Two or three years ago I saw my first pale beauty moth and now I’m seeing them everywhere. Their wings and body are pale greenish to grayish white and the female, which I think this example is, is said to be much larger than the male. The caterpillars are said to feed on the leaves of 65 species of trees and shrubs including alder, ash, basswood, beech, birch, blueberry, cherry, fir, elm, hemlock, maple, oak, pine, poplar, rose, spruce, larch, and willow. They’re supposed to be nocturnal but I see them in daylight. Usually in the evening though, so maybe they come out early.
There are a lot of dragonflies about this year and for some reason many of them are on lawns. I’ve walked over lawns and had hundreds of them flying around me. I can’t think of another time I’ve seen this but it must be that they’re finding plenty of food on the lawns. Or something. This example of what I think is a female widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) was near a pond on a cattail leaf, but there are lawns nearby. There were light whitish spots outside the dark spots on the wings but I think the lighting hid them.
A black ant was so interested in something it found on a sarsaparilla leaf (Aralia nudicaulis) it let me get the camera very close. I couldn’t see what attracted its attention and can’t tell from the photo either, but it was rapt. I think it was a common black house ant. It didn’t seem big enough to be a carpenter ant.
While I was visiting with the ant a winter dark firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) flew down and joined us on the same sarsaparilla leaf. According to Bugguide.net, these fireflies can be a pest in sap buckets in the spring because they like maple sap, and they will also drink from wounds in maple trees. They like to sun themselves on the sunny side of trees or buildings, but this one seemed happy just being on a leaf. Most fireflies live as larvae in rotting wood and forest litter near water and stay in the area they were born in, even as adults. They like it warm and humid, so they must be happy right now. They don’t seem to be afraid of people at all; I’ve gotten quite close to them several times.
On a very windy day what I believe was a male calico pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) clung to the siding of a building. The light wasn’t right for dragonfly photography but I tried anyway and though it isn’t a great shot you can see most of the wing markings. These dragonflies are used to being blown about on the tips of twigs like a pennant, and that’s where their common name comes from. A fact that I find interesting about this dragonfly is how the males are not territorial and often perch facing away from water, apparently waiting for females as they approach the water. I’m not sure why this one chose a building.
NOTE: Blogging friend Mike Powell has pointed out that this is a female calico pennant dragonfly. If you’re interested in dragonflies or any other natural wonder, you should be reading Mike’s blog. You can find a link right over in the “Favorite Links” section of this blog. Thanks Mike!
I’m lucky enough to work near a pond and as I drive to work, early in the morning on a certain day in June, the snapping turtles begin to lay their eggs. As if someone flipped a switch the sandy shoreline between the pond and the road will be lined with the big turtles, sticking half out of the sand. And they are big; snapping turtles can weigh between 10-35 pounds. Though some snappers have been found as far as a mile from water most will dig their nest closer to it. They’ve been known to nest in lawns, gardens, and even muskrat burrows. Snapping turtles reach maturity at 8 to 10 years and can live up to 40 years or more.
It is said that some turtles weep from the strain of egg laying but this one had dry eyes. In fact she looked like she was smiling. You can see her beak in this photo; it has a rough cutting edge that is used for tearing food. They have powerful jaws and the snapping beak is easily able to snap off a finger or toe, so it isn’t wise to get too close to one. They have a neck that stretches quite a distance and they can lunge at high speed, which is how they catch their food. Snapping turtles eat plants, insects, spiders, worms, fish, frogs, smaller turtles, snakes, birds, crayfish, small mammals, and carrion. Plants make up about a third of their diet.
Snapping turtles lay one clutch of eggs in May or June and unfortunately this photo shows how most of them end up. Out of a nest of 15 to 50 eggs most will be eaten by raccoons, skunks, or crows. Though I’ve looked in the sand near disturbed nests I’ve never seen a paw print, so I can’t say what animal is doing this. It doesn’t take much to harm the turtles; the eggs are very delicate and the turtle embryo can be killed if turned or jarred. As many as 90% of the nests are destroyed each year and as I think about it I wonder if that isn’t part of nature’s plan. If every egg in every nest on this small pond were to hatch it would be overrun by snapping turtles and they would quickly run out of food. It might be better for them to never be born than to slowly die of starvation, but I’m very thankful that it isn’t up to me to make that decision.
Nature has a way of ensuring the continuation of each species and I know that many snapping turtles survive because I see them in ponds and streams everywhere. Egg hatching takes about three months but it varies depending on temperature and weather conditions. If the nest isn’t disturbed the hatchlings dig their way out in August through October and head right for the water. In winter they hibernate in the mud at the pond bottom. I should say that there are laws against disturbing turtle nests in New Hampshire, so they are best left alone.
