Kate and I moved onto this woodlot on a sunny April day almost fifteen years ago. On at least 80 percent of the days since, we have walked some portion of the property on an ever growing trail network. Drop either of us on any trail on any moonless night, and a bet against us making it home in 30 minutes would be a bet lost. In the winter, when the ticks and chiggers and poison ivy are sleeping, we venture far off trail in search of adventure and treasures. We have found both, and here are a few examples of the latter.
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| A shed antler, old bottles, a hawk skull and an arrowhead. |
And yet, this little project of mine to identify all the wildflowers has reminded me of how much more there is to discover. I'm still finding plants I've never seen, and have also taken the smallest of first steps at cataloging some of the other creatures that live here. I'm beginning to take notice of butterflies, for example, and the diversity I'm seeing astonishes me. My eyes seem to be opening wider and wider.
In this week's report, there's very little excitement in the plant category. Our first plant is the very common Hawkweed, Hieracium gronovii.
This tiny blossom is on Buttonweed, a.k.a. Poorjoe (Diodia teres). We have so much of this I once again assumed it was a non-native.
Next we have a shrub known as Winged Sumac, Rhus copallinum.
There are several lespedeza species which are common in the NC woods, at least a couple of which were introduced with the misguided intention of enhancing wildlife habitat. Turns out, our native woodland plants do a perfectly fine job of providing food, cover and other necessities for our wildlife. It's almost like they were meant for each other. Here is Lespedeza virginica, one of our homegrown types.
Somehow I missed the flowering stage of Virginia Creeper, but the green berries on red stems make for a nice post-bloom display. This vine with five leaflets is commonplace on the forest floor and, if I'm not mistaken, the walls of certain overrated schools in the northeast.
Three new butterflies in the weekly "bonus sightings".
This one is common, but I don't know the name. We usually see this setting on the trunk of a tree where it is perfectly camouflaged. [Update: This is the Tulip Tree Beauty]
Eastern Comma Butterfly
Spicebush Swallowtail on Butterflyweed.
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:
Here's a description of how I take photos:
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