Welcome

To all those interested in the natural world. Please add your sightings.

In the woods we return to reason and faith-Emerson

Best-Lynn

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

7-31

7-31
Today Sessile-fruited Arrowhead is gracing shallow waters.
Milk Purslane and Doorweed are flowering on road shoulders and similar waste places.
And Round-leaved Sundews - nutrient poor soil specialists - hold their insect trapping leaves ready. In a few days they will open their one-sided racemes of tiny white flowers.
John
Round-leaved Sundew

Doorweed

Milk Purslane

Arrowhead

Monday, July 29, 2013

7-29

7-29
Along the banks of the West River, Field Milkwort is in flower.
John
Field Milkwort

Sunday, July 28, 2013

7-28

7-28
Today Ditch Stonecrop and Virgin's Bower are both in flower.
And a large showy beetle called an Emerald Euphoria turned up in my flower garden.
John
Ditch Stonecrop

Virgin's Bower

Emerald Euphoria

Thursday, July 25, 2013

7-25

7-25
Today a Nessus Sphinx moth visited the Phlox in my garden.
On Black Mountain the orchid commonly called Three-Birds, Triphora Trianthaphora, began to flower.
Pinesaps pushed up through the pine needles.
And Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain held up spikes of small fuzzy white flowers.
Three-Birds Orchid

Nessus Sphinx moth

Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain

Pinesaps

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

7-23

7-23
Today Wild Mint and Pale Touch-Me-Not are in flower. Pale Touch-Me-Not likes sweeter soils than the more common Spotted Touch-Me-Not.
Black and Yellow Lichen moths are flying as are Charming Underwing moths.
Black and Yellow Lichen moth

Charming Underwing moth

Wild Mint

Pale Touch-Me-Not 

Monday, July 22, 2013

7-22

7-22
Today, Catnip is in flower and Clymene moths are flying.
John
Clymene moth

Catnip

Sunday, July 21, 2013

7-21

7-21
Along the West River, Canadian Burnet's showy flower spikes are open.
On gravel bars Spotted Sandpipers are leading broods of well grown yet still down-flecked young.
And on the still waters of ponds Water Shield adds its faint blush.
John
Water Shield

Canadian Burnet

Thursday, July 18, 2013

7-18

7-18
Today the world was rife with Katydids!
John
Katydid

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

7-17

7-17
Agrimony is in bloom.
And a Virgin Tiger moth was flashing its hind wings in preparation for takeoff.
John
Virgin Tiger moth

Agrimony
I was quite startled the other morning to hear someone in the kitchen making breakfast. It turned out to be this little red squirrel who, even after being persuaded to outside, decided to pose for photos.
This young fawn with help from a twin has been helping keep the grass down in the backyard.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

7-16

7-16
Today Spotted Knapweed is in flower. And a Caddisfly - one of the 1,000 Caddisfly species in North America - was flying last night.
John
A Caddisfly

Spotted Knapweed

Monday, July 15, 2013

7-15

7-15
Today White Turtlehead are in flower.
The nymphal husks of Dogday Harvest flies (Cicadas) hang hollow on the trunks of trees, while the adult flies shrill from the tree tops.
And a moth called - for obvious reasons - the Ferguson's Scallopshell was flying last night.
John
Ferguson's Scallopshell moth

Dogday Harvest fly husk

Turtlehead

Sunday, July 14, 2013

7-14

7-14
A White-lipped Forest snail - so called because of the white edge on its shell opening - finds today's wet conditions to its liking.
Thorn mimicking Locust Tree-hoppers are active.
A Greater Grapevine Looper moth strikes a strange pose as it roosts for the day.
And Ram's Horn snails graze algae off from submerged rocks in an abandoned beaver pond.
John
Ram's Horn snail

Greater Grapevine Looper moth

Locust Treehopper

White-lipped Forest snail

Saturday, July 13, 2013

7-13

7-13
Today Spotted Wintergreen is in flower as is Evening Primrose shown here with Primrose moths.
And last night this Locust Underwing moth was flying.
John
Locust Underwing

Evening Primrose and Primrose moths

Spotted Wintergreen

Spotted Wintergreen

Friday, July 12, 2013

7-12

7-12
Swamp Rose is at its flowering peak.
A Northern Pearly Eye butterfly - a shade tolerant species - was flying along woodland edges.
And an extremely long bodied moth known only by its scientific name of Herpetogramma thestialis was flying last night.
John
Swamp Rose

Northern Pearly Eye

Herpetogramma thestialis

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

7-10

7-10
Today Dogbane leaf beetle in all its iridescent splendor dotted the fields.
And last night a nicely figured Basswood Leafroller moth was flying.
John
Dogbane Leaf beetle

Basswood Leafroller moth

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

7-9

7-9
Today in Marlboro these Ragged Fringed Orchids were in flower.
And last night 4 raccoon kits accompanied their mother through my yard.
John
Raccoon kits

Ragged Fringed Orchid

Monday, July 8, 2013

7-8

7-8
Orangegrass - a tiny little member of the Saint John'swort family - is flowering.
Blinded Sphinx moths are flying.
And this salamander, delivered to me by a four year old, defies classification. Probably it's a common Red-spotted Newt with an uncommon color scheme … but?
John
Blinded Sphinx

Orangegrass

Salamander

Saturday, July 6, 2013

7-6

7-6
Today, Red Milkweed Beetles added a festive element to the flat green milkweed leaves.
A Fishfly rested on a roadside weed.
Wild Mint's clusters of tiny lilac flowers graced wet ditches.
And a cluster of bats spent their day clinging to the ridgepole of my barn.
John
Red Milkweed Beetle

Fishfly

Wild Mint

Bat colony