I went for a walk around 9am today. I headed for the Shiloh greenway and was welcomed by the sound of the periodical cicadas! I posted about my first sighting earlier this week. I headed for the older trees to look for cicadas. I found a bunch of discarded shells on the trees, leaves and… Continue reading Cicada Brood XIX Molting
Author: Jaclyn
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Clearwing Moths
Have you ever seen any clearwing moths? There are two very common clearwing moths in North Carolina: the hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) and the snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis). I was fooled the first time I saw each of these moths. The hummingbird clearwing looks like a small hummingbird. From the back, it is green on… Continue reading Clearwing Moths
Cloudless Sulphur Butterflies
Have you seen pale yellow butterflies flying around the flowers this summer? Some of them could be cloudless sulphur butterflies (Phoebis sennae). When you are out walking in late summer, pay special attention to the common partridge pea plants. They are a host plant for cloudless sulphur caterpillars.
Consider Native Plants for Your Garden This Year
Are you getting ready to plant your garden? The average last spring freeze date for the Triangle area is April 8. The NC State Extension has data for the first and last frost dates for each county in North Carolina on their website here. When choosing plants for your garden, you might consider the effect… Continue reading Consider Native Plants for Your Garden This Year
Consumption Weed
I’ve had a couple of people ask me this week about the tall bushes with white feathers that seem to be everywhere right now. These bushes are consumption weed (Baccharis halimifolia). It goes by many other names including groundsel tree, silverling and sea myrtle. The feather-like flowers are the female flowers (shown above). The male… Continue reading Consumption Weed
Cranefly Orchids
Ever since I saw these leaves with purple bottoms years ago, I have been on the hunt to see cranefly orchid flowers in person! You’ll see their leaves in the woods in the winter or early spring. They are eye catching when they are upside down, displaying their purple color. But by the time summer… Continue reading Cranefly Orchids
Crossvine
What a stunning display of crossvine! This native vine usually grows up high in the trees where it can get a lot of sunlight, but this one is at eye level. You can find it on the Hatcher Creek Greenway today.
Daisy or Chamomile?
The fields are full of beautiful white, daisy-like flowers right now. You might think they are all the same, but look carefully! There are two different flowers out there: ox-eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) and chamomile (Anthemis). Both flowers are daisy-shaped. They both have many white petals and a bright yellow center. They both grow in… Continue reading Daisy or Chamomile?
Discovering Something New in the Ordinary Routine
I always get so excited when I find a new flower. I kind of expect to see new plants when I visit a new garden or a park. It’s especially exciting, though, when I see a different flower on the trail that I walk on almost every day. This week, I was lucky enough to… Continue reading Discovering Something New in the Ordinary Routine
Eastern Kingsnake
I’ve been seeing a lot of snakes this week. This is the first time I’ve seen an eastern kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula). It was on the Crabtree Creek Greenway at the railroad crossing. They are not harmful to humans or pets. Here’s a close up of its head: