I saw a new flower this week. This is broadleaf pink purslane (Portulaca amilis). The flower petals only open on sunny days. I’ve walked by this spot probably twenty times recently, but it’s always been just as the sun is rising. I changed the routine by going a little later in the day, and was… Continue reading A Change in the Routine Brings a Surprise
Blogs
A Little Heartache on the Shiloh Greenway
Maybe I’m selfish, but I just hate to see the trails like this. I’m thinking of all the animals that will need to find a new home. I’m thinking of the plants that are being crushed under the logs and trucks. I’m wondering which plants will grow, and which plants will not come back now… Continue reading A Little Heartache on the Shiloh Greenway
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
Field Report- July 7, 2025
What’s blooming on the trails in early July? In the wet areas, you can find buttonbush, water-hemlock, swamp rose-mallow, smooth rose-mallow, cattails, arrowheads, creeping water primrose and climbing hempvine. In the open fields, you can see pineywoods goldenrod, alternate-leaved seedbox, rough sunflower, swamp sunflower, winged sumac, poor-joe, roundleaf eupatorium, slender mountain-mint, rattlesnake master, bitterweed, common… Continue reading Field Report- July 7, 2025
Slime Mold
Have you ever seen slime mold? This one is Fuligo septica. Its common names include dog vomit slime mold and scrambled egg slime mold. At first the mold is bright yellow. As it matures, it turns brown or black. I found this one at the edge of the woods. I’ve seen it several times growing… Continue reading Slime Mold
Box Turtles
Have you seen any box turtles (Terrapene carolina) this summer? I’ve seen three box turtles just in the last week, so I decided it would be a good time to learn a little bit more about them. Box turtles move very slowly. Their territory is usually under two acres and they have a very strong… Continue reading Box Turtles
What Flowers Will Bloom Next Month? July 2025
The sunflowers, beebalms and goldenrods will start to bloom in July. See if you can find clematis, scarlet rose mallow, winged sumac, Virginia dayflower, Maryland senna and New York ironweed this month. Some of these flowers have started to bloom early with the warmer than average temperatures we’ve been having. Don’t forget to check the… Continue reading What Flowers Will Bloom Next Month? July 2025
Bug Encounters- June 2025
When I’m out taking pictures of flowers, I often find interesting bugs on the plants. Bugs are tricky to photograph because they move, and very often they are tiny! These are some of the bugs that I’ve seen over the last week. Many of them I’ve never seen before. I tried to identify them as… Continue reading Bug Encounters- June 2025
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
Quiet Nature- June 16, 2025
Enjoy some quiet nature today with a green tree frog (Hyla cinerea). They are everywhere right now, if you look carefully.