7-31 American Painted Lady

7-31
An American Painted Lady nectared on Joe-pye Weed this morning.
Spikenard opened a few flowers.
American Yew was in fruit.
John

American Painted Lady butterfly on Joe-pye Weed

Spikenard

American Yew fruiting

7-30 Stinkhorn fungus

7-30
A local cornfield was growing a good crop of Stinkhorn fungus this morning.
Burdocks were in flower.
A Brown-hooded Owlet moth caterpillar in its many-colored splendor fed on roadside weeds seemingly oblivious to my presence.
John

Stinkhorn fungus

Burdock

Brown-hooded Owlet moth caterpillar

7-29 Snowberry Clearwing moth

7-29
 A Snowberry Clearwing moth - a day flying bee mimic - paused briefly … and got its picture taken.
Buttonbush is in flower.
Green Herons have fledged young. Green Herons defend themselves by shooting streams of excrement at the eyes of any creature that they see as threatening! Thank goodness for zoom lenses!
John

Snowberry Clearwing moth

Buttonbush

Green Heron

7-28 Whorled Milkwort

7-28
Whorled Milkwort is starting to flower.
Sensitive plant's tiny yellow flowers are also opening. The leaves of sensitive plant respond to touch!
John

Sensitive plant

Whorled Milkwort

7-27 Helleborine

7-27
The introduced orchid known as Helleborine is in flower along roadsides and in damp open woods.
Bull Thistle towers over weed patches and thickets.
John

Helleborine

Bull Thistle

7-26 Water Horehound

7-26
Cut-leaved Water Horehound flowers in damp ditches and meadows.
A big, colorful Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly nectared on phlox this afternoon.
John

Cut-leaved Water Horehound

Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly

underside of wings of Spicebush Swallowtail

7-25 Tick-Trefoil

7-25
Showy Tick-trefoil is in flower.
A Polyphemus moth chose one of my windows as its day perch.
A Primrose moth nestled in a Primrose.
John

Showy Tick-trefoil

Polyphemus moth

Primrose moth

7-24 Feverfew

7-24
Feverfew, a garden escape, flowers along roadsides.
Dogday Harvest flies, our local cicada, are emerging. Their empty nymphal husks hang on trees and the newly emerged flies hang nearby until their wings harden.
John

Feverfew

Nymphal husk of Dogday Harvest fly

Dogday Harvest Fly emerging

7-23 Spiny-leaved sow Thistle

7-23
Along roadsides, Spiny-leaved Sow Thistle is in flower.
In old fields and waste places Catnip is cropping up occasionally.
A Garter snake moved onto a log to bask - until I disturbed him.
John

Spiny-leaved Sow Thistle

Catnip

garter snake

7-22 Raccoon

7-22
One of three raccoons sheltering in a hollow tree took a last look around before bedding down.
Woodland Sunflowers opened flowers.
The caterpillars of the Wavy-lined Emerald moth , AKA Camouflaged Looper, dressed themselves in bits of flower petal while feeding on a Black-eyed Susan.

Woodland Sunflower

Camouflaged Looper caterpillars

John

Raccoon

7-21 Wild Thyme

7-21
Wild Thyme is in flower and very aromatic.
Strings of Hickory Tussock caterpillars dropped from a locust tree this morning. At least a dozen dangled on a single silken cable!
A predator ( hawk?) lunched atop a lichen covered boulder on Black Mountain. Blue Jay was on the menu.
John

Wild Thyme

Hickory Tussock caterpillars

Blue Jay feathers

7-20 Woodland Agrimony

7-20
Woodland, AKA Downy, Agrimony is raising yellow wands in thickets and along roadsides.
A Sumac Leaf Beetle feeds, appropriately enough, on Sumac leaves, while a Hickory Tussock moth caterpillar feeds on … Japanese Knotweed.
John

Woodland Agrimony

Sumac Leaf Beetle 

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar

7-19 Spotted Wintergreen

7-19
Spotted Wintergreen is in flower, as is False Pimpernel and Small Water Plantain.
John

Spotted Wintergreen

False Pimpernel

Small Water Plantain

7-18 Wild Basil

7-18
Bristly bracted clusters of pink flowers top Wild Basil.
The four-petaled flowers of Virgin's Bower are not as showy as the fuzzy seed heads that will follow.
White Wood Asters are putting on a show.
John

Wild Basil

Virgin's Bower

White Wood Aster

7-17 Canadian Burnet

7-17
An occasional Canadian Burnet is opening flowers along the river bank and Ragged Fringed Orchids are up in damp fields.
John

Canadian Burnet

Ragged Fringed Orchid

Ragged Fringed Orchid

7-16 Marsh Speedwell

7-16
Marsh Speedwell is in flower.
Common Water Lilies grace ponds and other still waters.
Floating Bladderworts practice carnivory, trapping microscopic invertebrates with tiny bladder traps that dangle beneath the surface. The spoke-like inflated leaves function as floats!
John

Marsh Speedwell

Common Water Lily

Floating Bladderwort

7-15 Buckeye butterfly

7-15
There was a flight of Buckeye butterflies today.
American Willow-herb and Little Floating Hearts were in flower.
John

Buckeye butterfly

American Willow-herb

Little Floating Hearts

7-14 Mad-dog Skullcap

7-14
One-sided racemes of tiny flowers grow from the leaf axils of Mad-dog Skullcap.
Thousands of Water Striders cling to anything floating, creating darker clots on the water.
John

Mad-dog Skullcap

Mad-dog Skullcap

Mad-dog Skullcap

Water Striders

Water Striders