Dummerston Sightings

2012-02-04T19:00:00.002-05:00

2-4

THis morning I observed a four chipmunk mating chase along a roadside stonewall. Seeing an occasional chipmunk during a mild winter isn't very unusual, but mating doesn't usually take place until at least early March.

John

2012-02-04T11:28:00.002-05:00

2.04.12 Sapcicles hanging from broken or damaged sugar maple branches signal spring to me. I used to love to melt one on my tongue with the thought of maple flavor, but at best I might get sticky mittens! Sap rises when daytime temperatures are around 40 degrees and fall below freezing (but not too low) at night. I've been seeing these seasonal harbingers for more than a week.

2012-02-03T18:28:00.003-05:00

2-3

In an effort to avoid being stepped on, this grouse locust made a wild leap and landed in the snow. Before moving on, I herded him back to bare ground.

As a bonus, I found this cricket sunning on a dead leaf. After this picture was taken it scurried down into the thatch of dead grass.

John

2012-01-27T12:30:00.002-05:00

1.27.12 I ventured out to the mailbox in light, cold rain and an inch of frozen slush underfoot to be startled in my musings by the chatter of a Belted Kingfisher as it made a mad dash first into a nearby white pine, then back and forth through swamp shrubs near the bottom of my driveway, scolding and chattering all the while. Although it rained much of the night and morning, there isn't a lot of open water around here.
Yesterday, a short loop through the area revealed the meanderings of river otter (its slide and tracks preserved in ice); oppossum; red fox; gray fox; coyote; deer. Yet unidentified, there were clear tracks of a weasel-family member as it dropped into open holes in the brook and exited onto snow leaving muddy tracks and drips of muddy water. All tracks were greatly magnified by the thawing temperatures - great viewing without the need for glasses!

2012-01-12T11:05:00.002-05:00

1.11.12 Protected from some of the snow by dense hemlock branches overhead, and near an ample food supply of acorns, this chipmunk burrow seems to be outfitted for winter. The white ring of hoar frost inside the tunnel indicates the resident is inside, creating some warmth in contrast to outside temperatures.

2012-01-09T17:26:00.002-05:00

1.09.12 Birch conk, Chaga, and Clinker Polypore are some of the common names for Inonotus obliquus. Found most commonly on Yellow Birch, often at the site of a wound, the irregularly-shaped fungus looks like a piece of burned wood. This slow-growing fungus is found on yellow birches in northern European and Asian countries, as well as in northern US and Canada. It has been the subject of medical research for its apparent anti-cancer properties.

2012-01-06T22:35:00.002-05:00

1-6

Sunshine and mild temperatures brought out a few Grouse Locusts this afternoon.

John

2012-01-06T13:55:00.004-05:00

1.06.12 The Cecropia moth cocoon, measuring about 2.75 inches, resembles a milkweed pod attached to a branch in the woods. Lashed to a Striped maple twig along its top side and encompassing the intersection of two small side twigs into its construction, it is secure against many challenges. If successful, it will complete its metamorphosis in spring.

2012-01-05T19:48:00.003-05:00

1.04.12 Temperatures were in the teens when I bundled up and headed for the mountain behind my house. I was nearing the top when, from some distance, I could see a white patch standing out in the snowless terrain. Curious, I approached to find hoarfrost around the opening of a pair of 4 -5 inch holes in the ground at the base of a fallen tree. Some animal is probably dozing down there, and its warm, moist breath freezes on contact with the cold air, creating a halo-like effect.

2012-01-02T19:33:00.002-05:00

1.02.12 On 10.23.11 I posted a picture of a Baldfaced Hornet's nest dangling from a high branch. In the last two weeks, I've seen Bluejays perched atop the swaying globe, pounding and pulling at the outer paper covering. A few mornings ago, the nest was no longer hanging. I found the paper covering tangled in goldenrod stems; the remaining comb, with the nest's opening still attached, was on the ground. Each comb is made up of uniform-sized cells, measuring 1 cm in diameter. There were two layers of comb, separated by cone-shaped "risers" about an inch tall, constructed of the paper used for the outside. A few remaining covered cells contain nearly-developed hornets, now frozen. The queen of these nests mates just in late fall and burrows into the ground where it will spend the winter, emerging in spring to make a golf-ball sized nest, lay eggs and raise the few youngsters that will become workers to assist in enlarging the nest and raising subsequent members of the colony.

