What’s that? Who made those methodical carvings in the bark of a consumption weed bush? These are one type of hole made by a yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius). The bird will lick sap from these shallow holes. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers also make neat rows of round, deep holes to find some sap. You might hear the… Continue reading What’s That? February 10, 2025
Author: Jaclyn
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What’s That? February 8, 2024
I was walking in Bond Park the other day and noticed something peculiar. It looked like a piece of shredded wheat cereal tied to a vine. I had no idea what it was, but I knew it wasn’t a piece of cereal. After doing some research, I learned that this is an egg case from… Continue reading What’s That? February 8, 2024
What’s That? January 16, 2025
I recently took a walk in Umstead Park and noticed this tree. What’s that black thing up there? As I got closer to the tree, I noticed that there was more black stuff on the other side. Once I was next to the tree, I could see that there was some liquid oozing from the… Continue reading What’s That? January 16, 2025
What’s That? January 26, 2025
Today, I noticed these seed pods wrapped around a tree branch. What plant are they from? They are the fruit from wild yam (Dioscorea villosa). Here is a closer look. I’ll go back in the spring to see if I can get a picture of the leaves and flowers. Have you seen wild yam?
What’s That? July 10, 2025
Oh my goodness! What a sight first thing in the morning! I saw something out of the corner of my eye as I walked by this tree. I thought it might be a cicada, until I got closer. What is that? It is a giant stag beetle (Lucanus elaphus). The males have these large mandibles,… Continue reading What’s That? July 10, 2025
What’s That? July 8, 2024
Is that snow? We’re in the middle of a heat wave in July, it can’t be snow! What is that? That is woolly pine scale. It’s a bug that produces a white, waxy mass on pine trees. The bug sucks the sap and nutrients out of the tree. Can you see the tiny bug under… Continue reading What’s That? July 8, 2024
What’s That? June 20, 2025
What are these orange spikes on the serviceberry fruit? It is a fungus called cedar-quince rust (Gymnosporangium clavipes). This fungus actually has an interesting life cycle. It starts with an infection of a plant in the juniper (Juniperus) family. In the late spring after a good rain, the fungus produces a large orange clump on… Continue reading What’s That? June 20, 2025
What’s That? March 10, 2025
While walking on the Crabtree Creek Greenway this weekend, we happened to look up as we were walking under the Route 54 bridge. What is that? It looks like organ pipes made out of mud. That is the nest of the Organ Pipe Mud-dauber wasp (Trypoxylon politum).
What’s That? March 18, 2026
Have you ever seen pine seedlings just emerging from the ground?
What’s That? March 23, 2024
Have you ever noticed a green slime or jelly like substance on the ground after the rain? What is that? It’s Nostoc commune, or star jelly. It is not a plant. Nostoc commune is a special kind of bacteria called cyanobacteria. Regular bacteria use food to get their energy, while cyanobacteria use light to produce… Continue reading What’s That? March 23, 2024