Home at Troy Hill – 7 January 2017
Nov 06 2016
Along Sweeten Creek
Along Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville, North Carolina on 6 November 2016
Oct 03 2016
Broad-winged Katydid
Broad-winged Katydid [Microcentrum rhombifolium] on 3 October 2016. The NWF Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, page 97 says this insect “eats leaves in the crowns of deciduous trees and shrubs in wooded areas, parks, and neighborhoods.”
Oct 02 2016
Fine-leaved or Bitter Sneezeweed
Fine-leaved or Bitter Sneezeweed [Helenium amarum] photos were taken at Fletcher Park on 2 October 2016. It’s the member of the Aster (Asteraceae or Compositae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 366-367, states it blooms in summer and fall and can be found in fields and on roadsides.
USDA Plants Listing: Helenium amarum
Sep 03 2016
Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly
A gathering of Eastern Tailed-Blue butterflies [Everes comyntas] found at Russian Chapel Hills Winery on 3 September 2016. The NWF Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, page 280 says “these are the only tailed blue butterfly in the eastern United States.”
Aug 27 2016
Large Milkweed Bug
Large Milkweed Bug [Oncopeltus fasciatus] on Common Milkweed [Asclepias syriaca] at Fletcher Park on 27 August 2016. The NWF Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, page 123 says this true bug’s “bright colors serve to warn predators of their bitter taste, which is a result of their diet.”
Aug 21 2016
Fungi on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, South Asheville
Fungi on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in South Asheville, North Carolina on 21 August 2016.
Jul 30 2016
Common Dodder or Love Vine
Common Dodder or Love Vine [Cuscuta gronovii] found near the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 437, Glassy Mine Overlook, along the roadsideon 30 July 2016. It’s a member of the Dodder (Cuscutaceae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 322-323, says it’s a parasitic plant, that “tightly twines around the stems of other plants and absorbs their sap through tiny suckers,” and that blooms in Summer and Fall. It’s also named Scaldweed on the USDA web site.
USDA Plants Listing: Cuscuta gronovii
Jul 17 2016
Great Golden Digger Wasp on Common Milkweed
Great Golden Digger Wasp [Sphex ichneumoneus] on Common Milkweed [Asclepias syriaca] atFletcher Park on 17 July 2016. The plant is a member of the Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 264-265, states it’s a “coarse plant of fields of fields and roadsides.” The NWF Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, page 362 says this digger wasp is solitary and is “active during summer in moist habitats with open shady, areas.”
USDA Plants Listing: Asclepias syriaca