2012-01-01T19:02:00.002-05:00

1-1-2012

While the West River valley was full of fog this morning, the view from Black Mountain was clear and bright. It seemed more like late September than it did January 1st!

John

2011-12-20T15:16:00.002-05:00

12.17.11 This has been an unusual fall. What else accounts for a bluet in bloom at this time of year?

2011-12-15T13:16:00.004-05:00

12.15.11 The absence of leaves opens a new vista in the woods. Birds are easier to spot; so are their nests. The artful weaving in this little Red-eyed Vireo nest has withstood some challenging weather. Lashed into the crotch of a beech branch with white birch bark and spider webs, the exterior is constructed of strips of white birch bark, twigs, and spider webs; its lining is white pine needles and lichens. After nest building, it is a wonder that the bird has any energy left to raise a family - and then fly to South America for the winter!

2011-12-14T20:56:00.003-05:00

12.14.11 Polyphemus moth larvae do a wonderful job of camouflaging and protecting their chrysalis. As the larvae prepares itself for overwintering, it attaches its chrysalis inside a large (over-sized) cocoon with silk threads and wraps itself in leaves, also attached by silk; the whole apparatus is attached to two twigs of a beech tree branch resembling beech leaves that do not drop. Gentle pressure on the cocoon, as well as observing the hole into it made me confident that it was uninhabited. The strength of those silk threads was impressive. First, I unwrapped the beech leaves; then I opened the cocoon. Bernd Heinrich notes in Winter World that the pupae also have biochemical protection to prevent death by freezing. Despite all the preparation, I think the chrysalis was invaded; otherwise, the beech leaves would be more weathered had it spent all of last winter and summer since its construction. Quite a feat of engineering!

2011-12-12T16:06:00.004-05:00

12.12.11 The weather is perfect for making ice needles. When the air temperature is below freezing and the soil temperature is warmer, moisture near the surface freezes into ribbon-like structures, called ice needles by some. The ice crystals push dirt and rocks to the surface and leave them there. Walking on ice needles can be precarious because they often give way unexpectedly.

2011-12-11T13:52:00.003-05:00

All manner of beings come in from the cold at this time of year. I've found three Assassin Bugs in the house in the last week. They are considered "good" bugs since they prey on other insects. I wonder if they are in competition with the spiders that hide in the corners. At any rate, their coloration and pattern designs are decorative enough to provide inspiration for humans to mimic.

2011-12-07T15:21:00.003-05:00

12.07.11 What I've missed by staying dry on rainy days! Today I discovered that not only White Pine collect bubble masses at their base; Black birch and Maples do, too. The Black birch won the prize today for the biggest pile. Today's sample was many fewer trees, but a much higher percentage of mature pines had at least a bit of foam; only one Black birch; and two maples each had small bits of foam (by comparison).

2011-12-06T19:07:00.002-05:00

Never seen anything like it before. A rock growing in a tree.

2011-12-06T18:20:00.002-05:00

12-6

What appears to be the head - complete with eye and beak - of a bird is actually the tail end of a Downy Woodpecker.

The bird is head down in the hole that it is excavating for its winter roost site.

John

2011-12-06T13:58:00.003-05:00

After the rain this morning, while the trees were moist and black, a few of the Eastern White Pines in my neighborhood had pools of what appeared to be soapsuds running down crevices in the bark and accumulating at their base. As soon as a breeze stirred, the bubbles were gone. Research seems to indicate that fatty acids in the bark sometimes combine with oxygen and rain to create these bubbles. I checked probably more than 100 trees, but found 'suds' on only 3.

While I was out, I was delighted to be visited by about 5-6 Golden- crowned kinglets flitting about as they fed in the pines; one perched on a branch less than a yard from my face and stayed still long enough to afford a really long look to appreciate its bright yellow cap, bordered by black, short tail, and wing bars. A chickadee that was nearby looked large by comparison.

