Tendrils

Purple Coneflowers And Black-eyed Susans

July 7, 2026

Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) pairing up with Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida) surrounded by many other flowers blooming on the back hill.

But I’m patiently waiting for the highlight of the summer, the Maryland state flower, Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). Looking quite a bit like the Black-eyed Susans in this image but I know the difference.

And because it is the Maryland state flower, it is important to me. I’m being patient. I can tell the difference, as the stems and leaves emerge. They’re on their way. They just take a bit longer to bloom..

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Oh The Pollinators! This One, A Skipper

July 6, 2026

Just out my backdoor there is a hillside covered in many native plants in bloom, and the pollinators are having a ball! This is one of them, a Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus).

A skipper is a type of butterfly. It belongs to the family, Hesperiidae, within the butterfly superfamily, Papilionoidea. So, it is a type of butterfly, a skipper.

Skippers have that name because they often have quick, darting actions. They seem, a bit of a combination of a butterfly and a moth. They’re active during the day and most often hold their wings up and together when at rest, like many true butterflies. But like moths they have a stout, fuzzy body, and are of duller colors.

So many pollinators out there.

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Gems Of July

July 5, 2026

Indeed gems of the July woods up here. Wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius). But, these berries are native to Japan, Korea, and China, and were brought to the United States in the 1890s for raspberry breeding. They’re now highly invasive in most of the eastern United States and the Mid-Atlantic region.

My family and I are doing what we can to diminish the amount of seeds that spread the plants, by gathering the delicious berries while they are ripe. They’re great on cereal, or on ice cream, but our favorite way to use them is to make them into Wineberry ice cream.

Pure yumminess.

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The Tiger Bee Fly

July 4, 2026

With the look of something that you might think is not a good insect to have nearby, this is the Tiger Bee Fly (Xenox tigrinus). But it is a highly beneficial insect to have around.

Its size can be intimidating at .43 to 1.75 inches in length and a wingspan that sometimes reaches 2 inches across, but it does not bite or sting. As an adult it only consumes nectar and pollen of mid-to-late summer flowers, which include among others, elderberry, coneflowers and asters.

But the thing that stands out for me, living in a cedar-sided cabin, they are a natural enemy of the Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica). The female of the Tiger Bee Fly lays her eggs near the entrances of Eastern Carpenter Bee tunnels. The hatched fly larvae eat the Carpenter Bee larvae. Therefore, a natural pest control.

Thank you for your protection Tiger Bee Fly.

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Indigo Bunting At The Dripper

July 3, 2026

An Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyan) at the dripper, trying to stay cool, showing off his beautiful colors as he hangs on.

These Buntings are here in Virginia just for the breeding season. During that time they eat insects and spiders, along with berries, and small seeds. Concentrating mainly on protein rich insects and spiders.

As winter approaches they head south toward their wintering grounds which include southern Florida and central Mexico, and further south through the West Indies and Central America, and all the way to northern South America.

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Perplexing Bumblebee

July 2, 2026

In the last couple days I’ve been seeing many Whorled Rosinweed (Silphium trifoliatum) in bloom along the dirt road up and down my mountain, creating a bright yellow pathway.

I recently stopped many times along the way and got pictures including several that had Perplexing Bumblebees (Bombus perplexus) at work gathering nectar containing carbohydrates, and protein-rich pollen. Bumblebees that are an eye-catching rich yellow.

These bumblebees are native to northern North America, including across Canada, and the eastern United States.

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Worm-eating Warbler

June 30, 2026

Though called Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) their diet doesn’t include what we would refer to as “worms”, but does include spiders, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, and slugs.

Breeding season finds them in deciduous forests in the eastern United States. Their nest is built on the ground, looking like an open cup, among dead leaves. There are several other species of new-world warblers that also build their nests on the ground, including Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia), Ovenbirds (Serious aurocapilla), Northern Waterthrushes (Parkesia noveboracensis), Louisiana Waterthrushes (Parkesia motacilla), Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum), and Kentucky Warblers (Geothlypis formosa).

Surprising to see that there are so many similar little birds that build nests on the ground.

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Blue Vervain

June 29, 2026

Blue vervain (Verbena hastata). Native to the contiguous United States and stretches up into southern and eastern Canada.

Host plant of the Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia)

Enjoys moist locations. Though this was photographed at Bluemont Park in Arlington, Virginia, I have it in my garden here at the cabin where is enjoys being located right next to the birdbath.

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Fly Poison In The Park

June 28, 2026

Further up the mountain, into Shenandoah National Park, an interesting plant, one I had never seen or heard of before. The picture above is of Fly Poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum) just before its flowers open.

And here, above, many of the flowers are now open. It’s a plant that is native to the eastern US, all the way from New York to Florida and west to Missouri and Oklahoma.

The name of this plant is a bit odd, but comes from the fact that all parts of the plant are poisonous to numerous animals, including humans. The bulb is particularly toxic. Early colonists used the bulbs, grinding them and adding a sweetener of sugar, molasses or honey, to attract flies. After flies took a sip, they became unstable and had difficulty moving.

Creepy, but pretty.

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