July 30, 2009 at 6:13 am07 (Uncategorized)
The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) visits flowers by day throughtout the eastern half of the US and Canada. Also known as the “Common Clearwing,” this moth sips nectar from flowers using its long feeding tube or proboscis, which rolls up when not in use. This species of moth belongs to the family Sphingidae – a group that incudes Hawk Moths, Sphinx Moths, and Hornworms. The family is distinguished by rapid and sustained flying ability – flying backwards, gliding side to side, or hovering in place. Some, like the moth in the photo above, are sometimes mistaken for Hummingbirds. The larvae or caterpillars of some species can be very destructive of garden flowers and vegetables.
Not all moths in this family are as large or noticeable as the Hummingbird Clearwing, but all lay their egs on a specific host plant. The Ash Sphinx, Elm Sphinx, Apple Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx, Wild Cherry Sphinx, and Pine Hawk moth are examples.
A Hummingbird Clearwing Moth sips nectar from flowers on a Buttefly Bush. Photo by Jean Williams Mattson of Townsend, MA
Leave a Comment
July 28, 2009 at 5:47 am07 (Uncategorized)
One species of Goldenrod is blooming this week.
There are many different species of Goldenrod, and this one, the Candada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) is starting to bloom in fields and waste places or land disturbed by heavy equipment. Where you find one you will probably find others because they spread by underground stems or runners. The thin, pointed leaves have toothed edges and lack leaf stalks. Note how the small yellow fower heads are arranged on only one side of the slightly curved and drooping branches at the top of the stem. To many people, Goldenrod is a sign of a waning summer, the begining of fall. However, this is only the last week in July.
Leave a Comment
July 26, 2009 at 5:52 am07 (Uncategorized)
The majenta-colored whorls of flowers on a Purple Loosestrife
This plant may look a bit all by itself in an overgrown pasture, but it won’t be by itself for long. The Purple Loosestrife (Lythrium salicaria) is one of the most prolifically spreading plants in open, disturbed sites with moist soil and shallow standing water. Look for it in drainage ditches, depressions in the median strips of highways, and areas adjacent to shopping mall parking lots where water runoff collects. Purple Loosestrife simply out-competes other (more valuable for wildlife) plants for space. Through seeds and an aggressive root system Loosestrife forms dense stands that crowd out cat-tails, reeds, and grasses that birds and other wildlife need for nesting and feeding. As a result, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife lists Purple Loosestrife as an invasive species. It is a difficult plant to eradicate.
Field identification: 2- 5 feet tall; stems 4 sided and hairy; leaves opposire or in whorls of three, narrow, and lance-shaped; spikes of numerous magenta flowers in whorled clusters; blooms July-September.
Leave a Comment
July 25, 2009 at 5:58 am07 (Uncategorized)
The hairy stems and wrinkled leaves of Boneset aid in identification.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is another summer and fall plant of moist and wet habitats. It grows from 2 to five feet tall. The leaves of Boneset are simple, opposite, lance-shaped, and toothed. They grow directly from the central stem of the plant with some of the opposing leaf bases so completely fused that he stem appeas to pierce through the double leaf. The plant stem is hairy. The leaves of Boneset are deeply veined and have a wrinkled appearance.
Boneset blooms from July to October. Its small, white chalky flowers for fuzzy, flat-topped clusters several inches across. The berb was named Boneset because its leaves were once used to make a bitter tea taken to treat “break-bone” or dengue fever.
Leave a Comment
July 23, 2009 at 1:55 pm07 (Uncategorized)
Joe-Pye Weed blooms in moist lowland thickets
We are tip-toeing this week on the edge of August. Already beginning to bloom are several plants that are so typical of the dog days month, including Joe-Pye Weed. Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) is a herbaceous perrenial natve to the eastern and northern United States. It grows 5 to 7 feet high in clumps 2-4 feet wide. Joe Pye Weed blooms July – September in low, moist ground, wet meadows, and thickets. It has coarsely toothed, lance-shaped dark green leaves growing in whorls of three to four on short green stalks that clasp the stem with purplish leaf nodes. The stem is smooth and deep purple or purple-spotted. The flowers are tiny, vanilla-scented, and pinkish purple, developing in a large, terminal, flat-topped cluster. Joe-Pye Weed flowers are very attractive to butterflies. Many people regard Joe-Pye weed as just another roadside plant (look for it growing in swales and ditches along highway ramps) but it makes an attractive border plant.