2011-12-06T09:24:00.004-05:00

12.06.11 On a recent frosty morning, the red berry helped me spot this Wintergreen snuggled into frost-laced green moss. There are several members of the Wintergreen (or Pyrola) family in our area. This one takes its family name as its own. The nodding waxy flower produces a shiny red seed on its drooping stem; bruising the leathery leaf produces the aroma of the familiar oil of wintergreen. Nearby the ice sculptures of Frostweed, another aptly named plant, were conspicuous with their shining white swirls in the leaf litter, moss, and dried grasses at ground-level.

2011-11-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

11.26.11 This morning I noticed a large circle of new wood chips on the snow underneath a poplar tree in the woods near my house. While I leaned against a nearby maple tree looking at the work, movement caught my attention. A little brown creeper spiraled up the poplar, stopped to check each of the holes the pileated woodpecker had made, then continued its spiral upward. It dropped to the ground and thoroughly inspected the wood chips as well, then went back to spiral up the tree again.
Farther along my walk, the mahogany color of this quivering Jelly leaf fungus (Tremella foliacea) glistened in the early sun.

2011-11-23T16:03:00.002-05:00

11-23 Old Puzzle - New Clues

After an overnight snowstorm on Dec.,30,1998 I found over 100 cutworms atop the fresh snow covering my back lawn. The following night temperatures dropped to -8 degrees Fahrenheit. Even after laying atop the snow at sub-zero temperatures these worms were capable of thawing out and resuming normal activity after just half an hour inside!

This morning the snow on my lawn was once again peppered with cutworms. Well over 100 of them. Perhaps Winter Cutworms AKA Snow Earthworms (Noctua Pronuba) which may stay active and feed even under the snow.

Winter cutworms were first introduced from europe into Nova Scotia. They were first seen in Vermont in 1989.

Winter cutworms or, as I prefer, Snow cutworms are the larvae of the Large Yellow Underwing moth.

My identification of these as Snow Cutworms is tentative at best, and I was a little hesitant to share anything about which I'm so uncertain. But, I now (after 13 years) have pictures of the worms... atop the snow!

If not Snow Cutworms, what? And why?

(One of the accompanying pictures is of a worm on the snow. The other was taken inside.)

John

2011-11-18T16:32:00.002-05:00

11-18

Frostweed lives up to its name, extruding feathery frost confections from its winter sere stem.

John

2011-11-15T19:28:00.002-05:00

11-15

Chickweed is green, healthy and in flower. It will stay green under the winter snows and resume flowering next spring at the earliest opportunity.

John

2011-11-10T18:19:00.002-05:00

11-10

The dark metallic blue Short-winged Blister Beetle feigns death if disturbed, falling on its side and exuding droplets of blister-causing fluids from its leg joints.

Adult Short-winged Blister Beetles eat herbaceous foliage. Larvae are parasitic on bees.

I find these beetles in the fall along woodland paths and trails.

John

2011-11-10T16:45:00.003-05:00

American Larch (Tamarack) is the only conifer that loses all of its needles every year. The inch-long needles grow in tufts along the branches. All summer, Tamaracks blend into the landscape with other conifers, but at this time of year the needles change to golden yellow and for a brief time, they really stand out.

2011-11-09T19:02:00.002-05:00

Rapping, rapping - first on the back wall, then on the roof; finally a little downy woodpecker came into view where he'd been testing the resonance of his drumming on a vacated bird house; when no bird came out the front door, in went the downy - to try out the sound from inside! This house provided shelter to tree swallows that raised two broods this summer. Perhaps this little bird was auditioning the house as a winter shelter.

2011-11-09T18:42:00.002-05:00

11-9

In a nearby field, Golden Alexanders makes one last - seemingly out of season - attempt at flowering. I expect to find Alexanders flowering late spring and early summer. Finding one in November seems a bit incongruous ... but, there it is.

John

2011-11-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

11-8

White Clematis (aka Virgin's Bower) unfurls its feathery seed plumes to the fall winds.

John

2011-11-07T19:07:00.001-05:00

11-7

One of the hearty and ubiquitous Sulphur Butterflies warmed to the midday sun in my field today.

