Top Photo: Fatsia Japonica growing on Dinosaur Trail, Museum of Life and Science. Our two late fall and winter blooming plants on the Dinosaur Trail are flowering, Fatsia and Mahonia. Neither are native plants but have been planted on the trail as examples, or at least relatives, of plants that were common at the time dinosaurs may have populated the area. There are also ginkgo trees and several palms along the way. On mild winter days you may see honeyRead more
Posts filed in: Insects
Grass, Passerines, Ducks, Hyla, Fungi, and Mammals (lemurs, red wolves, and w-t deer)
Top Photo: Grasses blow in the cool wind from the floating walkway in the wetlands in Explore the Wild. Seed production and dispersal is part of fall. The seed produced by the grasses in the wetlands will carry far and wide with the help of the wind. As of November 20, there were still a few green tree frogs hanging on in Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild. They were juveniles. Alder blooms in February. The male catkins andRead more
Marbled Arachnid
Top Photo: Marbled orb-weaver negotiates the forest leaf litter. Marbled orb-weavers (Araneus marmoreous) are striking spiders. Large bright yellow or orange abdomens with hieroglyphic-like markings set it apart from the other orb-weavers out and about in the Piedmont at this time of year. They’re one of the most easily identifiable and latest, in terms of seasonality, spiders out there. I typically come across one per fall season here at the museum. Today, I saw two. Like other orb weavers theseRead more
An Aster, a Skipper, a Lady, and a Shrew!
Top Photo: Purple aster at the Butterfly House Garden. Purple aster is a late bloomer. As such, it attracts many late season insects to its nectar like the common checked skipper pictured here. In our area, this skipper may occasionally be seen as late as December, but certainly into mid November. As I walked into Catch the Wind, I noticed a group of about eight people smiling and laughing as they stared down at the ground near the base ofRead more
October Awakenings
Top Photo: Mating common snapping turtles in the spring create hatchlings for the fall (see below). Snapping turtles have a rough and tumble mating season. The choosing and sorting out of mating partners can be rather violent. But for snapping turtles it’s a necessary part of the process which occurs each spring and summer. Rest comes next for the big males. Snapping turtles leave the water infrequently and for only a very few good reasons (a basking snapping turtle isRead more
Monarch Migrants
Top Photo: Migrant monarch butterfly lays egg on one of the last remaining leaves of common milkweed in the Butterfly House Garden. It’s September and monarch butterflies are moving through. In fact, September through early October is peak time for the long distance migrants to cut across our state. Sure, you’d see many more if you were in the mountains or along the coast due to the concentration factor. A combination of geographic features (physical barriers) and regional wind conditionsRead more
Stinkhorn and Flies
Top Photo: Fruit flies feed upon the sporogenous gleba of a Ravenel’s stinkhorn on the Dinosaur Trail. While gazing down at the Ravenel’s stinkhorn next to the Alamosaurus on the back side of the Dinosaur Trail, I noticed one large fly, a flesh fly, and many more much smaller Diptera (about 2mm in length). The little flies had red eyes and looked to be fruit flies. The first thing that came to mind was indeed, fruit fly. But I couldn’tRead more
Approaching Fall
Top Photo: Larva of larger elm leaf beetle skeletonizing elm leaf in Catch the Wind. We’re fast approaching fall. It has cooled some but not overwhelmingly so. There’s been a break in the barrage of high 90 degree days and stifling humidity. The tropical heat and humidity are temporarily on hold. But a break, no matter how small or short-lived, is a break. You can feel a difference. I’m mostly happy with it. So, here are a group of animals,Read more
MidSummer Sights
Top Photo: Eastern tiger swallowtail nectars on joe-pye-weed (native) in the Butterfly House Garden. As summer creeps along, insects like the swallowtail above are busy feeding, constructing hives and webs, or reproducing. Mentioned in a previous post, orange-striped oak worms are now in their final instar (stage of caterpillar development) before they crawl off to find suitable pupation sites. I found some of their eggs a few weeks ago and share them with you here. In their quest for pupationRead more