Getting Ready

September 1, 2025

September 1st, the first day of Meteorological autumn and the Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus florida) have been preparing since the very end of June when their leaves began to take on a slight reddish hue. It’s been a slow journey since that time, color change creeping along. But now there are rich crimson berries just waiting for those leaves to turn on more of their color. For this tree it will provide a big year for birds that love to eat the berries. Flowering Dogwoods seem to alternate, one year a big berry season, the next not so much.

The weather has seemed like autumn for many days now. Most unusual for the end of August, but I’m certainly not complaining. Welcome autumn.

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Cottontail

August 31, 2025

A small Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) this afternoon, showing no concern that I was around. Surprisingly little for this time of year, but not unusual since cottontails reproduce from spring through mid-September.

So glad I happened upon it!

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A Sachem

August 30, 2025

A Sachem (Atalopedes campestris), one of the skippers. The host plants of Sachems are various grasses. Adults like this one, enjoy the nectar of a vast variety of flowers, including this Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).

The Sachem is native to the southern US, Mexico, Central America and further south into Brazil. They’re migratory, moving north over much of the US, and occasionally into Canada as the weather warms.

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Oh What Color!

August 29, 2025

What joy to have these flowers blooming right now. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), a member of the bellflower family (Campanulaceae). Native to the southeastern part of Canada, south through the eastern and southwestern United States, on to Mexico as well as Central America, finally to northern Colombia.

Such fun to find it right now, whether going down the mountain and seeing its brilliant red flower spikes rising up from a ditch, or while out hiking and finding some blooming next to a stream, or looking out my kitchen window at one of the gardens as a Ruby-throated Hummingbird comes to this flower which seems to be designed just for hummingbirds.

Joy indeed.

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Elephant Mosquito

August 28, 2025

What an interesting creature. This is an Elephant Mosquito (Toxorhynchites rutilus). It is indeed a mosquito, in the family Culicidae, and in North America it is one of the largest known species of mosquito which explains, along with its curved proboscis, its common name.

This species doesn’t drink our blood, instead adults consume carbohydrate-rich things like honeydew, plant sap, juices of rotting fruit, and flower nectar. And their larvae eat the larvae of other mosquitoes and other similar aquatic prey.

A mosquito that I love having around.

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Gray Hairstreak

August 27, 2025

The Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 1 to 1.25 inches. There are between 60 to 80 species of Hairstreak butterflies in North America, north of Mexico. The Gray Hairstreak is one of the most common of those 60 to 80 species, and can be found throughout nearly all the continent. It can also be found in Central America, as well as South America.

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Pollen Baskets Or Corbiculae

August 26, 2025

A Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) gathering pollen on a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). These bees have a special place to collect pollen on the outside of their back legs called pollen baskets, or corbiculae.

Here, a bee with some pollen in its corbiculae.

Pollen will be gathered on their fuzzy bodies, then the bee will gather that pollen into these spoon-shaped depressions on their legs, the corbiculae, where it is stored for the trip back to feed the hive’s larvae.

Bees are amazing!

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Silky Dogwood

August 25, 2025

Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum), native to eastern North America. A bush that grows to 10 – 12 feet tall and 6 – 10 feet wide. Its opposite leaves turn brown to red/purple in autumn.

Stems are red/brown in summer while in autumn, winter, and early spring those stems are red to purple/brown. Cream white flowers appear during May and June. Little flowers 3/8 wide that grow in clusters which turn to fruit, drupes, that are steel blue.

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Rudbeckia hirta

August 24, 2025

Rudbeckia hirta is the scientific name. Common names can be mighty confusing. This flower has a long list of common names including, Black-eyed Susan, Yellow Coneflower, Gloriosa Daisy, Brown-eyed Susan, Yellow Ox-Eye Daisy, Bristly Coneflower, Common Black-Eyed Susan, Denver Daisy, Brown Betty, English Bull’s Eye, Poor-Land Daisy, and Golden Jerusalem. That’s why I try to always include the scientific name of anything that I’m posting about. No confusion with that.

Maryland, a very special state to me. And Rudbeckia hirta, Maryland state flower since 1918.

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Monarch Caterpillar

August 23, 2025

What a great surprise to find a caterpillar of a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on some Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) yesterday. Quite a small caterpillar. It’s on the leaf of the Butterfly Weed, which is between 1/2 and 3/4 inch wide.

The Monarch has four phases in its life; egg, larva, pupa, and adult. This caterpillar is the larval stage. Developing from egg to adult in the warmth of summer happens in about 25 days.

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