John

2011-11-06T16:50:00.001-05:00

11-6

I have two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, one juvenile and one female visiting my suet feeders.

For the last several years Sapsuckers have over-wintered in my neighborhood, although historically the northern extreme of their winter range was Massachusetts.

John

2011-11-03T12:06:00.005-04:00

11.03.11 In spite of recent wintery weather, these Ravenel's Stinkhorns seem to be continuing to develop at the base of a decaying maple tree. The pinkish round structure is the first above-ground appearance of this fungus from its mycelial tissue - "rootlets". The cap, on its spongy-looking white stalk pushes out of the volva; spores are dispersed through the white-ringed opening in the cap. Usually, the odor rouses my awareness to their presence before I see them; in today's cold temperature, that was not so.

2011-11-02T19:02:00.002-04:00

11-2

As the snow melts, dandelions are opening; half a dozen brightened my lawn today.

John

2011-10-23T20:00:00.004-04:00

10.23.11 Raccoons often come to my garden and yard foraging for dropped fruit and whatever else they can find. These tracks were made last night, probably on their way to look for apples.

Now the leaves are falling, the nests of baldfaced hornets are easier to see. This one, about the size of a basketball, is about 30 feet off the ground. Foxes, raccoons, and skunks looking for larvae to eat will tear apart the nest if it's near the ground. Constructed at the end of a small branch in the top of a maple tree, this nest will be protected from those predators unless a severe wind knocks it down. Birds sometimes use the nest 'paper' in constructing their own nests in the spring.

2011-10-17T20:58:00.004-04:00

10.17.11 It's that time of year: as I walked through woods populated with many robust red oak and beech in varying stages of vigor, the ground was littered with acorn caps and the prickly burs of beechnuts, many opened in their three-part symmetry. I was thoroughly scolded by a tail-shaking gray squirrel that skittered back and forth on a high branch of a white pine. A chipmunk peered from the hole in a dead beech where it was storing nuts. We observed each other for several unblinking minutes as it tried to sneak away to get on with business. As soon as my gaze shifted, the chipmunk was gone. This beech snag is host to Tinder polypore, (Fomes fomentarius) the gray hoof-like fungus and a number of other fungi, in addition to providing a storage chamber for this chipmunk.

2011-10-16T18:24:00.006-04:00

10.16.11 We've been learning about and looking for Woolly Hemlock Adelgids for a couple years because their alien origin leaves them in our environment without natural predators, thus they're free to multiply and spread and cause the eventual death of Hemlock trees. The Woolly Alder Aphid pictured here feeds, reproduces, and multiplies in much the same way as the Woolly Hemlock Adelgid; however, it doesn't get out of control because it has native predators that keep it in check. Like many other aphids, this aphid is tended by ants which benefit from the "honeydew" that they produce. The sap the aphids suck from the host is primarily sugars; to get enough protein for reproduction, the aphid consumes more sugar than they need, and honeydew is produced to get rid of this excess. The honeydew is what causes the black, sooty deposit on surfaces below the aphids.

2011-10-15T15:20:00.005-04:00

10.15.11 Sun has been in short supply lately, so a walk into the woods in sun was irresistible. Among the fallen leaves, I noted this mushroom with its margin rolled back, filled with rain water. The warty growths on the surface gave the appearance of a gem-studded urn. I've tentatively identified it as Scleroderma aurantium; if anyone can positively identify it, please let me know! Along a noisy, leaf-littered stream, the witch-hazel shrub is coming into bloom, just as its leaves are turning yellow and dropping. Hamamelis virginiana blossoms in the fall; it is unusual in that flower, fruit, and next year's leaf buds appear simultaneously on the branches.

2011-09-11T20:08:00.002-04:00

9-11

Closed or Bottle Gentian (G. andrewsii) is in flower along East-West Road.

John

2011-09-08T19:10:00.002-04:00

9-8

This paper wasps' nest has enveloped the end of the maple limb it hangs on. Still green maple leaves bisect its outer layer, providing a bit of unintentional camouflage.

John

2011-09-02T19:21:00.001-04:00

9-1

Large groups of nighthawks were on the move this evening. Between 630 and 7:30 pm about 80 passed over my house.; thirty-five in one swarm.

