I don’t know much about dragonflies but I think this one might be a male chalk-fronted corporal (Ladona julia) dragonfly. From what I’ve read he is a skimmer and gets his name from the two chalky “Corporal’s bars” behind his head, which actually are a Captain’s insignia, not a Corporals. Anyhow, he was sunning himself on a dead cattail leaf near a pond when I met him. I noticed that he had a very hairy back, which I’ve never seen on a dragonfly before. He wouldn’t let me get very close so I had to use the bigger Canon SX-40 with its zoom lens.
I was looking for cones on a northern white cedar one evening and found this beautiful white moth on one of the branches. It was getting late and the light was poor but I was able to get enough detail to make an identification. I’m fairly certain that it’s a pale beauty moth (campaea perlata) but if I’m wrong I hope someone will let me know. Whatever its name it was a beautiful thing.
I remembered that I wasn’t checking the white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) for moths; I came for the cones, each of which has dark, indigo blue tips when they’re young.
Here is a closer look at the pencil eraser size cedar cones with their blue tips. Whenever I see something like this I’m always curious why the plant would expend so much extra energy turning part of itself blue. Doing so must benefit the tree in some way. Or maybe it doesn’t take a lot of extra energy.
This tree has an interesting history; Native Americans showed 16th century French explorer Jacques Cartier how to cure scurvy with the leaves of it and he was so impressed that he named it Arborvitae, which is Latin for Tree of Life. He also had trees with him when he returned to Europe, so Thuja occidentalis became the first North American tree to be introduced there.
English plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is blooming. The shape of the flower head is called ovoid. Each tiny (4mm) flower has a yellowish, pointed bract that is a little hard to see and will produce 2 seeds if pollinated. It is also called ribwort and narrow leaf plantain because of its basal growth of narrow, ribbed leaves. It is found in England and Europe and was brought over by early settlers because of its many medicinal uses. Native Americans called it “White man’s foot” because it grew along foot paths used by the settlers. It is considered an invasive weed these days but I like its unusual flower heads so I don’t mind seeing it blooming in my lawn. This one had a little blue on it, which I’ve never seen before.
Grasses are flowering too, and it’s a splendid show that many people miss. I think this one is orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata,) which is a cool season, high quality pasture grass with good drought tolerance. It comes from western and central Europe and has been grown in the US for over 200 years.
Orchard grass seed heads are composed of spikelets that bear two to eight flowers which dangle from thin filaments (pedicels) and shimmer in the breeze. According to the book Grasses: An Identification Guide by Lauren Brown, George Washington loved orchard grass so much so that he wrote “Orchard grass of all others is in my opinion the best mixture with clover; it blooms precisely at the same time, rises quick again after cutting, stands thick, yields well, and both cattle and horses are fond of it green or in hay.”
Porcupine sedge (Carex hystericina) is also flowering. The tiny wispy white bits at the ends of the pointy “prickles” are its flowers. It’s easy to see how this sedge got its common name. Another is bottlebrush sedge, which also fits. This plant loves to grow near water and that’s where I always find it. Waterfowl, game birds and songbirds feed on sedge seeds and the sedge wren builds its nest and hunts for insects in wetlands that are dominated by sedges.
I was kneeling to take a photo of a toadflax blossom and looked over my shoulder to see this turtle laying eggs in a mown grassy area. I’m not great with reptile identification but I think she’s an eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta.) She was quite far from water and it didn’t seem to me like she had made a very good choice in nest sites what with lawn mowers running over it weekly, but the soil was sandy and easy to dig in and I’m sure she knows more about egg placement than I do.
She didn’t care for posing and was tucked up into her shell as far as it would allow, so I took a couple of quick shots and let her be. Nest preparation can be exhausting work for a turtle.
She had a strange wart like growth on the rear of her shell. Many of the turtles I see seem to have something wrong with their shells.
What the good folks at bug guide.net think might be a Muscoidea fly in the genus Anthomyia stopped in to see what I was doing one day. He was very hairy and I told him so. I don’t think he cared much for my opinion though, because he flew away. These flies can cause significant damage to crops because of the way their larva invade the stems and roots of some plants like onions. They are not at all garden friendly.
The folks at Bug guide.net tell me that this is a soldier beetle called Rhaxonycha Carolina or Atalantycha neglecta. They can’t tell which because of the poor quality of the photo, I presume. Both beetles have what looks like a fur collar. He was on my windshield and the “sun” he is crawling toward is the reflection of the camera’s flash. Soldier beetle larvae feed on the eggs and larvae of beetles, grasshoppers, moths and other insects, and adult soldier beetles feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects, so they’re a good insect to have in the garden. They are attracted to plants like marigold and goldenrod.
