Usually Tall, Joe Pye Weed

August 2, 2025

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium).

In the genus Eutrochium there are five species of Joe Pye Weed native to North America and Canada; including Spotted Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Appalachian Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium steelei), Coastal Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium), Hollow-stem Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum), and Sweet-scented Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum). All five of these species are native to Virginia.

Joe Pye Weed plants can grow to be quite tall, up to 10 feet tall. They have domed or flat-topped flower heads containing only disk flowers with a pinkish-purple color. Their toothed leaves are mostly arranged in whorls around the stem with the exception of some which are arranged in opposite pairs near the flower heads. These plants tend to live in meadows, wetlands, and along streams.

And last but not least they attract scores of pollinators.

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Little Glassywing

August 1, 2025

A Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna) sipping nectar from the many flowers of Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum).

The Little Glassywing is a skipper belonging to the order Lepidoptera, an order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. True butterflies (not Skippers) belong to the superfamily Papillonoidea. Skippers belong to the superfamily Hesperioidea. Which leaves us with moths that are included not in a superfamily but in many, many families.

The differences among these three; butterflies, skippers, and moths are sometimes easy, other times not. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, ending in a simple, rounded knob. Skippers have antennae that are clubbed but that club has a sharp, often hooked tip. Moths antennae are generally spindle-shaped, feathery, or thread-like but they never end with a knob.

Their bodies are generally different. Butterflies have a slim body. Skippers have a plump body. Moths also have a plump body, and they also often have a furry body. And while true butterflies are generally brightly colored, skippers are most often wearing drab colors. And lastly skippers rest with their wings at varied angles while true butterflies often will rest with their wings either open and flat, or neatly folded up in the ventral position.

 I’m thoroughly enjoying seeing these winged insects. I’m hoping you are too.

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Hatching In An Ant Nest

July 31, 2025

A Northern Walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata), an enchanting insect that makes me think of dinosaurs. They are Stick Insects in the order Phasmatodea, and Stick Insects have been around for at least 162 million years. These insects that like to pretend they are sticks have an average length of 3 inches for males and 3.7 inches for females.

The Northern Walkingstick has a way of getting its eggs and larvae taken care of in much the same way some plants get Ants to take care of their seeds. These plants have seeds with an attachment, called an elaiosome, that is extremely nutritious and tasty. Ants gather these seeds and bring them to their nests, feeding their larvae the elaiosomes and discarding the remaining seeds to their trash room which is a perfect place for seeds to start growing.

These plants are myrmecophiles (organisms that count on ants for help in some part of their life). And Walking Sticks become myrmecophiles as the female drops her eggs from high up in trees into the leaf litter on the forest floor. Her eggs have an outside attachment (remember the elaiosome?) called a capitulum, which like the elaiosome is extremely nutritious and tasty. Ants eagerly gather these eggs and bring them to their nests, feeding their larvae the capitulum and discarding the remaining eggs to their trash room which is a perfect place for the eggs to hatch and the resulting larvae to start growing.

Isn’t nature remarkable?

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Tiny Mushroom

July 30, 2025

Several minuscule mushrooms have greeted me the past couple mornings as I’ve arrived for yoga. Tiny little things that won’t be noticed by most. Just peeking through the tops of the freshly cut grass. One step would totally destroy its existence. But time and sunshine are a challenge for them too.

White Dunce Caps (Conocybe apala) are extremely fragile and don’t last long. Appearing early in the day, shriveling and disappearing within a few hours. They are found throughout Europe and North America.

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Question Mark

July 29, 2025

A butterfly with an odd name, this is a Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis). There is also a butterfly called Comma. These two butterflies look quite similar. The easiest way for me to tell the difference is to look at the butterfly in the ventral position (wings up and closed). The Question Mark has a small white crescent with a white dot next to it on the two hindwings. This is the question mark. The Comma has a similar white crescent, again in the center of the two hindwings. This is the comma.

Host plants of these Question Mark larvae are a variety of plants including American Elm (Ulmus americanus), Red Elm (Ulmus rubra), and Hackberry (Celtis), plus others.

The adult Question Mark has a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches. They get their nutrition from rotting fruit, tree sap, dung or carrion. If none of these are available they will resort to finding flowers and eating their nectar.

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Eastern Box Turtle

July 28, 2025

An Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina). From tiny to very large, there have been many roaming this mountain, as I too, roam the mountain. And each one has unique designs on its carapace (its upper shell). This one is quite different than others because of its simplicity.

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This Morning, A Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

July 27, 2025

This morning out in the heat pulling weeds. A distinctive caterpillar eating away at a Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota). A beautiful pattern and coloring. It’s a Black Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes).

Like this caterpillar, the larvae stages of Black Swallowtails feed on plants in the carrot family (ApiaceaeI) such as dill, parsley, fennel, carrots and Queen Anne’s Lace.

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False Potato Beetle

July 26, 2025

False Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa juncta), found in the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern areas of the United States, extending to New Jersey and Ohio. Not to be confused with a closely related insect, the Colorado Potato Beetle (Lepitinotarsa decemlineata) which is a serious pest. Notice in my image that the elytra, or wing covers, are black and white striped with a orange/brown band going down the middle between the black stripes. Both beetles are similar in color but the Colorado Potato Beetle does not have this centered orange/brown stripe.

The False Potato Beetle isn’t thought to be a particular pest. It uses the Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) most often as its host plant, and occasionally Ground Cherry (Physalis).

This beetle is 0.3 to 0.4 inches in length and .12 inches wide.

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American Carrion Beetle

July 25, 2025

American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana), the clean-up crew of the insect world. They hunt for dead animals, and they and their larvae consume dead flesh. They will also eat other insects that are eating “their” dead animals.

The vast majority of these adults are 1.2 inches in length, though there are some that vary from 1 to 1.75 inches.

This image, above, is the larva of American Carrion Beetle.

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A Mint In Bloom Up On The Mountain

July 24, 2025

Hoary Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum) is in bloom up here, in many places along the road, as I climb the mountain, and in my garden. The word “hoary” in its common name is because of its unusual grayish white coloring.

This mint grows as a bushy plant 2 to 4 feet tall, with many square stems, one indication that it is in the mint (Lamiaceae) family.

Hoary Mountain Mint is popular with many pollinators, including butterflies, moths, honeybees, and some wasps. Like many other mint scented plants, deer and rabbits tend to avoid them, though both deer and rabbits will eat anything if they are hungry enough.

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