John

2011-08-24T18:36:00.001-04:00

8-24

Aphids suck the top of a milkweed dry as a Monarch caterpillar feeds lower down on the same plant.

John

2011-08-20T12:47:00.003-04:00

8-20

A 1 1/4 inch long female Dogday Harvestfly hangs atop a slender Silverod stem. Dogday harvestflies are a kind of Cicada. Their nymphs which live underground and feed on "root juices" take 3 years to mature. Adults live one season, just long enough to mate and lay eggs. The eggs are laid on the twigs of trees, but soon after the eggs hatch the larvae drop to the ground where they will burrow in and stay hidden down among the roots until they reach maturity.

John

2011-08-19T12:29:00.003-04:00

8.19.11 Drama in the garden! A Braconid wasp injected her eggs into this Tomato Hornworm; the developed larvae spun these cocoons, attached all over the outside of the hornworm, from which they will pupate. Left alone, a Tomato Hornworm can eat its way through a lot of foliage and tomatoes in the course of its development.
The throat of the Willow Gentian in the flower bed was the hiding spot of the white goldenrod crab spider. When the moth visited the flower last night,'the spider grabbed the moth with its long front legs, injected a paralyzing poison and digestive enzymes into the moth. After the spider's enzymes have turned the insides of the insect into liquid, the spider sucks the prey dry until only the exoskeleton of the insect remains' according to Mary Holland in Naturally Curious.

2011-08-17T20:08:00.003-04:00

8.17.11 Swampy areas are always enticing to plant hunters. Common Buttonbush, a shrub, may grow in 4 feet of water; today's specimen was growing in open water of unmeasured depth, accessible to me only by the zoom lens on my modest camera. The black, spatulate fungi, called Earth Tongues, were growing in the sphagnum moss at the margin of the swamp. Just a bit inland, this Earth Fan (Thelephora terrestris) was found in the undergrowth of trees.

2011-08-14T17:55:00.002-04:00

8-14

This morning's walk turned up one of the rushes - probably Juncus Canadensis - showing tow normal sized flower clusters above a third bizarrely galled and highly noticeable cluster!

John

2011-08-12T20:13:00.002-04:00

8-12

Carrion Beetles prepare to bury a dead shrew. The beetles laboriously excavate under the carcass, letting it sink slowly into the earth. After it is fully covered the beetles will lay eggs on the shrew and when the eggs hatch the larvae will feed on the remains.

John

2011-08-12T13:23:00.002-04:00

8-11

One tail feather from a Roughed Grouse graced the forest floor atop Prospect Hill today.

John

2011-08-08T23:26:00.004-04:00

8.08.11 A Velvety Fairy Fan (fungus) and a Moonwort (fern) were two of a wide variety of growth this late summer morning in a damp woodland setting. The Bracted Plantain holds forth in a dry, sandy roadside.

2011-08-08T17:22:00.001-04:00

8-8

Apparently last night's rain was an aphrodisiac for this pair of five inch long Leopard Slugs.

John

2011-08-06T20:24:00.001-04:00

8-6

A young gray fox paused to investigate a scent on his way through my yard last night.

John

2011-08-05T14:19:00.001-04:00

8-5

The graceful curved blue stamens of Bluecurls prove it aptly named. These were found growing in a dusty gravel parking area.

John

2011-08-04T21:10:00.002-04:00

8-4

One adult raccoon and one youngster foraged through my yard last night.

John

2011-08-04T19:47:00.003-04:00

8.04.11 Yesterday I received a call from a very excited grandson: I needed to be sure to come to his house because he had a special bird nest to show me. Indeed, it was well worth the trip and the anticipation. He has a styrofoam deer target propped up at the woods edge; he had been tossing objects to see if he could hit the target when a little bird came bursting out of the target! A chickadee has excavated a cavity in the neck of the "deer", directly underneath the muzzle. The opening is tear-drop shaped, about 1.5 inches in diameter; at the bottom of the 4 inch cavity lay 6 round, white eggs. After a quick survey of the situation, he decided he'd monitor progress from a respectful distance and let the little family have some peace.