I’m guessing that this bullfrog was very happy that there were no snapping turtles nearby. Adult female bullfrogs have an eardrum (tympanic membrane) that is about the same size as the eye and on a male it is much larger than the eye, so I’d say this one was a female. Females don’t croak but there was a lot of croaking going on here on this day.
With such a rainy spring I’m surprised that mushrooms aren’t popping up out of the sidewalks, but I’m not seeing that many. I did find some little horsehair mushrooms (Marasmius rotula) growing on a log recently. These are very small things; the biggest one in this photo might be as big as a pea.
Horsehair mushrooms are also called pinwheel mushrooms. Their pleated and scalloped caps always make me think of tiny Lilliputian parachutes. The shiny, hollow black stem lightens as it reaches the cap and is very coarse like horse hair, and that’s where the common name comes from. They grow in small colonies on rotting logs, stumps, and branches. Their spore release depends on plenty of moisture so look for this one after it rains. In dry weather they dehydrate into what looks like a whitish dot at the end of a black stem, but when it rains they rehydrate to release more spores. They can do this for up to three weeks.
The underside of the horsehair mushroom’s cap also looks like a parachute, with gills spaced quite far apart for such a little thing. In the center the gills join to make a collar that encircles the stem.
Swamp beacons (Mitrula elegans) are interesting fungi that grow in water and I find them in seeps where water runs year round. They are classified as “amphibious fungi” and use a process called soft rot to decompose plant material in low-oxygen areas. Since they only decompose soft tissue they aren’t found on twigs or bark and this photo shows how they are growing out of saturated leaves. I’m sorry about the strange angularity of this photo but I was kneeling in mud when I took it, trying not to drop the camera into it.
Another common name for swamp beacons is “matchstick fungus” and that’s exactly what they remind me of because they are just about the size of a wooden match. This one had an elongated head on it though and didn’t look very match like. If you want to get shots of this fungus be prepared to get your knees wet. Mine were soaked.
Hot humid weather along with a rainy day or two always makes me want to start looking for slime molds and sure enough after a recent shower, I found some. Slime molds seem to grow on just about anything; there is even a photo online of one engulfing a beer can that was left out on a rock. They almost always grow on the side away from the sun because they don’t want to dry out. A slime mold is an amoeba and that says a lot about how very small they are, but luckily they group together and that makes them easier to see. When I look for them I look for a smudge of color on the shaded sides of logs or on last season’s leaves. The one seen here is in its plasmodial stage and is on the move. I think it might be one called the tapioca slime mold (Brefeldia maxima.)
Slime molds can appear in their single celled amoeba form but when I see them they are almost always massed or massing together as these were. This plasmodial slime mold, like many others, moves using “cytoplasmic streaming,” which is basically a contracting of “muscles” by all of the separate cells until they come together in a single mass. They can reach speeds of up to 1.35 mm per second, which is the fastest rate recorded for any micro-organism. Eventually they will shift from the growth to the fruiting stage, when they will release their spores. Slime molds do not like dryness, so most of this usually occurs at night or on damp, humid days after a rain.
Here’s another look at what a slime molds can look like from a distance. This could also be yellow, orange or red. When looking for slime molds it’s important to remember that hot sunlight dries them out, so they’ll be on the shaded sides and undersides of logs, on stumps, mossy rocks, and in the leaves on the forest floor in the darkest part of the forest where the soil stays moist.
Here’s a closer look at the slime mold in the previous photo. Identifying slime molds can be tricky, but most good mushroom books will include a section on them and there are a few good online resources as well. If you want to photograph slime molds you’d better have a good macro lens because many are almost microscopic in size. What you see in this photo wouldn’t even cover a penny. A good LED light is also helpful. I think this example might be coral or white fingered slime mold (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa.)
I think all slime molds are beautiful but this one really takes the cake. At least I think it’s a slime mold. I’ve found various examples of it for about three years now and I’ve spent that long trying to identify it with no luck. I haven’t found anything even similar to it online or in a book. I think part of the problem is it starts out looking like the white, blurry, bumpy mass in the lower left corner and then opens into the tiny blue starbursts seen above. What that means is it’s hard to know whether to search for a white or blue slime mold. I’ve tried both many times with no luck, so if you know its name I’d love to hear from you.