Seeing this foamy “snake spit” on plants immediately takes me back to my childhood, because that’s what we called it when I was a boy. Of course it’s really the protective foam used by spittle bug nymphs and has nothing to do with snakes. The nymphs use it to make themselves invisible to predators and to keep themselves from drying out. They make the foamy mass by dining on plant sap and secreting a watery liquid which they whip up with air to create the froth. This example was on a yarrow stem.
Since I started with a dragonfly I’ll end with what I thought was a common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) until I found out that they live in Europe. Now I’m not sure what it is, other than a blue damselfly. I wish the background was less busy so you could see its wings better, but beggars can’t be choosers and I was lucky to have it pose at all. If you know its name I’d love to hear from you.
One should pay attention to even the smallest crawling creature for these too may have a valuable lesson to teach us. Black Elk
Thanks for coming by
Been away and WP posts piled up; taking a while to catch up. 😦 I miss the beauty revealed in your postings, not to mention the interesting info that accompanies the photos.
Thank you Ben. There’s no hurry. These posts aren’t going anywhere, so take all the time you need.
I always wondered what that snake spit was!
I love the dragonfly pictures, they are usually too quick for me, and that moth is beautiful and well named. In England we call the spittle bug foam cuckoo spit. Maybe it’s because we don’t really have any snakes here.
Thanks! Dragonflies are quick but they will often land in the same spot over and over, so you just have to wait for them.
I’ve heard of cuckoo spit, but I didn’t know it was called that because you didn’t have snakes.
I love the quote and the reminder to gardeners that not all beetles and crawlies are a danger to our plants. Amelia
I agree, there are many beneficial insects out there!
I love dragonflies and damselflies. The porcupine sedge is also really nice, I wonder if it’s used ornamentally.
That’s a good question. I’ve never seen it in a garden setting but there are an awful lot of gardens that I’ve never seen.
I have been following your blog for a couple years now i think and not only have i learned a great deal about our natives plants and animals here in nh i cant wait till i see the next post! I like u have a passionate love for our earth and especially here in nh, the wild plants amaze me, i have been studying them now for 7 years on my own. I would LOVE to go on a walk with you some day ! Please let me know when and if u do a tour!
Have a fabulous flower day
Katrina
Thank you Katrina, I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying the blog and also glad to hear that you’ve been studying nature. If only all of us would; this world would be a very different place.
I don’t really do tours but I’d be happy to show you some of my favorite places here in the Keene area if you’re ever down this way. There’s an incredible amount of nature to see here!
Wonderful! I will have to go and look at our Ribwort to see if I can see any blue – it really looks lovely; almost a metallic blue. My plants are covered in what we call Cuckoo Spit! The Leafhopper larvae make the foam at the same time as cuckoos are calling – or would be if we still had them here! You are right about grasses – they are taken for granted but are so beautiful!
Thank you Clare. I’m going to have to look closer at that plantain too. I’m wondering if the blue is common and I’ve just never seen it or if it’s only on certain plants.
I’ve never heard the term cuckoo spit used for the leafhopper foam, but why not? It’s no stranger than snake spit!
I love looking for grasses when they’re flowering and hope others will too. I agree, they really can be beautiful.
I find grasses very difficult to ID but they fascinate me nevertheless. I’ll work them out one day!
I agree, they can be very hard to identify.
I’m with Jerry, this was a great post. I loved the moth photo even if it wasn’t your main target. The cones were amazing too, Like you I often wonder what benefit some of things that you see in plants bring them but perhaps they don’;t bring any benefit but just happened at some stage and stuck. Then the turtle was a treat as well.
Thank you. That really was a pretty moth and I was surprised to see it. Its caterpillars feed on many different trees but not cedar, so I’m not sure what it was doing there.
You could be right about certain colors and shapes not benefiting plants. I’m sure there must be scientists somewhere trying to figure it out!
I’m glad you liked the turtle.
It was an unusual view.
Interesting, as always! You did a super job with the photos of the grass, and I really loved the photo of the turtle all tucked into its shell!
Thanks Montucky. I always look for flowering grasses to show here because so many people miss them.
That turtle couldn’t have pulled back into that shell any farther than that!
In a long line of really great posts, I think that this one is one of your best! Even the quote goes so well with it, and is so true.
I’m no turtle expert, but if I remember correctly, turtles look for exacting soil conditions. Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, and the eggs won’t hatch. That’s one reason that they don’t bury the eggs nearer to water, the soil is too damp. What scientists can’t figure out is how the young know where the water is when they hatch, as they almost always go straight towards water when they do hatch.
I’ve never seen an English plantain with blue on it like the one you found, and I was shooting photos of the flowers this past week. I’d say that I also shot the same species of fly, but the feet don’t match the one that didn’t care for your opinion.
I haven’t been seeing many dragonflies or damsel flies around here yet, maybe because it’s been cool and damp on many days.
