May 28 2016
Striped Prince’s Pine or Spotted Wintergreen [Chimaphila maculata] found near mile marker 437 on the Blue Ridge Parkway on 25 July 2013 and in Travelers Rest, SC on 28 May 2016. It’s a member of the Shinleaf (Pyrolaceae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 284-285, says it blooms in summer in dry woods. Timothy P. Spira’s …
May 21 2016
Japanese Honeysuckle [Lonicera japonica] found at Fletcher Park on 21 April 2016. It’s a member of the Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae) family and Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 108-109 states that it’s a vine that blooms in late spring to fall on road-sides and in thickets and it is “an introduced weed, smothering out other plants by its …
May 20 2016
This photo of a House Centipede [Scutigera coleoptrata] taken in Asheville, North Carolina on 20 May 2016. It doesn’t have 100 legs, but 30 (15-pair). According to multiple sources, it originates from the Mediterranean region, but is now found worldwide, and it feeds on other insects. However beneficial it may be, it is still considered to …
May 16 2016
Pink Lady’s Slippers [Cypripedium acaule] found on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway in South Asheville on 16 May 2016. USDA Plants Listing: Cypripedium acaule
May 14 2016
Dwarf Larkspur [Delphinium tricorne] photos were taken on the Appalachian Trail (AT), between US 19E and Doll Flats, near Roan Mountain, Tennessee, on 14 May 2016. It’s the member of the Buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family. Wildflowers of North Carolina, page 61, states, “This poisonous native perennial is infrequent, though often occuring in large colonies, in the …
May 01 2016
Bush Pea or Aaron’s Rod[Thermopsis villosa] found at WNC Nature Center on 30 April 2016 and on Givens Estates on 1 May 2016. It’s a member of the Pea (Fabaceae or Leguminosae) family. Wild Flowers of North Carolina, page 99, states that it is “a close relative ot the Baptisia,” and they “grow in clearings …
Apr 30 2016
This appears to be a Golden Banded-Skipper Butterfly [Autochton cellus] photographed at the Western North Carolina Nature Center, on the Trillium Trail, on 30 April 2016. The Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths, pages 74-75, states that it’s “generally uncommon and unusually sluggish.” Butterflies and Moths of North America: Autochton cellus
Apr 30 2016
Cleavers or Stickwilly [Galium aparine] found at WNC Nature Center on 30 April 2016. It’s a member of the Madder (Rubiaceae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 152-53, describes it as “a sprawling, prickly plant of woods, thickets, and shores,” blooming in late Spring or early summer. USDA Plants Listing: Galium aparine
Apr 30 2016
Carolina Geranium or Carolina Cranesbill [Geranium carolinianum] found on Singletree Road on 19 May 2013 and at the Western North Carolina Nature Center on 30 April 2016, which is a member of the Geranium (Geraniaceae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 280-281, says it can be found in rocky woods and fields. USDA Plants Listing: Geranium …
Apr 28 2016
Common Sow Thistle or Annual Sowthistle [Sonchus oleraceus] found at Ridgefield Court in Asheville on 28 April 2016. It’s a member of the Aster (Asteraceae) family. Weeds of the South, page 106, states it blooms in cultivated and disturbed areas. USDA Plants Listing: Sonchus oleraceus