2011-08-03T21:07:00.002-04:00

8.03.11 Mushrooms provide a splash of color in the woods at this time of year. At the base of an oak tree, Chicken Mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) fairly glowed on a rocky mountainside today.

2011-08-02T19:37:00.002-04:00

8-2

Today the less-than-fearsome looking Mad Dog Skullcap was flowering in a nearby swamp, and a glorious black butterfly - perhaps a Spicebush Swallowtail - nectared in my kitchen garden.

John

2011-08-01T19:08:00.002-04:00

8-1

The shed nymphal skin of a Dogday Harvestfly - our local Cicada species - was hanging cellophane-like on a spruce tree in my yard, this morning, and this Merganser floated cooly down the West River, enjoying its riparian milieu before the human hordes descended.

John

2011-07-31T16:01:00.002-04:00

7-31

This Painted Turtle seemed somewhat disgruntled over being moved out of Roue 5 traffic, while nearby a Primrose Moth serenely waited out the day on one of its host plants: Evening Primrose.

John

2011-07-30T14:04:00.002-04:00

7-30

Today the brownish pea-like flower clusters of Groundnut draped riverside thickets. Along the roadside, clusters of tiny greenish flowers cupped by leaf-like bracts nestled in the leaf axils of Three-seeded Mercury.

John

2011-07-29T20:10:00.002-04:00

7-29

Shining (AKA Dwarf) Sumac was in flower today. Apparently I was the second to learn of this development!

John

2011-07-28T16:38:00.001-04:00

7-28

In a roadside marsh, Hairy Willow-herb flashed its magenta faces today. As I appreciated one blossom a large beetle stayed busy and oblivious in a second.

John

2011-07-27T17:29:00.003-04:00

7.27.11 Velvet-leaf's huge, bunny-ear-soft leaves drape gracefully, providing an umbrella over the buttercup-yellow blossom, but it's worth the effort to push them aside to view what's hiding.

2011-07-27T16:05:00.002-04:00

7-27

A few Triphora (Three-bird Orchids) were unfolding their pallid wings today. Saprophytic Spotted Coralroots could also be found in flower.

In my kitchen garden this Snowberry Clearwing moth visited the phlox, seemingly obliious to my attempts at photography.

John

2011-07-26T19:56:00.002-04:00

7-26

Common Burdock and Bull Thistle dotted the roadsides this morning. John

2011-07-25T16:55:00.002-04:00

7-25

The tiny, purple-spotted white flowers of catnip made their appearance in my field this morning. And along the river Canadian Burnet waved densely packed flower spikes with every little breeze.

John

2011-07-24T10:52:00.003-04:00

7-24

The nearly leafless, wirey stems of Orange Grass give no focal point for a camera without an artificial backdrop. Panicled Tick-Trefoil, on the other hand, seems to pose for its portrait.

The water scour tree roots just seemed too picturesque not to share!

John

2011-07-22T21:42:00.004-04:00

7.22.11 I'm always gratified when I find a good reason not to keep a weed-free garden; today I found three reasons! The Night-flowering Catchfly which left my fingers feeling very sticky after handling it; the Moth Mullein whose nickel-sized blossoms last but a day; and a pink Hemp-Nettle. Hemp-Nettle has white or pink blossoms, both with purple markings, protrusions from the lower petal that look like fangs, and hairy spikes on the upper petal. I don't know the name of the insect on the Hemp-Nettle, but it seemed more interested in the plant than its blossoms.

2011-07-21T18:15:00.002-04:00

7-21

Turk's-ca Lily turns its bold, freckled, red-orange face earthward and yet can't hide its brazen glow.

John

2011-07-20T15:05:00.003-04:00

7.20.11 A few lemon-yellow Pale Touch-Me-Nots caught my eye in a wet, shady roadside today. Mary Holland, Vermont author of Naturally Curious, notes that 'the nectar of jewelweed is 40% sugar; the whole plant provides nourishment for deer and, during dry spells, black bears.'

2011-07-19T22:42:00.003-04:00

7.19.11 Old familiar faces take on a new look when you get nose-to-nose. Hemp-Nettle and Helleborine are two such flowers. I'm amazed that there are flowers that look so robust in mid-summer heat when I'm wilting.