Maybe some one who is into insects can come up with with something like Cornell University just released, it IDs birds from your photos. The better the photo, the better it does with the identifications. But, it’s pretty cool, you upload a photo, draw a box around the bird, click on the end of its bill, its eye, and the tip of its tail, and the app spits out a list of possible birds if the photo is poor, an exact match with a good photo.
Thanks Jerry! I’ve heard that about turtles too. There are so many mysteries out there!
I’ve never seen an English plantain with blue either, but there has to be more than one. I wonder if it’s some kind of natural mutation.
The bird ID software sounds amazing! I wish they would do one for insects, and maybe plants too!
Enjoyed. I figure they don’t know what they are, so why should I?
That’s true, but I have a lot of curiosity and always have had.
Great shots, as always! I’m wondering if that “wart” on the turtle shell might be a leech. I’ve see leeches on turtles, usually on flesh, but I have seen them attached to the shell on occasion. I’ve also seen leeches “scrunch up” when they are out of the water, so one might look more like a wart than a leech.
Thanks Al! You could be right. I don’t have any experience with leeches and by some miracle have never had one on me, which is hard for even me to believe. The “wart” in the photo looks spherical but you can only see one side of it so just about anything could be going on on the other side. I didn’t want to bother the mother turtle so I didn’t look things over very carefully.
Next time you see a wart on a turtle shell, give it a poke. If it’s a leech, it ought to react, or at least you might notice whether it’s hard or soft.
I’ll do that!
Your posts are always exciting to me because I love all things alive. Well, maybe not the tent caterpillars that are on my shrubs, but at least they’re easy to spot and remove. I am in love with dragonflies and have seen many different large, dark blue, black with yellow bands and one that was all black with black wings. It was here for 2 days and then was gone.
Thank you for your educational, informative and newsy, friendly topics.
You’re welcome, and thank you Leslie. I know what you mean about the tent caterpillars, though they do have their place in the grand scheme of things. I’m glad you’re seeing plenty of dragonflies, I haven’t seen many at all. I haven’t seen that many butterflies yet either, but I hope to soon. I’m glad that you enjoy the blog!
I was planning to sketch the plantain and the cones you’re showing but instead worked on a hosta (come see it on my blog – is it a big blue hosta? and do you have them where you are?). It is so nice to see you photograph, name and describe things I see where I am but did not know the names of. You’ve really made me enjoy what I see all the more knowing I can come here and find it at the same time it’s in bloom or in season right here in PA, too.
I’m glad to hear that you’re getting some good use out of this blog because that’s what it’s here for.
I can’t tell which hosta the blossoms that you sketched came from but I love your sketches and watercolors. Yes we have hosta here and I have over 200 in my own yard. They’re so easy to grow.
Thanks!
Love the painted turtle shots! My daughter found one with 3 legs when she was home in May. It seemed quite old and the missing limb was obviously a very old wound as it was well healed and didn’t seem to bother the beast. I would have thought it might constantly go in circles due to its disability but it seemed just fine.
Thanks Martha! I wonder if a snapping turtle took the leg of the painted turtle. I don’t really know if turtles eat turtles. I’m glad it was still able to swim with a missing leg!
The damselfly is a female Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis). Thanks for all your postings.
You’re welcome Roger and thank you for the Identification. I’ll update this post when I have a little more time.
Thank you!
Sent from my iPad
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You’re welcome!
It should come as no surprise, Allen, that I love your dragonfly shot of a species that we don’t have in Virginia. I wish I could help you with the damselfly identification, but there are so many black and blue damselflies and I have trouble distinguishing among them.
Thanks Mike. Interesting that you don’t see the chalk front corporal. It must not like the heat. Right now it’s the only dragonfly I’m seeing here.
I know what you mean about blue damselflies but I didn’t until I tried to identify this one!
nice!!!
Thank you.
welcome!!!
why my wordpress has rainbow on top???
I don’t know, I wondered that too.
I have seen more turtles this year! One painted turtle I saw was huge. The shell was at least 12″ (the long way) I had to look twice, usually when I see a turtle that large, it is a snapper! Glad all of these critters posed long enough for you to photograph them, even if they don’t give a hoot about your opinions!
That is a big turtle! I’m glad it reached what must have been old age.
No, none of these critters seemed to care what I thought but it was fun seeing them just the same!
The damsel fly may be a northern bluet. Here is a link to a site with info for dragonflies and damselflies.
http://www.cirrusimage.com/odonata.htm
Thanks Grampy. That does look like this one but I’m wondering why the black spot at the end of the body is in a different place on the two. I’m not sure if that’s an important identifying feature or not.
Plenty to take in here, I liked the cedar cones with their blue tips.
Thank you Susan, I’m glad you liked them.