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A Hungry Caterpillar
Looking to me like a Yorkshire Terrier dressed for Halloween, this is actually a Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar (Euchaetes egle), out and about in late summer and now, early autumn. These larvae principally choose Milkweed (Asclepias) or Dogbane (Apocynum) as their host plants. Not to be of concern though. These caterpillars generally go for older…
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Beware The Hitchhiker
Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil (Desmodium nudiflorum) native to eastern North America. It’s going to seed now, just waiting for you to hike past. Its flat seedpods, called loments or more casually, hitchhikers, are covered with short hooked hairs — think miniature velcro. They’re out there and when you come home covered with them it will take…
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Native But Aggressive
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) a quick growing vine, native to eastern and central North America. It has palmately compound leaves usually with 5 leaflets. And can be confused with Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) so double check the number of leaflets that you’re seeing. Maybe what you see is not Poison Ivy, but just Virginia Creeper.…
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Heartleaf Aster
Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), is easy to identify because of its heart shaped leaves. A herbaceous perennial native to central and eastern North America. There are about 150 species of Aster native to North America. The flowers of Heartleaf Aster are composed of petal-like ray flowers which are often blue-violet to lavender, or in this…
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After Days Of Sunshine
After many days of wonderful sunshine, today is a gloomy, drizzly, rainy day. I’m very glad of the rain since today is September 17th and it hasn’t rained since September 1st when .59 inches came down upon us. Now slowly, slowly we’re getting some moisture again. Just the way it should happen. Slowly, gently. This…
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Butterfly Weed – Not A Weed
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), native to eastern and southwestern North America. This picture taken at the beginning of August of 2024. Always a delight for me to find these bright orange blooms attracting butterflies in the wild. And now, actually just yesterday, September 15th, and there are seed pods on the Butterfly Weed. Soon to burst…
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Ironweed – Gone To Seed
Ironweed (Vernonia) with brilliant purple flowers, blooming in July. Blooms that attract many butterflies and other native pollinators in search of the pollen and nectar that the flowers provide. Now those flowers have turned into seed heads. During autumn and winter many birds will eat the seeds including Goldfinch, House Finch, and Song Sparrows. And…
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Why The Name – Blackberry Lily?
Blackberry Lily (Iris domestica) Thanks to inspiration from Thomas Jefferson’s gardening mentor, Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon, seeds of this plant were sown at Monticello in 1807. Now, one of many favorites in my yard. In 2005 this plant was moved to the genus Iris and given its new scientific name thanks to molecular DNA sequence evidence. Here,…