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Butterfly In The Leaves
September 15, 2025 A Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) showing off its colors in the sunlight. Red? Orange? My vote is for orange spots. And purple? I’d vote for blue on this one. But perhaps I see colors in a different way than other people do. I think that’s quite likely. As adults these butterflies live…
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Brilliant Leaves One By One
September 14, 2025 A tree with leaves that have an independent streak, not changing all at once, but just here and there, one at a time. A medium sized tree native to eastern North America from the coast of Northeastern United States and southern Ontario to central Florida and eastern Texas on to Mexico. Black…
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Changing Colors
September 13, 2025 What a marvelous jigsaw puzzle this would make. Light shining through the changing leaves of a Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Every year I notice as summer is just beginning, in late June, that the Dogwoods are just starting little by little to lose the green of their leaves. Ever so slowly getting…
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What Are Drupes?
September 12, 2025 A drupe is defined as, “in botany, simple fleshy fruit that usually contains a single seed, such as the cherry, peach, and olive.” Thanks to Britannica.com. These drupes are on the deciduous shrub/small tree, Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium). They are red right now, and they’ll soon be turning to a blue-black color. There is a very long list of birds…
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Western Honey Bee
September 11, 2025 A Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on Goldenrod (Solidago). A bee that is native to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. This bee can now be found on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, where it has been introduced for honey production and pollination services. Notice one of the corbiculae, or…
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Now For Seekers Of Nectar
September 9, 2025 My Obedient Plants (Physostegia virginiana) are just beginning to bloom. An attractive plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that’s native to North America from Quebec to Manitoba south to Florida and New Mexico. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) on their way to their winter homes are stopping by to enjoy the nectar. And the seldom…
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Male White-banded Crab Spider
September 8, 2025 Last night I sent you a post about a female White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes). This is the male of the species, which is quite a bit smaller than the female. Her body length is between 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and his body length is 1/10 inch. Though she is able to…
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Color Changing Spider
September 7, 2025 A spider with what seems a bit of magic up its sleeve. This, the female White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes), is able to change color, white to yellow, or yellow to white, depending upon what color flower she is sitting on. This happens by way of secretion of yellow pigment into the…
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Smooth Blue Aster
September 6, 2025 Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) blooming up here right now in many places on the mountain. Blooming for about four to six weeks, providing nectar for pollinators late in the season. Though I adore deep, rich, pure color; I must admit this lavender shade is beautiful. As this bloom ages the color…