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Tiger Bee Fly
Nothing to worry about, though it reminds me of a Horsefly. Actually something to cheer about. This is a Tiger Bee Fly (Xenox tigrinus). It doesn’t show any aggression toward humans. No stinging. No biting. Measuring in at one-half to three-quarter inch long, the Tiger Bee Fly is an insect of the family Bombyliidae (bee…
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Silverleaf Mountain Mint
A native mint that has intrigued me for years living trailside here on the mountain. I’ve found it available at a native plant nursery and now I have some in my gardens. Silverleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum). Native to eastern North America. The nectar of this Mountain Mint is popular with bees and butterflies. The…
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Japanese Beetle
A dear friend this morning at yoga asked me if I had anything good to say about Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica). After giving it some thought, I can say, yes indeed. They sure are pretty! The Japanese Beetle is a species of scarab beetle, native to Japan where they are pretty well behaved or at…
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Silvery Checkerspot
Warm sunlight shining through a tiny butterfly wing. Capturing this view of the wings was a challenge. A view that this little critter didn’t want to share. But seeing this, the underside of the wings, makes identification easy. Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) on Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens). In this view the hindwing is pale with…
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Spicebush Swallowtail
Identifying swallowtail butterflies that are predominately black can be tricky to say the least. Here’s what I go by, and perhaps this will help you too. This is the ventral, or underside, wings up and together side, of a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus). Take a look at the two rows of orange spots on the…
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Gray-headed Coneflower
July, and the hillsides that are my gardens are brilliant with the happiest of yellow thanks to Gray-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata). Native to central and eastern North America. However in Virginia it is considered an escape from cultivation. A herbaceous perennial plant that can be as tall as four or five feet, and quite narrow.…
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Home Canned Green Beans
Much going on in the kitchen these days. He’s got a great vegetable garden with tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, asparagus, rhubarb, to name just a few things that bring lovely satisfaction. He didn’t grow these green beans, they’re from our dear friend Pedro Rafael Aponte of Saint Isidore Homestead & Permaculture at the Greene Farmer’s Market.…
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Eastern Towhee
A large sparrow with a long tail. The Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) fills the edges of the woods here with their beautiful song of “Drink your teeeeaa” all day long. For me, a constant companion. Here in Virginia these Towhees have haunting red eyes but in Florida and northern Georgia they will have light straw…
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Locust Underwing
You may see one at a porch light late at night or lapping up juices from some fermenting fruit. Locust Underwing (Euparthenos nubilis). Larvae of Locust Underwing feed on Locust trees favoring Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). There are two broods from April to September. The native range of this moth is from Maine and Ontario,…
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Female American Redstart
She’s a faithful daily visitor. A female American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Many times a day I’ll see her either patrolling the garden in her search for insects or more often splashing around in one of the birdbaths. I can’t stress strongly enough, the birdbaths I have in my garden areas are used often. Right now,…