We’re getting into the summer flowers as June approaches. It will be another busy month for new blooms. These are the top 5 flowers that I saw in June last year. Don’t forget to check the June Flower page to see even more flowers that will be blooming next month.
Blogs
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
Nice Catch!
I always enjoy watching the Great Blue Herons in the retention ponds. They are such beautiful birds! Yesterday, I stopped to watch a heron standing along the edge of one of the ponds. It was still for quite a while, and then it jumped! I thought it was about to fly away, but it stuck… Continue reading Nice Catch!
Field Report- May 22, 2024
It seems like every day there is something new blooming along the trails. Over the last two weeks, I have seen: orange jewelweed, rabbitfoot clover, asiatic dayflower, pokeweed, Carolina false dandelion, southern rockbell, black-eyed Susan, prickly pear cactus, silky dogwood, goldenmane tickseed, American persimmon, narrowleaf skullcap, butterfly milkweed, lizard’s-tail and leopard’s bane. I even saw… Continue reading Field Report- May 22, 2024
Luna Moths
Be on the lookout for beautiful Luna moths in late May and early June. Luna moths spend just one week as an adult butterfly. They typically fly at night. I’ve had luck seeing them in the morning on cloudy days. Luna moths have three broods in North Carolina, each 8-10 weeks apart. They can be… Continue reading Luna Moths
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?
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
Field Report- May 8, 2024
Have you been distracted by the cicadas? Don’t forget to look at the plants! In the last week the new blooms I have seen are: narrow-leaf evening primrose, Carolina rose, Carolina horse-nettle, Queen Anne’s lace, musk thistle, winter vetch, lanceleaf coreopsis, daisy fleabane, southern magnolia, delphinium, yellow flag iris, slender blue iris, creeping lespedeza, hemp… Continue reading Field Report- May 8, 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
Cicada Brood XIX Molting
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