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Flowerpot Parasol
Flower pot Parasol (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii). I must always find out what it is, whether a plant or animal that I’ve encountered on a trail or, as in this case, something that mysteriously popped up alongside one of my orchids. That’s just how my brain works. I love a mystery and must get an answer. This…
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Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil
Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil (Desmodium nudiflorum). Nice color! Soft to intense pink blossoms with a unique shape that makes me think of Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Tick Trefoils are just beginning to bloom around my cabin. The pea-like flowers are on stems that have no leaves and there, you’ve got the…
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Common Mullein
Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. It’s a biennial that shows up in most of North America. In Canada, Common Mullein is found in all the southern provinces. In the US, it occurs in all the contiguous states and Alaska and Hawaii. Seeds of Common Mullein remain viable for decades while each…
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Indigo Lactarius
Mushrooms intrigue me, particularly the ones that emerge in surprising colors. This one certainly fills that stipulation. Indigo Lactarius (Lactarius indigo). Mycorrhizal, or having a symbiotic relationship, with pines and oaks. Indigo Lactarius will grow in a large group or a small group, or alone in summer and fall. Found in North America from the…
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Silver-spotted Skipper Revisited
With a wingspan of 1.75 to 2.5 inches the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) is the largest of the skippers. But being the largest of the skippers doesn’t make it LARGE compared to some moths and butterflies. The Silver-spotted Skipper is certainly the skipper that I see most often as I check out the trails here…
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Smooth False Foxglove
To some degree Smooth False Foxglove (Aureolaria laevigata) is a parasite, depending a bit on its host plant, the mighty Oak Tree. It can be referred to as a partial plant parasite, a semiparasite, or a hemiparasite. This means, it is not entirely dependent upon the roots of an Oak Tree for all its sustenance.…
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Katydids
An August night. Open windows. Insects making lovely sounds in the inky darkness. A precious friend of mine told me that when her children were young they believed the night sounds of summer were the stars singing. Those sounds in the night in reality are Katydids (Tettigoniidae). Cool green insects. In North America there are…