Leave a Comment
July 21, 2009 at 3:47 pm07 (Uncategorized)
The Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly (Speyeria cybele) is one of the larger butterflies in our neighborhood, growing from 2 1/2 to 4 inches wide. Adult butterflies seek nectar from Milkweed, Thistles, Ironweed, Mountain Laurel, Vetch, Bergamot (Monarda), Red Clover, Joe-Pye Weed, Black-Eyed Susan, and Purple Cone-Flowers. It is a butterfly of open, moist fields, pastures, and meadows. It also flies very fast. Every time I see it, by the time I get my camera out of the bag, it is gone.
The female is darker than the male. Eggs are laid in late summer on a very specific host plant, the violet. The newly hatched caterpillars do not feed but overwinter until the next spring. Then they feed on the young violet leaves. The Great Spangled Fritillary produces only one brood from mid June to mid September.
In this photo the Great Spangled Fritillary may be attracted to the Monarda flowers in the foundation bed.
Photo courtesy of Jean Williams Mattson, Townsend, MA
Leave a Comment
July 15, 2009 at 5:40 am07 (Uncategorized)
Meadowsweet grows in wet meadows
Meadowsweet (Spirea alba) grows to about two to six feet high in moist fields and other wet places. The oval, pointed leaves are alternate on the stem and have coarsely toothed margins. The white or pale pink flowers are arranged in a pyramid-like cluster that is taller than it is wide. Meadowsweet has no odor, despite its name. The stem is smooth and reddish to purple-brown. It may easily be overlooked on a walk as more attractive plants get your attention.
Leave a Comment
July 14, 2009 at 5:45 am07 (Uncategorized)
A potted Fragrant Water Lily is ideal for a water garden
This particular variety of water lily, the Fragrant Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata), is native to Eastern North America and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. It is a good choice for cultivation in shallow containers set deep in hand-dug or artificial ponds. It thrives in mucky or sandy bottoms. In the wild, beaver, moose, muskrat and deer eat water lily leaves and roots. Ducks and other waterfowl eat the seeds. Largemouth bass, sunfish, and frogs use the large round leaves for cover.
1 Comment
July 13, 2009 at 6:12 am07 (Uncategorized)
Nodding flowerheads of the Milkweed in July
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) grows along roadsides and dry fields. It can reach three to six feet in height. The Milkweed’s broad, oval leaves are covered with a grayish fuzz on the underside. The flowers form spherical clusters at the top of the plant and near the uppermost leaves on the stem. The flowers can be rose, lavender, pink or purple colored. Most people recognize Milkweed by its gray-green, pointed seed pods, which can be four inches long.
The Milkweed is an ecologically important plant, serving as a host plant for many butterfly species, including the Monarch, both Tiger Swallowtail and Black Swallowtail, Painted Lady, American Lady, Red Admiral, Great Spangled Fritillary, and Hairstreak. The Milkweed is both source of nectar and site for egg-laying. Milkweed also attracts Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Hummingbird Clearwing Moths. This seemingly ordinary plant plays an important role in the lives of many species of living things.
2 Comments
July 12, 2009 at 5:51 am07 (Uncategorized)
A familiar plant along roadsides in July
The Yellow Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), perhaps better known as Butter and Eggs, is another wildflower of dry fields, waste places, gravelly areas, and roadsides. It can grow from one to three feet tall. The narrow-leaved plant has snapdragon-like flowers in two shades of yellow. These flowers grow in long spikes. Because the flower is largely closed by the fused petals forming its underlip, the Toadflax needs strong insects to push insde to pollinate it. Bees and Bumblebees typically do the job. This is one wildflower that can be successfully cut and placed in a vase with water.
Leave a Comment
