Solstice shadow
Leave a reply
Author Archives: David George Haskell
Garlic harvest
I harvest when the leaves are just starting to turn yellow, a week or two before the books tell me to. In our hot humid weather, late-pulled garlic tends to acquire patches of rot. These are a hardneck variety of garlic that I'll set out to dry for a few weeks.
Treefrogs in amplexus
The heavy rains have brought amorous Cope’s gray tree frogs to the garden. It seems that embracing pairs of tree frogs are everywhere.
In the trees...
...in the water...
... and on land.
Their camouflage can be impressive. These frogs change the color of the skin to match their background.
A previous post describes their eggs and calls. This morning there were about fifty small rafts of eggs on a pond that is a little over a meter across.
Tree swallows mobbing hawk
A liberal interpretation of the uses of a “bird box.” This immature red-shouldered hawk was driving the tree swallows crazy. At least four swallows were dive-bombing the hawk.
Tree swallow is visible in front of the horse's shoulder.
Eventually, the hawk flew, leaving the swallows to inspect their box.
Roadside plants (along the Sherwood Rd)
Polymnia -- "leafcup". A biennial, meaning that it takes two years to complete its life-cycle. Flowers form on two-year-old plants. This flower has a stripe-legged insect cavorting across its margin.
Daucus carota -- "Queen Ann's lace." Also note the killer hemipteran.
Ruellia carolinensis -- "Carolina wild petunia." Not a true petunia at all, but the name has stuck.
Clymene moth
Haploa clymene. This species of moth is often active in the day. Its host plants include trees (oaks, willows) and various herbs (Eupatorium).
Northern Pearly-eye
Northern pearly-eye
I was lucky to get this photo. Pearly-eyes usually fly away when approached too closely. Note the black bases to the clubs at the end of the antennae — this distinguishes the Northern from the Southern pearly-eye.
Mystery pearl-eye?
And the antennae on this individual seem ambiguous. They are mostly yellow (as in Southern), but have a slight tinge of dark (as in Northern). Hmm.
Goldenseal in fruit
I came across several huge patches of goldenseal while walking among the limestone outcrops on the lower mountain slopes near Sherwood. This species is heavily harvested for the herbal medicine trade, so these large clusters are uncommon. The location will remain undisclosed…
The two large, palmate leaves of goldenseal, with fruit held between them
The fruit is a cluster of small red berries
Snapping turtle eyes
This is the month for egg-laying turtles. A common snapping turtle was trying to dig herself a nest at the side of Lake Cheston yesterday.
Nest-digging snapping turtle
Snapping turtles usually scurry away at the first sign of an approaching human. But this one stayed still as I passed, giving me a look at her remarkable eyes.
Striped iris of a female snapping turtle
Egg shell fragments
These shell fragments were lying in the vegetable garden this morning. Their turquoise color and small size makes me suspect that they came from a catbird nest rather than a robin. Junebug ate them before more serious investigation could be completed.
David George Haskell 