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Pincushion Moss
Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum glaucum) provides a soft landing spot for a leaf of Red Maple (Acer rubrum). This moss can be found in many spots around the globe. In North America it’s found in the eastern and northern US and further north into Canada. In Europe it’s found in the United Kingdom and Ireland to…
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Hints Of A Bear
The remains of Hurricane Helene came through with her wind and rain, leaving many branches and some trees down on the mountain. Nothing serious thank goodness and how nice to have neighbors that travel with a chain saw in their truck. Many of those branches and trees were taken care of before it was even…
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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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A Look Into Autumn
A picture taken here on the lane, last year (November 16, 2023) as the Sugar Maple leaves (Acer saccharum) were at their most brilliant. Much to look forward to. ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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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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A Unicorn That Eats Leaves
Unicorn Caterpillar (Coelodasys unicornis) Caterpillars are amazing creatures that take on all sorts of shapes and colors. This one, of course, takes its name because of its unique shape. They’re not particular about what they eat, munching on the leaves of a variety of woody ornamental plants such as apple, cherry, and rose. The Unicorn…
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One Of The Swallowtails
The Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) is the largest butterfly species in North America, with a wingspan of 4 to 6 inches. The larval host plants of Giant Swallowtails are trees in the citrus family including Lemon, Lime, Orange, Prickly Ash, Hoptree and also Common Rue. These caterpillars have an interesting sort of protection from predators, having the…
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A Green And Brown Butterfly
Brown isn’t an unusual color in a butterfly, but green is unusual. This is a Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus). It’s a small butterfly with a wingspan of just 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches. Native to North America. Here in Virginia the larval host plant is Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana). This guy in the photo is…
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A Butterfly Special To Maryland
A Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) seen at Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, Maryland. It’s the Maryland state insect. I grew up in Maryland and this, the first time I’ve ever seen this beautiful butterfly. Just a short while after seeing that butterfly I happened upon this caterpillar at Buck Hollow, in Shenandoah National Park, where…
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One Reason
One reason that I am so interested in nature is my Dad. Here he is in 1991 stretched out on the driveway, having a heart to heart talk with a Gopher Tortoise about the state of the world. As always, I’m thinking of you Dad! Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) live in a small area, from…