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Perhaps Not What You’d Expect
A female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (dark morph)(Papilio glaucus). Females of this species of butterfly can be either the color you would expect, yellow and black, or mostly black, like this one. This is called sexual dimorphism. The dark morph looks similar to a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) which has a disagreeable taste. That appearance helps…
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Lemon Yellow
Whorled Rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus var. trifoliatum). A bright lemon yellow flower that is a herbaceous perennial. It grows to be four to six feet tall. Native to the eastern United States. Found growing along trails up here. This plant is a variety of Silphium asteriscus which has whorls of leaves of three or four along…
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Brilliant Crimson
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), adding color to a wide swath of the Americas. Native from southeastern Canada south through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia. Perfect for hummingbirds and butterflies love it too. Though I have it in my gardens, I totally love to find it in the…
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Bliss
Total bliss. Rain rain RAIN! Not water from a sprinkler but rain falling from the sky this afternoon, 1.74 inches of gorgeous rain. My cabin sits in an area that has been suffering from severe/extreme drought. Grass brown. Plants dying. That rain totally delighted me. Now rain gods, more please. ________________________________ If you would like…
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Like Sunflower Seeds?
Like sunflowers seeds? Then go directly to the source. Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) on Sunflower (Helianthus), enjoying the seeds directly where they are grown. Ever so tasty! ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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A Green And Brown Butterfly
Brown isn’t an unusual color in a butterfly, but green is unusual. This is a Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus). It’s a small butterfly with a wingspan of just 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches. Native to North America. Here in Virginia the larval host plant is Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana). This guy in the photo is…
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A Toad Waiting For Something Yummy
A little American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) in the garden waiting for something yummy to come by. Most toads are aggressive in seeking and hunting for their meals. The American Toad sits and waits for a meal to come within striking distance and will jump on it, or will shoot out its very quick, sticky, long…
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Why The Black Beak?
A juvenile Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) that doesn’t have its adult feathers yet. And look at that beak, it’s black instead of the usual red-orange beak. Given time those feathers will come in, and the beak will become the red-orange of an adult. All grown up! ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog…
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A Butterfly Special To Maryland
A Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) seen at Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, Maryland. It’s the Maryland state insect. I grew up in Maryland and this, the first time I’ve ever seen this beautiful butterfly. Just a short while after seeing that butterfly I happened upon this caterpillar at Buck Hollow, in Shenandoah National Park, where…