Wild Ageratum

Wild Ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum) native to eastern and central North America, where it blooms from July to November.

Here in central Virginia it usually blooms in late summer into early autumn. These beautiful lavender flowers attract birds, butterflies and bees.

In these two images, there is a Sachem Skipper (Atalopedes campestris) demonstrating how attractive the flowers are to butterflies.

I love it when I get cooperative models for my photographs!

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A Little White Moth

Lesser Maple Spanworm (Speranza pustularia) with a wingspan of 3/4 to 1 inch.

Their favorite host plant is Red Maple but will settle for other Maple trees, and many others trees like Birch, Poplar, Fir, and Hemlock.

This moth can be found in the United States east of the Great Plains and in adjacent Canadian provinces.

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And POOF! They Are Gone!

Oodles of them. And so much action it’s impossible to count them, unless of course I cheat and take a picture of them. This particular moment I think I see 13 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris), blurred by their insane movement.

And then something startles them. Perhaps someone uttering the word, “autumn”.

And then – POOF! And they are GONE!

Now I will see one or two during the course of a morning or afternoon. Not 13 or 18 all at once. Arriving at the feeder, gulping down the syrup like they have been traveling miles and miles.

Sometimes one is carrying a suitcase with a sticker, Mexico, or Panama. Such huge distances to fly with such tiny wings. They do it twice every year.

Keep watching, paying attention to what is going on around you. Nature is astounding.

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Two Very Special States

Two very special states. Two very special state flowers.

In the foreground, Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) blooming for the second time which pleases me greatly. Planted them last year and now they’re back again. Maryland state flower since 1918.

In the background, Yucca (Yucca filamentosa) has been blooming every year for many many years in this spot. New Mexico became a state in 1912 and in 1927 the Yucca became the state flower.

For sure, two very special states and two very special state flowers.

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Dogwood Sawfly

This, the larva of a Dogwood Sawfly (Macremphytus tarsatus).

I had never seen any of these creatures until we planted Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) along our lane. Most every summer the larvae appears, it seems, out of nowhere, and they begin nibbling away at the leaves.

No huge worry though. Their numbers aren’t enough to do a lot of damage and their presence provides food for insects such as ants and predatory wasps.

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One Of The First

Black Walnut leaves creating a beautiful pattern against the late summer sky.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), one of the first trees to lose its leaves in late summer. Turning yellow and dropping to the ground as rain knocks them from their branches. Also one of the last of the trees to allow their leaves to emerge in spring.

While those leaves are up there I thoroughly enjoy those beautiful patterns against the blue summer sky. But soon I won’t have them showing off for me. This is just a hint of autumn to come.

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A Deciduous Holly

A picnic lunch in Shenandoah National Park and taking in all the beauty.

A pleasant surprise, this tree, 15 feet or more tall, covered with these scarlet berries or drupes.

This is a Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). A deciduous species of Holly (Ilex) that most often is seen as a shrub but this one is a small tree.

The drupes are stunning against the green leaves but in autumn the leaves fall, leaving the bright red drupes alone against the bare branches.

The drupes are low in fat and are not a bird’s first choice, leaving them until later in winter when other sources of food are scarce.

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Plumes To Berries

In May Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum) blooms. A cluster of snow white, or off white, star shaped, feathery flowers, on the end of each stem. Now as summer is thinking of closing down, those flowers have become berries. Berries, bright red with stripes or speckles of purple or brown. A few seeds in each berry.

Native to a good bit of the eastern half of North America. Arching stems, holding alternate bright green leaves, which sometimes will grow to 3 feet tall.

Showing up trail side now here on my mountain.

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Mushroom COLOR!

Viscid Violet Cortinarius (Cordtinarius iodes), is a gorgeous mushroom, ranging from white to lavender to violet purple, fading in color with age.

It’s a fungus that pairs up with roots of a plant in a symboitic relationship. In this case the Viscid Violet Cortinarius works along with the roots of Oak trees. This mushroom helps the tree absorb water and nourishment, and the tree passes along sugars and amino acids to the mushroom. Both tree and fungus benefiting from this arrangement.

Living here in the woods has been such an education. Learning that mushrooms come in such lovely colors – what a surprise!

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