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Baltimore Checkerspot
The Baltimore Checkerspot is in the family of brush-footed butterflies, or Nymphalidae. Their front legs are small which gives them the appearance of having four legs rather than six. The range of the Baltimore checkerspot extends from southern Canada and the eastern United States to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina and west across…
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Anchor Stink Bug
Anchor Stink Bug (Stiretrus anchorago). Found in Central and mostly eastern North America. This is a good guy of the stink bug world, feeding on beetle larvae and caterpillars, including many agricultural and gardening pests such as the Mexican Bean Beetle and the Japanese Beetle. There’s incredible variation in the coloring of the Anchor Stink…
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Wineberry Flower
Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius). An invasive plant that is found throughout the woods up here. Right now there are small flowers. Five, heart shaped, pale pink petals with longer pointed sepals. Very soon to become berries. An invasive, but oh the berries are so good.
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Ma and Pa Carolina Wren
The two of them so active. Back and forth from the nest. Bringing morsels of yummy caterpillars for their nestlings. Only stopping from time to time to sing with great bravado. Nestlings grow quickly. Hatching to fledging takes 12 to 14 days. Thank goodness. I’m worn out just watching Ma and Pa.
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Red-eyed Vireo At The Birdbath
I hear them frequently in the woods surrounding my cabin. Making a call that sounds like a Catbird saying, “Myaaah!” Or more of a melodious song, that I use a mnemonic to remember, “Here I am! Where are you?!” As with other birds that I wouldn’t see ordinarily, the Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), is looking…
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A Busy House
The female Chickadee (Paridae) has built her nest. I expect by now the eggs have hatched and both the male and the female are out searching for caterpillars, spiders and insects for their young. A bit of a timeline: One to two days after the female builds the nest, her eggs are laid. She incubates…
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Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe
Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia tomentosa). A vine that grows vigorously with a mind of its own. A vine with a funny looking flower. It’s native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. This is a plant in the genus Aristolochia. Plants in this genus are larval host plants of the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly. I…
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Another Brown Thrasher
Last night I posted about Brown Thrashers and mentioned how much they remind me of Road Runners. Here’s one in a, “I’m NOT a Road Runner” pose. No doubt about it, definitely NOT a Road Runner!
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Canadian Owlet Caterpillar
Canadian Owlet Caterpillar (Calyptra canadensis) I can count on caterpillars impressing me in a big way. So often they come in brilliant colors and occasionally one will look like a cartoon character. And this one certainly fills the bill with its colors. The mature Canadian Owlet Moth is what some think of when it comes…
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Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), quite a large name for a beetle that is just half an inch in length. These beetles with the long name have a defense tactic for warning potential predators to stay away, Aposematism. It’s unusually bright coloration is used as a way to avoid being attacked or eaten. This…