2011-07-19T16:08:00.003-04:00

7-19

A fairly unproductive search for wildflowers along Dummerston Landing road turned up well in excess of 100 of these little land snails (perhaps Amber snails - Succinea Putris).

Out in the great wild world you won't always see what you expect to see ... but if you stay alert you will always see something of interest.

John

2011-07-18T14:33:00.002-04:00

7.18.11

Thunder was rumbling and light was fast fading by the time I made it to the site of these little Spotted Wintergreen this morning. If you saw the pictures of Pipsissewa which were posted recently, you will notice the similarity of these members of the Wintergreen family.

Common polypody, the underside of whose fertile frond is pictured at upper left, were growing in abundance in a thin layer of moss over a granite boulder. To contrast, is a fertile frond of an Ebony Spleenwort which was growing in rocky woods. The shape and placement of the sori (capsules that hold spores) on the underside of the blade are important to identification of ferns.

2011-07-18T13:38:00.002-04:00

7-18

Between rain showers this morning I got out into the world long enough to find (and take a few rather fuzzy pictures of) Water -plantain. Water -plantain has a basal rosette of 6 - 14" long stalked oval leaves. Its tiny 3 petaled flowers are "on a 3' tall, diffuse terminal panicle" to quote the field guide. To me they looked about as insubstantial and airy as mature asparagus plants. Water-plantains grow in standing water or mud.

John

2011-07-17T21:48:00.002-04:00

7.17.11 More than a half-dozen Great Spangled Fritillaries looped around and around my garden this afternoon, sampling everything in bloom; they seemed to favor the echinaceas without singling out any one variety.

2011-07-17T18:38:00.003-04:00

7-17

Today the diminutive plant called Centaury touched the roadsides with its tiny pink flowers, White Vervain waved sparse wands chest high in the thickets, and gracing one edge of a dusty dirt road Wild Sensitive plant had small yellow flowers under lacy leaves.

John

2011-07-15T20:09:00.002-04:00

7-15

today on a gravel bar in the middle of the West River, Spotted Knapweed grew rooted between the cobbles.

And the sun-bleached remains of this crayfish were found where it stranded, folded double over a willow twig high above the water by one of the recent freshets.

John

2011-07-13T19:51:00.003-04:00

7-13

Today Sand Spurrey flecked lawns with tiny pink flowers, Rough Hedgeweed graced the ditches and Common Tansy held up its galaxies of yellow disks.

John

2011-07-13T16:55:00.004-04:00

7.13.11 The Pale St. Johnswort (Hypericum ellipticum) is in bloom in a wet ditch; its plume of stamens above the butter- yellow petals helps to attract pollinators.

I discovered this newly-open Spotted touch-me-not (Jewelweed) yesterday. The scientific name, Impatiens capensis, was published by Meerburgh in 1775 who thought it had been introduced into Europe from the Cape of Good Hope. Although he was in error, this name stands because it was the first to be published. (from "The Secrets of Wildflowers" by Jack Sanders).

2011-07-12T20:26:00.003-04:00

7-12

This morning Hedge Bindweed blossoms glistened palely among the tall grasses and weeds. Agrimony glowed in the woodlands. And Dogbane Beetles bathed in liquid greens and reds hung jewel-like from their host plants.

John

2011-07-12T20:22:00.002-04:00

7-11

A few flowers have started to color the narrow spikes of Blue Vervain, decorating a nearby ditch.

John

2011-07-09T18:56:00.001-04:00

7-9

Today, Musk Mallow brightened the roadside and White Turtlehead raised itself over the rank growth in a nearby wet area.

John

2011-07-08T20:51:00.003-04:00

7.07.11 The Purple (or Field) Milkwort changes its appearance as the blossom matures. The petals curled up in the center continue to open until the blossom resembles the shape of a pine cone. It's beautiful at every stage.

2011-07-08T20:23:00.002-04:00

7-8

This morning I crossed paths with another woods rambler - a snappy dresser bent on his own destination, moving at his own pace.

