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Writing Spider
August 16, 2025 A Writing Spider or Yellow Garden Spider with the scientific name of Argiope aurantia. Seems every late summer or early autumn one of these beautiful spiders shows up among the Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida) at the yoga studio marking her spot with a zigzag pattern on her web. This is a female.…
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Tiger Swallowtail That Is Not Yellow
August 15, 2025 When I think of a Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), I automatically think of a yellow butterfly with black stripes. But there are females of that species that mimic Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor) and are mainly black. Plants in the genus, Aristolochia, that are in abundance in the south, are used as the…
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Yellow Jewelweed
August 14, 2025 I’m used to seeing the very common Orange Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), but up here in the mountains I also find Yellow Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida). And on occasion I even see the white form of Yellow Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida forma speciosa). Mother Nature is enchanting. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog…
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First Buckeye This Season!
August 13, 2025 Yesterday I had a fun surprise. A seldom seen Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) sipping nectar from Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens) which seems to be quite popular for pollinators. Though some butterflies do not eat at all during their adult lives, the Common Buckeye does. They have a short life, living approximately ten…
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Dessert Last Night
August 12, 2025 A delicious dinner last night with three very special guests. To top it off, Wineberry Sherbet for dessert. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Sunflowers With Monarch
August 11, 2025 Only the second one I’ve seen this summer. The first was quite a while ago. But I’m hoping to see many more soon. A Monarch (Danaus plexippus) enjoying the Sunflowers (Helianthus). _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Summer Azure
August 10, 2025 Another butterfly in a popular spot, at the Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens). Yesterday’s was a medium sized butterfly, a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). This one is on the small side, a Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), measuring in at about 1 inch. It’s ventral or underside, as you see in this picture, is…
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Ready To Enjoy Blooms Of Apple Mint
August 9, 2025 A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), thinking about checking out the nectar of Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens) blooms. Red Admiral adults don’t eat, but only drink. Seeking out the moisture of flower nectar, tree sap, rotting fruit, bird droppings, and wet soil to get minerals and electrolytes. Plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae)…
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Just Right For A Dollhouse
August 8, 2025 Inflated Lobelia (Lobelia inflata), a plant with minuscule flowers, just right for a dollhouse. They’re 1/4 to 3/8 inch wide in colors of blue-violet, lavender or white. Native to eastern North America. Popping up in random places here on the mountain. There is something called a calyx at the base of many…
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Common Evening Primrose
August 7, 2025 I’m seeing this biennial, herbaceous plant, now in many places along my dirt road coming up the mountain. It’s Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis), which grows quite tall, sometimes to 6 feet. The Evening Primrose flowers look nearly identical to Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) but that plant blooms in the spring, while Common…