It’s always fun to find a different native plant out in the woods. I never even knew that Huckleberries were actually a real thing until I found this bush. Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata). Along with this one, there are 3 other species of Huckleberry in this genus, Gaylussacia, which are found in eastern North America.
Here at my cabin I see juvenile Skinks with their brilliant blue tails quite frequently. Those tails are “detachable,” and if attacked by a predator the skink can release its tail, which will continue to wiggle, distracting that predator while the Skink vanishes from the scene. A new tail will regrow, taking perhaps 6 months, and will not be as long or as perfectly shaped as the original tail.
It was a bit more than a year ago when I saw my first adult Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps). Yesterday my granddaughter spotted a pair of these same creatures. They’ve outgrown the coloring of their bright blue tails, outgrown the obvious stripes and grown to be 12 or 13 inches long, the largest Skink in its native range of the southeastern United States.
Perhaps the reason I seldom see adult Skinks is that they spend most of their lives in the tops of trees, coming to the ground to mate and build nests for egg-laying. They are predators of insects, other invertebrates, and some vertebrates, including rodents and other lizards.
One more post on the Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) and, about those incredible piercing bright yellow eyes. As a hatchling the Brown Thrasher has blue eyes, as the bird grows the eyes change to ashen and then on to the yellow that you see in my photos of adult Brown Thrashers.
Last night I posted about Brown Thrashers and mentioned how much they remind me of Road Runners. Here’s one in a, “I’m NOT a Road Runner” pose. No doubt about it, definitely NOT a Road Runner!
Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) native to east Asia. These roses bloom right along with Blackberry bushes up here in the mountains. Often people will see the roses and mistake them for blackberry blooms. They do look a bit similar but there is a very easy way to tell the difference between the two. By their pollen. Blackberry pollen has a pale gray color and Multiflora Rose pollen is bright screaming yellow.
Blackberry is a native plant that is considered by some to be invasive in our woods. But not so quick. There is no comparison to the aggressive/invasive nature of Multiflora Rose versus the more tame growth of Blackberry bushes. Multiflora Rose expands its territory through seed, root sprouting, and layering. Layering happens when a cane bends down and touches the soil, develops roots and takes off on its own with no need for the parent plant. And CLIMB. The Multiflora Rose climbs 10 feet to 15 feet UP into the branches of trees. All this extremely prolific growth of the Multiflora Rose allows it to form impenetrable thickets that exclude native plant species and even hampers the nesting of native birds.
All this about the invasiveness of this noxious weed and I’ve gotten sidetracked! I wanted to point out to you that there are some blooms of this plant that are cotton candy pink. Not white. The pink is unusual to see, making me stop in my tracks, but it is indeed also Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora). Don’t be fooled by its beauty. It too is indeed an extremely aggressive invasive plant.
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is in bloom right now. The plants are dioecious, meaning that each plant is either male or female. All the plants get flowers, male or female flowers. Blooms that looks quite similar, a greenish-yellow color with a width of less than 1/2 inch. Male flowers have prominent stamens covered in brilliant yellow pollen.
Female flowers, with a prominent pistil, and only small underdeveloped stamens without the striking yellow color. The female blooms develop white drupes which are an important and popular winter food for many birds.
I’ve been fortunate to have a lush patch of Poison Ivy growing in an ancient oak tree that brings in a wonderful assortment of woodpeckers, including Pileated Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers. Poison Ivy makes the birder in me totally happy.
Starry Campion (Silene stellata) is a native plant found in the eastern and central United States. It is here on my mountain, greeting me as I roam the trails. Pollinators are mostly moths and an occasional bumblebee that slurp the nectar.
A herbaceous perennial plant, loosely branching, 12 to 30 inches tall. The flower has 5 snow white fringed petals which create a 3/4 inch bloom, held by a pale green bell-shaped calyx. Its leaves are lance-shaped, in whorls surrounding the stems. Blooming July through September.
Mountain trails without fail provide fascination.
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Within a week or so my blueberries are going to be turning to their bloom covered midnight blue, signaling the start of a wonderful time of year – blueberry season. There are maybe a dozen mature blueberry bushes in front of my cabin, in front of the wood shop, and in front of the vegetable garden.
Blueberries contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide abundant health benefits.
These berries will ripen over the course of many weeks. I don’t get to all of them as they reach their best but birds in the area know of their existence and help with the harvest. I love to share with the feathered creatures.
And picking blueberries is quite the popular activity with all the family. All three generations of us.
A few days ago while I was getting photographs of Maple-leaf Hydrangea, a Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) was resting on one of the Hydrangea leaves and seemed to want attention. Here it is in all its handsome golden glory.
For some, skippers are a confusing family in the group of flying insects called Lepidoptera. All moths, and skippers are also butterflies. The most reliable difference I can see in these three families is in the antennae. Butterflies have antennae that are very thin with a knob or thicker end. Skippers, much like butterflies, have very thin knobbed antennae, but the knobs are tipped with distinct hooks. In this photo the hook is there pointing off to each side. Moths, particularly males have comb-like antennae. The female moth’s antennae is much more narrow and spindly.
Butterflies, skippers, and moths use their antennae for similar purposes, including smelling and navigation. They use both antennae together, helping to find their way.