John

2011-07-07T21:53:00.003-04:00

7.07.11 Round-leaved Sundews were in bloom today. The flower stalk uncoils and diminutive white blossoms open, one per day. Insects become trapped in the sticky juice produced by the glandular hairs on the leaves.

2011-07-07T21:44:00.003-04:00

7.07.11 Retraction! In yesterday's post, I mis-identified this flower. It is Fringed Loosestrife - noticeable with a hand lens, on the lower leaf stems there is a definite "fringe".

2011-07-07T14:30:00.002-04:00

7-7

Today Ragged Robin - somewhat rain bedraggled - was in flower.

John

2011-07-06T21:29:00.006-04:00

7.05.11 A sunny spot gives a home to three varieties of Loosestrife. Although this one is named Hybrid Loosestrife, it is not really a hybrid.

Butter-and-Eggs, Toadflax, of the Snapdragon family, is starting to blossom in gravelly roadsides.

This Canada lily looks so exuberant, it is appropriate for fireworks and July 4.

2011-07-06T14:29:00.003-04:00

7-6

Today Ragged Fringed Orchid opened flowers in the field behind my house, and Monkey Flower opened in a nearby wet meadow.

John

2011-06-30T17:33:00.003-04:00

6.30.11 Spin the color wheel and it lands on Yellows: Yellow Loostrife aka Swamp Candles (Lysimachia terrestris) and Canada Lily (Lilium canadense). Then one from yesterday: Motherwort- the only alien in the bunch - in close-up, the profile is a definite clue as to the origin of the scientific name, Leonurus cardica. I can hardly wait for tomorrow's finds!

2011-06-30T17:23:00.002-04:00

6.30.11 In the pink! Pipsissewa crowd a mossy bank; Partridgeberry, pink form, in damp moss: both were photographic challenges for me in the intermittent strong breeze.

2011-06-23T16:08:00.003-04:00

6-23

Venus's Looking Glass - so named because its tiny black seeds resemble hand mirrors - opened a single flower to the rain today.

John

2011-06-22T18:24:00.003-04:00

6.22.11 Some flowers look great in a warm summer rain. Such is the attractive Foxglove Beardtongue found along an otherwise dry bank.

2011-06-20T22:24:00.004-04:00

6.20.11 A morning roaming Maple Valley turned up a few unexpected finds. Ladies' Tresses, Round-leaved Sundew, and Blue Toadflax pictured here were some of the visual treats. Coming upon two foraging grouse families and a fawn bedded down among the tall ferns added to the wonders.

2011-06-14T20:50:00.002-04:00

A black bear prowling around the house at 7:45 p.m.. Sniffing the ground underneath the bird feeder that is up on a second-story deck. It finally took out its frustration on a bird house and ate baby chickadees for dinner.

2011-06-10T19:27:00.003-04:00

6-10

Parasitic one-flowered Cancerroot AKA Ghost Pipe was flowering today in a samp, shady fieldside thicket in my neighborhood.

John

2011-06-09T20:57:00.000-04:00

9:00 p.m. trip to the compost pile where i beaned a skunk on the nose with a watermelon rind. I didn't stick around for a closer "sighting."

2011-05-29T19:17:00.000-04:00

5-29

Today was a good day for ditchweeds! Virginia Waterleaf was at its peak.

And this 2 ' high green-flowered orchid - tentatively identified as a Northern Green Orchid - stood tall on a hillside seep. I say tentatively identified because often it's easier to find wildflowers

than it is to name them, and I'm not certain about this one!

John

2011-05-27T17:12:00.000-04:00

5-26

This morning I found this Wood Turtle trying to cross Rte. 30 just south of the covered bridge. It was healthy but frustrated by traffic. Its carapace measured 7 inches and the growth ridges on its scutes proved it to be at least 15 years old.

John

2011-05-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

5-23

Mayapples are flowering. This one is in Bess and Charlie Richardson's yard.

John

2011-05-22T18:53:00.000-04:00

5-22

Yellow Wood Sorrel, English Plantain and Bulbous Buttercup (shown) were flowering today.

High overhead a raven fledgling begged loudly as it pursued one of its parents across the sky.

And this American Copper butterfly worked the wild strawberry flowers.

John