As I was walking through the woods one day something told me to look up and when I did I saw a young porcupine sitting on the crook of a branch. It let me get close enough for a couple of quick photos but I didn’t want to disturb it, so I left and let it be. Porcupines are herbivores and eat leaves, twigs, and green plants such as clover. They often climb trees to find leaves for food, and in winter they will eat the bark of some trees. They are shy, gentle creatures but unfortunately I see many of their kind run over on the roadsides. They roam at night a lot and can be very hard to see. This one was quite small; probably smaller than a soccer ball. Many Native American tribes used porcupine quills for decoration on their clothing but women in the Lakota tribe found a way to get the quills without harming the porcupine; they would throw a blanket over it and then pick out the quills that were stuck in the blanket.
I went to the Ashuelot River one recent evening and found it raging because of strong thunder showers we’d had the day before, but a duck had found a calm spot away from the chaos of curling whitecaps. The river was high too; that small island isn’t usually an island.
But the duck didn’t seem to care one way or the other. It splashed and preened and tipped up to eat and smiled serenely while the river raged on around it. There has to be a lesson for us all in there somewhere. After all, nature is full of them.
He who has experienced the mystery of nature is full of life, full of love, full of joy. Radiance emanates from the whole existence itself; it does not know the meaning of holding back. ~ Maitreya Rudrabhayananda
Thanks for stopping in. Have a safe and happy 4th of July!
Hi, nice shots. Your “blue slime mold” is not actually a slime mold, it is a fungus called Chromelosporium coerulescens.
Thanks very much for the help. Someone else also said the same. I’ll get it right if I see it again this year!
A good macro lens opens up an entire new world for us as many of your photos here show. I haven’t had much luck finding any slime molds this year, but I haven’t been to the right places to find them either. I loved the blue starburst ones, that sounds like a good name for it if it turns out to be a new species.
I’ve found a few turtle nests that had been raided by something, but I could never tell what it was either. I wonder if the critters raiding the nests follow the scent trail of the turtle, or simply see the mound of disturbed soil left behind after the turtles lay their eggs?
Great photos of the dragonflies also.
Thanks Jerry! Dark, moist woods; that’s where the slime molds are. I keep hoping someone will recognize that blue one but so far I haven’t heard from anyone about it.
I’ve wondered how turtle nest robbers know where they are too. If it was a raccoon I’d say smell, but the disturbed sand is clearly visible to me so maybe they find them by sight. I know they find them quickly; almost as soon as the mother leaves the nest.
“All creatures great and small.”
My favourite pic here has to be the porcupine. Can’t say why; it just spoke to me for some reason.
They’re shy, gentle creatures that are fascinating to watch. I don’t see them very often so it’s always a surprise.
Though I don’t like the word I’ll still say they are “cute”. 🙂
I had a similar encounter with a snapping turtle digging a nest … and a couple of weeks later discovering the nest had been marauded, with the same outcome. It made me sad to think that all her hard work had gone to naught … but such is nature.
Thank you Lee. I know what you mean. It can be hard to see what goes on in nature at times. I try to just trust that everything is working as it should.
What a wonderful collection of things! I wish I could see that many dragonflies! I feel fortunate if I see one or two in a day. The slime moulds fascinate me and the blue one is so beautiful. I love the smiling duck!
Thank you Clare. If you like dragonflies you’d love it here! I see plenty just about everywhere I go.
I hope you’ll find a slime mold or two this summer, but I don’t wish you the weather that they like!
The duck was inspiring!
We have had very little rain this spring/summer so a bit of wet weather would be quite welcome!
But probably not the heat and humidity we have here!
No – I could do without that! We have recently had a week of fairly high temps 30 C – 34 C but it wasn’t too humid.
We’ve had a few humid spells but thankfully they haven’t lasted for a week like they could.
What a wonderful selection of things you saw. You really do look around most carefully. I thought the picture of the calico pennant dragonfly was very acceptable.
Thank you. I do look around carefully and also walk slowly when I’m searching for unusual things. I think many of us just walk right by them.
I thought the lighting could have been a little more cooperative in that dragonfly photo. It was a little bright in the wings, but we can’t win them all.
Love the frog and dragonfly pictures. We are seeing quite a few dragonflies around the garden, though the closest body of water is more than a mile away.
Thank you. I just learned from a reader that an influx of dragonflies might mean aphids, so you might want to check the undersides of a few leaves to be sure. The dragonflies eat them, so welcome them to your garden.
Fascinating shots of the slime mold! In the world of the very small there’s a seemingly infinite universe of creatures and other things that never cease to amaze!
Thank you. If you want to see some really amazing slime mold time lapse videos just go to You tube and search for slime molds. It’s really worth the effort; they are amazing creatures that can learn and make decisions based on what they’ve learned.
