitting there observing the humans of Earth. It also brings to mind the 1958 movie, The Blob.

“Giant” in the name of this mushroom is certainly appropriate. Notice my sunglasses in the bottom right of this photo for scale. Most often growing to a diameter of 4 to 20 inches, sometimes even to 35 inches, and on occasion one will be seen with a diameter of 60 inches.

And in this photo, my phone is there for scale.

Giant Puffballs were long thought to be in the saprobic category of fungi which grows on dead organic matter. They are now considered to be mycorrhizal fungi which forms a connection, most often with trees. Each of these entities gaining benefit from the other exchanging moisture and carbohydrates, for minerals and other nutrients. 

One incredible species of mushroom.

This blog gives no information about the edibility or toxicity of any of the mushrooms that are written about.

More Nesting Activities

It pleases me greatly that Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) chatter around the woods near my home all year long.

And nearly every year a pair will choose some strange object in which to build their nest and raise a family. Of course I provide the strange objects, hanging them from the front and back porch ceilings of my cabin. Baskets, a graniteware coffee pot, a gourd with a hole as a front door are just a few of those strange objects.

The male Carolina Wren may partially build several nests and after the female makes her choice the two of them will complete the nest. This year the front porch has been chosen.

Incubation which takes 12 – 16 days, is by the female only. The male feeds the female during the incubation. After hatching, both parents bring food to the nestlings. The little ones fledge at about 12-14 days after hatching.

Nature is totally enchanting.

A Busy House

The female Chickadee (Paridae) has built her nest. I expect by now the eggs have hatched and both the male and the female are out searching for caterpillars, spiders and insects for their young.

A bit of a timeline: One to two days after the female builds the nest, her eggs are laid. She incubates the eggs for about twelve days before they hatch. All this time the male Chickadee takes care of his mate by bringing her food.

Upon hatching, these new birds are naked and blind but within a week, though still with eyes closed, they are growing feathers. The female now goes out searching for food as well.

At eleven days old they have grown their feathers and have opened their eyes. At two weeks, or just a couple days longer, the fledglings are able to fly short distances. After a couple weeks of guidance and feeding by their parents the juveniles are on their own to face the wide world.

Female Indigo Bunting

When I see a male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), I immediately know what I’ve seen. No doubt about it.

The female of the species though is another story. Plain brown, with just the very slightest suggestion of maybe wing bars. No eye ring. From allaboutbirds.org, “Females are basically brown, with faint streaking on the breast, a whitish throat, and sometimes a touch of blue on the wings, tail, or rump.” That, “sometimes a touch of blue” is no joke. Can you see any blue on this bird in the above picture? So that “sometimes” means sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not. This is a female Indigo Bunting. This is what birders would call the classic LBJ or Little Brown Job.

And this, another female Indigo Bunting, does indeed have a bit of a touch of blue on her wing edges. Can you see it?

Here another photo of a female Indigo Bunting, with a hint of blue. Mighty subtle! One other hint: The bill is short, thick, and conical, very dark on the top, pale gray on the bottom. Always glad to see the ladies.

Sentimentality

My aim is to have nearly all native Virginia plants surrounding my cabin. I stick with that quite strictly but I have a stumbling block to that goal, sentimentality. Each year, at the end of May into the beginning of June I’m reminded of that part of my personality as the Rose Campions (Lychnis coronaria) begin to bloom. NOT native to this continent. They bloom with such a radiant magenta color that I always find it a challenge for my sophisticated camera to capture the perfect image of the flower. The fuzzy stems and leaves, a different story, being a muted gray-green. Easy to capture. I must send this picture to Mom. Thinking of you and your Maryland gardens Mom! Too bad Florida weather can’t host these beautiful flowers.

Fourleaf Milkweed

Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia). Blooming in the palest of pink, along the trails up here in the mountains, May to July. Providing nectar for bumble bees and other bees, flies, ants, wasps, butterflies and moths. One of the larval host plants of Monarch Butterflies.

A perennial herb with a single stem emerging from a rhizome. Not a giant in the world of milkweeds, growing most often to 12-18 inches. Leaves, egg-shaped to lanceolate, are opposite or whorled. Unlike other milkweeds, this one enjoys living in the woods.

Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe

Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia tomentosa). A vine that grows vigorously with a mind of its own. A vine with a funny looking flower. It’s native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. This is a plant in the genus Aristolochia. Plants in this genus are larval host plants of the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.

I love to grow plants that I know will help insects live in this environment. To watch. To wait. To see if I can see any benefit. I’ve been able to watch caterpillars grow.

To watch as a caterpillar molts into a glowing chrysalis. Inside this protective shell, the caterpillar totally alters its body, finally emerging as a beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly. All because I planted this vine that needs care to keep it in bounds. This plant with the funny looking flowers. What a marvelous reward.

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Butterfly Weed

An incredibly beautiful Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) on the aptly named Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) which provides nectar to many pollinators. Native to much of the United States, from Maine to South Dakota to the desert southwest to Florida.

Another pollinator that nearly matches the color of the Butterfly Weed, Great Spangled Fritilary (Speyeria cybele). Along with butterflies, bees and wasps are common pollinators.

Butterfly Weed is the larval host plant of Queen and Monarch butterflies, and Dogbane Tiger Moth, Milkweed Tussock Moth, and Unexpected Cycnia Moth.

Caution: Butterfly Weed is toxic to humans and animals.