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One Of The Larger Skippers
The Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) is a large skipper with a wing span of 1.75 to 2.5 inches. It can be found across southern parts of Canada, south through most of the United States, into northern Mexico. They’re also found in southern England. I see them very frequently here on my mountain eating the…
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Squash’em!
Spotted Lantern Fly (Lycorma delicatula). First arrived in North America (in Berks County, Pennsylvania) in 2014, probably on a shipment of stone from China. This alien invasive eats the sap of at least 70 tree species, including fruit trees, and shrubs, ornamentals, and soybeans. Its favorite plants are Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), grapevines, walnuts…
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Copper Colored Cap
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) with its copper colored cap, just a tiny bit smaller than a Song Sparrow, and just a tiny bit larger than a Chickadee. Male and female look alike. A delightful summer resident. ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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An Impressive Range
The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) has an impressive range including Europe, northern Africa, Eurasia, in North America northern Canada to Central America, Hawaii, New Zealand, and a few of the Caribbean Islands. The Red Admiral has a wingspan of 1 3/4 to 3 inches. Their larval host plants are all members of the Nettle family (Urticaceae).…
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Skippers Here And There
A Sachem (Atalopedes campestris), dining on the nectar of Goldenrod. And another Sachem getting nectar from Apple Mint. There are more than 3500 species of Skippers recognized around the world, about 275 in North America. Skipper is the common name for the Butterflies in the family Hesperiidae. Each Skipper in this family has clubbed antennae…
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A Checkerspot
A Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis). A medium sized butterfly with a wingspan of 1.5 inches to 2 inches. This one (both pictures are of the same Checkerspot) is on a Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). The host plants for these Checkerspots are all composites including Black-eyed Susans, Sunflowers, and Wingstems. As adults they dine on nectar,…
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How Colorful!
Looking as if it’s dressed to go out to a festive event with those striking colors, this is a caterpillar of the Brown-hooded Owlet (Cucullia convexipennis). At this stag in its life it eats Asters and Goldenrods, and I’ve captured this one eating away on a Goldenrod. As an adult it will become a very…
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Another Blue Flower
An unusual flower color. Of all the flower colors, blue constitutes less than 10 percent. These blue flowers are Tall Bellflower (Campanulastrum americanum), native to eastern North America. A plant that grows with a central stem, that is usually unbranched, to a height of 3 to 6 feet. Part of the common name, bellflower, takes…
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Sherbet
Oh my. Wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius) are everywhere up here. They’re an invasive plant, native to Korea, Japan and China. The Wineberry is technically not a berry but a hollow cluster of drupelets called an aggregate fruit. Whatever the name, they are delicious, whether on your morning cereal or made into some sherbet to have for…
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Butterfly
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) attracts many pollinators. This one, a Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia). ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!