Snow at Troy Hill – 7 January 2017

Home at Troy Hill – 7 January 2017

At Troy Hill – 7 January 2017

Rancho Palos Verdes – 9 December 2016

26

Along Sweeten Creek

Along Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville, North Carolina on 6 November 2016

Sweeten Creek Road – 6 Nov 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.”

Broad-winged Katydid on 3 October 2016

Broad-winged Katydid on 3 October 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

Fine-leaved Sneezeweed at Fletcher Park on 2 October 2016

Fine-leaved Sneezeweed at Fletcher Park on 2 October 2016

Fine-leaved Sneezeweed (zoom out) 2 October 2016

Fine-leaved Sneezeweed (zoom out) 2 October 2016

Fine-leaved sneezeweed (no petals) 2 October 2016

Fine-leaved sneezeweed (no petals) 2 October 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.”

Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterflies at Russian Chapel Hills Winery on 3 September 2016

Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterflies at Russian Chapel Hills Winery on 3 September 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.”

Large Milkweed Bug - 27 August 2016

Large Milkweed Bug – 27 August 2016

Large Milkweed Bug on Milkweed - 27 August 2016

Large Milkweed Bug on Milkweed – 27 August 2016

Large Milkweed Bug (closer) - 27 August 2016

Large Milkweed Bug (closer) – 27 August 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.  

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

Common Dodder - 30 July 2016

Common Dodder – 30 July 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

Great Golden Digger Wasp - 17 July 2016

Great Golden Digger Wasp – 17 July 2016

Common Milkweed with wasp - 17 July 2016

Common Milkweed with wasp – 17 July 2016

 

Common Milkweed - 17 July 2016

Common Milkweed – 17 July 2016