12-30

12-30
The seed heads of Thimbleweed slowly disintegrate in the winter winds ensuring nest year's crop.
And Poison Ivy berries, anathema to us, are subsistence food for wintering birds.
John

Thimbleweed 

Poison Ivy berries

cocoon

12=28
A Cecropia's silk cocoon, both tough and flexible, may outlast its usefulness by many years. The big moth will emerge next May. The cocoon will soon fade to near whiteness yet remain strong and supple long after the moth has gone.
John

Beech Blight Sooty Mold

12-26
These strange black accretions are the final stage of Beech Blight Sooty Mold (Scolias spongiosa) a fungus which only grows on the honeydew secreted by Beech Blight Aphids AKA Boogie-woogie Aphids. It is an obligate species, it will only grow on the copious honeydew provided by this one aphid species.
The fungus starts as a black fuzzy mat, thickens to a brown furry stage and then swells into a spongy golden yellow heap. Finally it turns black.
For more on Boogie-woogie aphids see the blog entry for August 16, or check them out online.
John

12-24

12-24
Worms that should be deep in the ground to stay below the normal frost line are surfacing to escape the oxygen-poor, water saturated, warm soil conditions!
John

12-22

12-22
This morning a Great Blue Heron winged down the West River valley. No pictures were possible without risking a multi-car pile-up!
John

12-20

12-20
A Sharp-shinned hawk took a smaller bird (probably a junco) just outside my kitchen window. Sharpies are accipiters, hawks that specialize in hunting birds.
Earlier in the day I'd seen this overly-optimistic little hawk in hot pursuit of a crow.
In all likelihood this sharpie will terrorize feeder birds in my neighborhood all winter.
John

Sharp-shinned hawk and prey

12-17

12-17
Lots of Bluebirds and a few robins along Rice Farm Rd. today. On the Retreat Meadows an adult Bald Eagle was consuming something out on the ice.
And, to my surprise, along the edge of the meadows, a mustard … in flower! Perhaps Field Mustard, Brassica rapa, an alien.
Seeing anything - even an alien species - in flower today was certainly a surprise.
John

Mustard in bloom in December

12-16

12-16
This tiny little 1/4 inch insect is a Winter Cranefly. A flightless female. The males have wings. Most of us are familiar with the larger summer-flying cranefly species. A lot of people mistakenly refer to them "Great-big-mosquito-thingies." Winter craneflies are often found atop the snow in late fall and in early spring.
Also atop the snow today was a Caddisfly …! The caddisflies that I'm familiar with emerge from the water for their mating flights in May or June. Not December? I guess that nobody told this one.
John

Caddisfly

Winter Cranefly

12-15

12-15
Along the edge of the woods where the sun has melted off the snow, Grouse Locust were hopping today.
Also active was a froghopper, the nymphal stage of this insect is summer's ubiquitous Spittlebug. Hoppers are common but because they live in tangled fields and woodpatches and because they escape by hopping wildly, they are seldom observed.
I certainly never expected to see one in mid December!
John

froghopper

froghopper

Grouse Locust

Tetragnatha viridis

12-13
One of the long-jawed orb weaving spiders, Tetragnatha viridis, was taking a walk atop the snow this morning. With air temperatures at 30 degrees F but in full sunlight this little spider was quite active.
Orb weavers align themselves with grass blades and stretch out their legs giving them a long unspiderlike profile. They are  well camouflaged during the growing season, but - as you can see - not so well on snow.

John

Birthday Butterfly

A butterfly!
Inside the house!
On my birthday :)

11 degrees outdoors.