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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!…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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A Brown Butterfly
A Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis), yes brown, but a butterfly not a moth. The adult Hackberry Emperor feeds on sap, scat, decaying animals, old fruit, and the nectar of Hackberry flowers. ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Undulation
Sometimes my paintings are not serious. Imagine 3 walls of a 2 car garage with this design. Yellow Undulating Stripe in Garage. ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!