A Busy Week in the Woods

Welcome to the latest entry in my "Year in the Woods" series, where I document all the native plants I can find.

I'll start out this week with Arrowleaf (Peltandra virginica). This is a new find for me, although it's probably been here all along. That's the blossom in the second picture.

 

I was surprised to find I had no prior record of this lovely little flower. It's called Venus' Looking-Glass (Triodanis perfoliata) and with a name like that I'm pleased to have identified it! Didn't even notice the cute little beetle when I was taking the photo.



This showy shrub grows in marshy areas, and this year I finally got up the nerve to brave the tall brush and get close enough for a photo. It's Viburnum dentatum.



Here is Itea virginica, which is another possible candidate for your home landscape. Can you find the baby grasshopper?

Here's Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens) which has dime-sized leaves and grows along the ground. As we saw in an earlier post, it forms bright red berries in fall which may persist into early spring.

This common flower is Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) UPDATE 5/21: I now believe this is something in the Symphyotrichum genus. We also have a lavender version that appears to be the same or similar species (second photo below).

Next we have Pencil Flower (Stylosanthes biflora).

Now for the bonus sightings! Here's a momma Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta), laying her eggs. 

And finally, a sweet little damselfly, sipping on the morning dew.

To see additional posts in this series, click the "yearinthewoods" label in the left column.

Here's a description of my wildflower "hunting" techniques and the references I use to identify them:
http://timberwalkers.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-to-find-native-wildflowers-and.html

Here's a description of how I take photos:
http://timberwalkers.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-take-half-decent-photos-of.html