Have you ever seen pine seedlings just emerging from the ground?
Author: Jaclyn
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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
What’s That? May 14, 2024
What’s that? What is making those piles of tunnels in the dirt hills along the trails? Miner bees! Miner bees look like bumble bees. They are fuzzy and yellow on the top half of their back, and black on the bottom half. Miner bees are ground nesting bees. Each one of those tunnels is a… Continue reading What’s That? May 14, 2024
What’s That? May 17, 2026
What’s the orange stuff growing on that log? It’s not the same as the orange mushrooms you sometimes see (Cantharellus). This is a slime mold called wolf’s milk (Lycogala, probably Lycogala epidendrum). I found this on a log one day last week. The next day, I happened to be walking along the same path. The… Continue reading What’s That? May 17, 2026
What’s That? May 20, 2025
What are these purple and white spots on the goldenrod leaves? They are caused by a bug, a goldenrod gall midge called Asteromyia carbonifera. The bugs carry a fungus (Botryosphaeria dothidea) that protect their larvae from parasitoids. The female Asteromyia lay eggs and deposit the fungus along with the eggs on the goldenrod leaves. The… Continue reading What’s That? May 20, 2025
What’s That? May 26, 2026
What are those red and white circles on the maple leaves? The bright, colorful circles really stand out against the green leaves. They look like little bullseyes. These spots are a maple eyespot gall, caused by an ocellate gall midge (Acericecis ocellaris). The larvae develop in the leaves of maples in the spring. They use… Continue reading What’s That? May 26, 2026
What’s That? May 28, 2024
What’s going on with this hairy cat’s-ear? The stem is really thick and bent. The flower head is flattened and it looks like there’s more than one flower. I’ve never seen anything like that before, so I decided to look it up. This is called plant fasciation. It is a rare condition of abnormal growth… Continue reading What’s That? May 28, 2024
What’s That? May 6, 2024
What’s that? It looks like someone sprayed the blackberry plants with bright orange spray paint. Unfortunately, it isn’t paint. This is a fungal infection known as orange rust. It is two fungal species, Arthuriomyces peckianus and Gymnoconia nitens. Orange rust fungus infects the entire plant: the roots, crown and shoots. This fungus doesn’t usually kill… Continue reading What’s That? May 6, 2024
What’s That? November 25, 2025
What happened to that blackberry branch? The leaves are shriveled and curled up, and there’s white wax on the stem and leaves. This is damage from blackberry psyllid (Trioza tripunctata). Blackberry psyllids are bugs that look like small cicadas. They feed only on blackberry plants. They pierce the stem and suck out the sap. The… Continue reading What’s That? November 25, 2025
What’s That? October 2, 2025
What is that? It’s a fertile frond of a cutleaf grape fern (Sceptridium dissectum).