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

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Snake Skin in the Woodpile

I built our first fire of the season in the woodstove. And found this snake skin between the 2 logs i picked up.

Cheryl Wilfong

Sunday, August 25, 2019

8-25 Slender Gerardia

8-25
Partially parasitic Slender Gerardia is in flower as is Whorled Aster, so called because of the way its leaves are arrayed around its stem.
John
Slender Gerardia

Whorled Aster

Saturday, August 24, 2019

8-24 Sweet Everlasting

8-24
Sweet Everlasting and Closed Gentian, AKA Bottle Gentian, were both in flower in their rather unconventional ways.
John
Sweet Everlasting

Closed Gentian

Friday, August 23, 2019

8-23 American Dagger moth caterpillar

8-23
The 3 inch, hairy, white caterpillar of an American Dagger Moth proved impossible to overlook.
White Snakeroot is in full flower.
A Monarch Butterfly nectared on a roadside Thistle while I snapped pictures.
John
American Dagger Moth caterpillar

White Snakeroot

Monarch Butterfly on Thistle

Monarch

Thursday, August 22, 2019

8-22 Swamp Beggar Tick

8-22
Both Swamp Beggar Tick and Panicled Tick-trefoil are in flower.
John
Swamp Beggar Tick

Panicled Tick-trefoil

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

8-21 Japanese Knotweed

8-21
Ugly invasive Japanese Knotweed is flowering prettily.
John

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

8-20 Clotbur

8-20
Clotbur can be seen along shores and in other damp places although it flowers are easy to overlook.
John
Clotbur plant

Clotbur flowers

Monday, August 19, 2019

8-19 Pipewort

8-19
Pipewort, AKA Hatpin, grows in shallow still water. It's small button-like cluster of white florettes are above water. Its grass-like leaves are submerged.
John
Pipewort

Sunday, August 18, 2019

8-18 Gall-of-the-earth

8-18
Gall-of-the-earth, AKA Tall Rattlesnake Root, is nearing the end of its flowering window.
John
Gall-of-the-earth

Gall-of-the-earth leaves

Saturday, August 17, 2019

8-17 Heath Aster

8-17
Narrow stiff leaves and small white flowers make Heath Aster easy to identify.
John
Heath Aster

Friday, August 16, 2019

8-16 Garter Snake

8-16
A tiny but well fed Garter Snake sought out sun-warmed rocks as an aid to digestion.
A Painted Turtle basks on a lily pad.
Along roadsides Blue Lettuce opened its rather unimpressive flowers.
John
Garter snake

Turtle on lily pad

Blue Lettuce

close up of Blue Lettuce flower

Thursday, August 15, 2019

8-15 Rough Hawkweed

8-15
Rough Hawkweed and a Knapweed - perhaps Protean or maybe Brown Knapweed - are in flower.
John
Rough Hawkweed

Knapweed - protean or brown

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

8-14 Great Blue Lobelia

8-14
Great Blue Lobelia is both a native wildflower and a garden favorite. Any found growing wild in this area are most likely garden escapes but it is impossible to know with certainty.
John
Great Blue Lobelia

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

8-13 Calico Asters

8-13
Calico Asters are brightening edges and thickets and a Gallium sphinx moth nectared at phlox in our garden.
John
Calico Asters

Gallium Sphinx moth

Monday, August 12, 2019

8-12 Sessile-fruited Arrowhead

8-12
Sessile-fruited Arrowhead is in flower as is Bulb-bearing Water Hemlock, all parts of which are poisonous if ingested.
John
Sessile-fruited Arrowhead

Bulb-bearing Water Hemlock

Sunday, August 11, 2019

8-11 Round-leaved Sundew

8-11
Carnivorous Round-leaved Sundews and parasitic Dodder are both in flower. Once Dodder twines around a host plant it severs all connection to its own roots. It lives completely off its host or hosts!
John
Round-leaved Sundew

Dodder

Saturday, August 10, 2019

8-10 Tear Thumb

8-10
Terminal clusters of small pale flowers and vicious recurved stem barbs help identify Tear Thumb.
A clump of milkweed host several Monarch caterpillars. At least 6 are visible in this picture.
John
Tear Thumb

Tear Thumb's barbs

6 Monarch caterpillars

Friday, August 9, 2019

8-9 berries

8-9
The fruits of Alternate-leaved Dogwood, Tartarian Honeysuckle, Choke Cherry and Black Huckleberry are ripe. The huckleberries are delicious although they are rather seedy.
John
Alternate-leaved Dogwood

Tartarian Honeysuckle

Choke Cherry

Black Huckleberry

Thursday, August 8, 2019

8-8 Fall Dandelion

8-8
Fall Dandelion is flowering along roadsides and in disturbed areas and in Newfane Culver's Root is showing its candelabra-like inflorescences beside a rural field.
John
Fall Dandelion

Culver's Root

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

8-7 Hoary Alyssum

8-7
Hoary Alysum and Hog Peanut are among the species flowering today.
John
Hoary Alyssum

Hog Peanut

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

8-6 Grapevine Looper moth

8-6
A pretty little moth called the Grapevine Looper rests on a Virginia Creeper, and in the woods saprophytic Spotted Coral-root is flowering … but a bit obscurely.
John
Grapevine Looper moth

Spotted Coral-root

Monday, August 5, 2019

8-5 Checkered Plantain

8-5
Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain and Three-bird Orchids are in flower. In Vermont Three-bird orchids are found only in this area - mostly in Dummerston!
John
Checkered Rattlesnake Plantain

Three-bird Orchid

Sunday, August 4, 2019

8-4 Spotted Joe-pye Weed

8-4
Spotted Joe-pye Weed is in flower and a Brown-hooded Owlet caterpillar - a species often found on goldenrods and asters - waits for the cover of darkness before feeding.
John
Joe-pye Weed

Brown-hooded Owlet caterpillar

Saturday, August 3, 2019

8-3 Dwarf Sumac

8-3
Dwarf, AKA shining, Sumac is in flower and attracting pollinators, Ground Nut is opening the first of its heavily scented flowers and a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth nectared on Bee Balm in my kitchen garden.
John
Dwarf Sumac

Ground Nut

Hummingbird Moth on Bee Balm