Feather-legged Fly

July 27, 2026

A Feather-legged Fly (Trichopoda pennipes), with a wingspan of 1/2 to 7/10 inch and a body length of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

It’s a member of the Tachinidae fly family and is a fly that is a good one to have around. Females of this species lay their eggs on insects like squash bugs, green stink bugs, and leaf-footed bugs, which can cause much damage to your vegetable garden. The larvae slowly eat the insects they are attached to.

As adults they eat nectar and pollen and have a lifespan of about 2 to 4 weeks.

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Juvenile Eastern Towhee

July 26, 2026

I happened to capture an image of a juvenile Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) a couple weeks ago. It, along with Mom and Dad were enjoying the birdbath which brings in many birds that I wouldn’t see otherwise.

This early stage of plumage is only kept for a few weeks after fledging. They then go through what is called a performative molt which happens in late summer. This is a replacement of most of their body feathers and some wing coverts, leaving them with an adult-like pattern their first winter.

Continuing through that first winter there is a replacement of primary coverts and the changing of their eye color from brown to their remarkable deep red. Around May of their first year they will have fully shifted into their total adult look.

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Many Of The Fledglings Are Here Now

July 24, 2026

Fledglings of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are at the feeders these days, keeping me busy, mixing up sugar and water for their feeders. The formula is, 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar to each 1 cup of water.

No telling whether females or males are out there battling each other. At this stage in their lives they all look like females. All have white throats, and all have tails tipped with white.

They are so entertaining.

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Many Gray-headed Coneflowers

July 23, 2026

The Gray-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) showing off its natural tendency to grow tall and bend one way or the other, usually all in the same direction. A lovely brilliant yellow to cheer the world.

The flower heads are made up of as many as 15 ray florets growing to 2 1/4 inches long. At the center are 200 or even more disc florets that are yellow-green to dark purplish-brown. Those disk heads when crushed have a scent much like anise.

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Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth

July 22, 2026

With a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches, this is a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth (Darapsa myron). It’s found from Maine, south to southern Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.

Their caterpillars have a large, creepy look about them, but they are non-venomous and safe to handle if you do that sort of thing. They are an excellent food source for native birds, and are often parasitized by helpful garden wasps. But these caterpillars are a problem for vineyards that are not yet well established, voraciously defoliating the moths’ host plants of wild and cultivated grapes, and Virginia creeper.

As adults they are beneficial pollinators, visiting flowers at dusk and dawn.

And the adults are mighty cool looking.

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A Silvery Checkerspot

July 21, 2026

A little bit bigger than the teeny Hairstreak butterflies that I mentioned in my past two posts, this Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) has a wingspan ranging from 1 3/8 to 2 inches. They are native to North America, and can be found in the eastern and central United States and further north into southern Canada.

The adults of this species live about 10 to 14 days, while a particularly hardy individual might be able to survive for 3 weeks. During their short life they consume the nectar from many flowers including, red clover, common milkweed, dogbane, and sunflowers such as this Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus).

The host plants of the Silvery Checkerspot are two species of Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta, and Rudbeckia fulgida), various Sunflowers (Helianthus species), Wingstem (Verbena alternifolia), and various Ragweeds (Ambrosia species).

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Another Of The Hairstreaks

July 20, 2026

Yesterday I did a post about the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Today’s Hairstreak is a similar looking, Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Small, swift flying butterflies, there are around 100 to 139 species of Hairstreaks in North America.

This butterfly is another small one, with a wingspan of 7/8 to 1 1/4 inches, found in the eastern United States. Most butterfly larvae eat living vegetation, this species has a surprise. Its caterpillars feed for the most part on dead or decaying leaves, mainly of sumac and oak.

Seen today on Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens).

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A Gray Hairstreak

July 19, 2026

Ventral (wings up) side of the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). A butterfly with a wide range, from southern Canada all the way down to northern South America. They occupy a large variety of habitats, from tropical forests and mountains, to temperate woodlands and meadows, cities, and farmlands.

Dorsal side (wings open) of the Gray Hairstreak. A tiny butterfly with a wingspan of between 1 and 1 1/4 inches. They have an incredible wide variety of host plants, including mallows and legumes, but many, many, many more.

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Blue Cohosh Berries

July 18, 2026

Though they look like berries, these are actually seeds. Poisonous seeds. Like many plants, all parts of this plant, Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), are toxic to humans. Even handling the plant can cause skin irritation.

The bright blue of the fleshy seed coats attract woodland birds. The bitter taste of the leaves discourage White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other mammalian herbivores from eating the leaves and stems.

When I’m out roaming the woods, I’m not out there to eat what I find. I’m out just to take in the enormous amount of beauty there is along all the trails.

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