A Fungus

White Coral Jelly Fungus (Sebacina sparassoidea)

A severe drought and no mushrooms. Finally it rains and there they are again.

The White Coral Jelly Fungus grows in eastern North America, most often near dead Oak trees, though sometimes on or near other deciduous trees. These fruit bodies show up in late summer.

Mushrooms fascinate me. Such a different form of life. I pay no attention to their edibility or inedibility. Too often a mistake can be made. I find it best to just enjoy their beauty. Photographs are much more satisfying.

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Start Of School, Can Autumn Be On Its Way?

School has started here, and in some locations much earlier, that means autumn is thinking of making a showing. Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) will soon be blooming, tempting bees, butterflies and the last of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

This butterfly, a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), has been tempted by the nectar of the Pineapple Sage and its brilliant red blooms.

Autumn soon.

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Both Sides Of A Butterfly

A Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis). This is the ventral side of this butterfly. Wings up and closed. You are seeing the bottom side of its wings.

And this is the dorsal side of a Red-spotted Purple. The top side. As in this species of butterfly, butterflies often have very different looks, dorsal and ventral sides.

The dorsal side of a butterflies’ wings are often used in sexual signaling and for luring mates.

The ventral side of a butterflies’ wings are often used for camouflage to avoid predators.

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Another Robber Fly

A week ago I did a post about a very small Robber Fly (Gnat Oger) (Holcocephala fusca). Tonight’s post is about a Robber Fly (Promachus rufipes) that is one of the largest of the Robber Flies, measuring in at 1.25″ to 1.5″.

These Robber Flies are ravenous predators. One will find the perfect spot, perching on a branch or a leaf and wait for its meal to fly into view. Springing into action to capture it in mid-air, clasping it with its claws. Using its proboscis, enzymes are injected that will paralyze the prey and digest its insides. Then it simply lands and sucks its meal as if it was a milkshake.

They’re good creatures to have in your garden since they will eat pest insects like Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (Halyomorpha halys). I’m hoping too that they’ll take a liking to Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula).

We just have to hope for more of these Robber Flies to come along to save the day.

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A Favorite

Blackberry Lily (Iris domestica)

Not a native. Native to Asia. But still it is one of my favorites – a rhizomatous perennial. The seed pod that will split open to display a cluster of seeds which resemble a Blackberry.

Thomas Jefferson grew this beautiful flower in his gardens. Me too.

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A Very Pleasant Surprise

Totally delighted to see a Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) caught in a spider’s web today. Yes, some spiders will eat SLFs. Yay! Eat’em up little spiders!

Though I wish there was some way to easily control these recently (2014) arrived insects from Asia, I have my doubts that potential predators – insects, such as Praying Mantises, Wheel Bugs, Yellow Jackets and Ants; Spiders; and birds such as Chickens and Cardinals will present a perfect solution.

But I’m hoping to be surprised.

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Rain From Debby

A bit less than a week ago the remains of Hurricane Debby came through bringing 5.88 inches of rain, special delivery, to my cabin. That lovely rain brought down three trees, domino style, across the lane, totally blocking us in. One of them a Persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana)(a Persimmon tree, above). But a call to a neighbor that has a tree service and lickety-split — freedom!

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Height Of The Season

Youngsters, moms, and dads all together at the feeders. The height of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) season here on the mountain. Mighty hard to count them as they bounce around in mid-air but snapping a picture does help. I see 18 of them in this picture. I would not have guessed that many.

They sure slurp down a lot of that syrup.

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Almost!

I was raised in Maryland. A state I love. And I love the state flower, designated as the state flower way back in 1918. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). I purchased some to plant in my garden at the Greene County Farmers Market last year. This (above) was then.

This is now. A little ways to go but well on its way to making me quite proud to have some of Maryland’s state flower blooming in my yard.

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Inflated Lobelia Revisited

Inflated Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)

Usually growing as a single stalk, occasionally branching near the top. The stalk staying low, at perhaps 6 inches, or growing to 2 1/2 feet tall with alternate leaves.

The bitter plant is noxious and is avoided by mammalian herbivores and is even avoided by White-tailed Deer. Humans also need to avoid eating the plant.

The flowers bloom in a variety of soft colors, pale blue, pale violet, and pale pale almost white-purple, most having just a hint of yellow-green just inside the flower. Each flower is tiny, measuring just 1/4 inch to 1/3 inch long.

At the bottom of each flower there is a calyx having 5 long spreading spikes. As the flower begins to wilt the calyx will begin to swell. It becomes a seed capsule 1/3 inch in width. The seed capsule is divided into 2 cells which contain many very small seeds that are distributed by the wind.

Though really small, I enjoy having this plant volunteer in my gardens. After all what could be better than a plant that is avoided by White-tailed Deer.

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