Orange Mint Moth (Pyrausta orphisalis), on Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens). A small moth with a wingspan of about 5/8 inch. It can be found on our continent of North America from Newfoundland, clear across Canada to British Columbia, and south in the United States to Florida and New Mexico.
The lifespan of an adult Orange Mint Moth is 7 to 9 days. During those few days they feed on flower nectar, mainly of plants of the mint family, Lamiaceae. Their larvae feed on plants in the mint family.
Great colors!
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So many common names. For these charming flowers I use the common name, Wild Ageratum. Its scientific name was recently changed to Conoclinium coelestinum.
These are herbaceous perennials that grow to between 1 and 2.5 feet tall. Leaves on the stems are opposite, and those stems are topped with flat-topped clusters of pink, lavender, and blue disk florets. The clusters are about 1 to 3 inches across. Bloom time is mid-summer to early autumn.
Native to eastern and southeastern US, these flowers attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees, skippers, and parasitic wasps.
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A neighbor that has a tree service was out yesterday taking care of some trees that had come down during a rain storm. The picture above shows an assemblage of undesirable Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) on their very favorite, Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). This was pointed out to him, and he was asked if he would take down the tree along with the others.
I wish these creatures would just go away. There are few birds that will brave eating them. The Tree of Heaven that they love to eat gives them a bitter taste and can even be mildly toxic to predators. And the Lanternflys’ bright coloring is a warning to any likely predator that they should think twice.
Back to our neighbor, he seemed to take great pleasure in removing the Tree of Heaven. An action that was greatly appreciated.
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A remarkable insect resembling a Common Thread-waisted Wasp (Ammophila procera),but BIG! This is an insect that is difficult to find anything about, there’s very little out there. It doesn’t even have a common name.
Say, “Hello!” to Thyreodon atricolor. That’s its scientific name. It was quite active as I tried to get a picture. I didn’t have time to put something beside it for scale, but it really struck me that this is an insect that is quite large, perhaps 1.5 inches long. It has a black body, four black wings, and orange antennae.
The larval host of Thyreodon atricolor are caterpillars of Sphinx Moths. As adults it is believed they might feed on nectar, plant sap and honeydew. And perhaps decaying vegetable and animal matter.
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They’re just now beginning to bloom. Ragweed, yes a weed, but also responsible for the bothersome problem that many people suffer from – allergies in autumn. Depending on which source of information you choose, there are 40, 45, or 50 species of Ragweed native to North America. Four of those species are native to Virginia.
One of those species, above, is Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisifolia). Which is prolific here on the mountain.
Another species native to Virginia is this one, Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida). And like Common Ragweed, seems to be everywhere up here.
The pollen of Ragweed is very light, and vast quantities are easily distributed by the wind, often spreading sneezes. Goldenrod (Solidago) is a plant that is also just beginning to bloom as I type this. Its pollen is heavy, and is spread by insect pollinators, since it’s too heavy to be spread by breezes.
Think about it, Ragweed and Goldenrod start blooming at about the same time. Ragweed pollen spreads with the breezes while Goldenrod pollen only spreads by insects carrying it here and there pollinating other Goldenrod flowers. One starts sneezing, and sneezing more. Those Ragweed flowers are green, and are hardly noticed at all, blending right in with all the other greens of summer. But Goldenrod flowers with their beautiful bright yellow flowers are noticed right away as the sneezing continues. And there you have why Goldenrod gets the blame, which it doesn’t deserve.
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My smallish, man-made pond attracts many creatures, including several different species of turtles and frogs. This one is a Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris). I love the pattern it’s wearing.
The Pickerel Frog is said to be medium in size, averaging 1.75″ to 3″ in length. Its body is gray or tan, and there are dark brown or black spots in two rows down its back. There are also dark brown or black stripes on its legs, and each side has another row of spots of irregular shape and size.
The Pickerel Frog is the only poisonous frog native to the United States. Its skin creates secretions that are troublesome to humans and can cause death to small animals. So if you are inclined to pick up frogs, don’t pick up a Pickerel Frog!
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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. The females measure in at between .75 to 1.125 inches. Male Yellow Garden Spiders grow to be .25 to .375 inches in length.
This Garden Spider is mighty good to have around since they eat many annoying pests such as aphids, flies, mosquitoes, moths, wasps, and grasshoppers. A good helper for the garden.
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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 host plants of the Pipevine Swallowtail. Those host plants give the caterpillars and butterflies an extremely bitter taste. Mimicking the Pipevine Swallowtail gives the female dark morph Tiger Swallowtail protection, since those Swallowtails are often avoided because of their unpleasant taste.
The dark female Tiger Swallowtail at times shows just a hint of the tiger stripes. Very subtle as you might be able to see in the photo above.
When it comes to mating, seems the males prefer the yellow females but the black morph is less attractive to predators so there are more of them around.
Yellow Tiger Swallowtails can be either male or female. The dark morph is always a female. Yellow offspring are produced by yellow females and dark offspring are produced by dark females.
Nature is amazing.
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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.
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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 days. During that time they consume nectar from a variety of flowers, and are sometimes seen puddling at damp or muddy areas to get moisture and vital nutrients.
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