A beautiful and interesting tour, Allen! I love snapping turtles, and remember long ago coming across a hatching of little ones heading on down to a pond.
Fireflies I have not knowingly come across out here in Oregon, but when I looked into it, most of the ones on the west coast do not glow. All are in decreasing in number due to human pressures.
http://www.corvallisadvocate.com/2017/looking-fireflies-oregon/
Thank you Lavinia. I hope to see the turtles hatching someday but so far I haven’t.
Yes, we humans put an awful lot of pressure on all aspects of nature, including fireflies. I still see them flicker on warm nights here sometimes.
Thanks so much for taking us on this walk with you! Seeing the snapping turtle and eggs was a treat; I remember long ago the workers in Mississippi would warn, “If a snapping turtle bites you, it won’t turn loose until the sky thunders…” That warning always worked for me – no way would I put my hand close to its mouth!
In the tropics, the sex of the turtle depends on the depth of the sea turtle eggs/temperature of the sand… I wonder if that’s true of all turtles….
The porcupine is precious! Thanks for that trivia as well – if I ever want to glean a few quivers, now I’ll know what to do!
You’re welcome, and thank you. I keep hoping to see the turtle eggs hatch but I haven’t yet.
I’m not sure what determines the sex of snapping turtles but we certainly have a lot of females digging nests.
Porcupines are wonderful creatures. I had one walk right up to me and sit down in front of me once. It was magical!
Oh. Forgot to say. Have you seen the YouTube video where someone put bits of slime mold food on (something – wood or paper?) – in the configuration of many train stations. Then added a slime mold which joined all the spots in the most efficient manner, in a short time. And it was very close to the actual train lines – which had taken some crazy amount of time, money, and engineers to figure the best routes. Lol. The slime mold did it in no time. It shows it in time elapse film. Very cool.
I hadn’t seen it prior to your comment but I have now. That’s amazing, and who would’ve thought that slime molds liked oat flakes! The more I learn about them the more fascinating they become.
What a beautiful world we live in, harsh though it might be at times.
Thank you Laurie, I agree!
Great post, Alan! I always learn so much. 🙂 I’m going to some mushroom things this summer and I will try an get an answer for the beautiful blue mystery. Guessing, like you said, it’s a stage – and probably not shown in the books.
Also I liked your gentle reminder that it’s usually possible to find a quiet spot in the midst of chaos.
Thank you Cindy. I’d love to hear what you find out about that blue slime mold / fungus. I’m sure somebody somewhere knows what it is.
I hope we can all find quiet spots; it’s important, I think.
That blue slime mold is really pretty! How amazing! It is a treat to see the porcupine! I haven’t seen one here for many years. Sadly, I think people have killed them all.
Thanks Montucky! I like the blue slime mold too; like tiny starbursts.
That’s too bad about your porcupines. There’s a lot of false information about them out there, like how they can shoot their quills at you when of course they can’t.
We have been having that same phenomena with the dragonflies, this has been the third or fourth year. It is a beautiful sight, but we weren’t sure why. At about the same time we started noticing a tiny little fluffy white fly that looks like a fairy. Well, it turns out that the dragonflies are eating the little white flies and that is a good thing because they are considered a pest, even though they are the sweetest looking little creatures. It is called the “fairy fly” or the woolly aphid. http://www.abundantnature.com/2012/06/fuzzy-white-flying-bugs.html
Thanks very much for that Deb. That explains a lot, and what beautiful photos of the woolly aphids! I see them all the time clustered on shrub branches, but I’ve never seen one flying. They do look like fairies!
What a wonderful collection of shots. I especially like the images and information about snapping turtles. Of course, I loved the dragonfly shots as well. FYI, I think the calico pennant may be a female, judging from the coloration and the terminal appendages, i,e, the shape of the tip of the abdomen. (Check out this page for more info on them http://dragonfliesnva.com/My%20Documents/KevinPDF/pdf/identify/species/CalicoPennant-FINAL.pdf).
Thanks very much Mike. I think you’re right about the calico pennant and I appreciate the help. I always have trouble identifying insects, especially dragonflies. Have a great 4th!
Thanks, Allen. I’ve gotten a bit better with dragonflies, but birds still are a problem for me. Happy Independence Day to you as well.
I guess we can’t be good at everything!
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The Natural World
Thank you John.
Loved the moth and the dragonfly photographs and was interested in the snapping turtles, thanks for stopping to take the pictures.
You’re welcome Susan, I’m glad you liked them.
What a great bunch of finds. Love the turtle in the nest and the porcupine.
Thanks Laura. I hope your RV is all better!