Nature Post!
Some old friends waiting for me today...
The lake was very busy on a Sunday afternoon, lots of pontoon boats and kayaks and such, and the herons were annoyed and cruising along the banks making their dreadful strangled squalking noises. There were two ospreys hunting in a spot I don't usually see them, but I'm not sure if they were a mated pair or perhaps last year's siblings (I know mated pairs mate for life but migrate separately, but I'm not sure if siblings migrate with their parents). There's no nest in that area that I know of. Saw an eagle hunting too, but it wasn't impressed with the boats.
It always amazes me to notice how many of our common wildflowers are non-native or invasives. On the other hand, this part of North America would have been almost entirely covered in dense old-growth forest without human intervention, so perhaps these sun-loving new arrivals, most of which are considered naturalized and not of great ecological concern, took over a habitat of scrub and field that we created.
A still-water day at my lake, barely a ripple, reflections of the clouds in the water.
Daisies are everywhere and they are always for Looloo.
Had to look up these pretty ones... mulk mallow (Malva moschata), a native of Europe and Asia but naturalized in North America. While we don't have this pretty pink mallow as a native here, we do have other native ones.
And just to prove that you should be careful when smelling flowers... this is an assassin bug and they are well-named. The powerful stabbing beak easily punctures insect prey, and if you meddle with one it will also easily puncture your finger. They are lethal hunters with a nasty killing tool.
Moth mullein (Verbascum blattaria) is also a naturalized invasive and is one of my favorite finds along sunny roadways. The scientific name "blattaria" comes from scientific name for cockroaches, as this plant is believed to be a repellent (although I doubt it). It tolerates sandy or gritty soil, which is part of why it likes roadside living.
Daisies and crown vetch (Securigera varia), this one a pretty but not a welcome invasive. it is a legume deliberately introduced for erosion control, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe. It can be safely eaten by cows and other ruminants but is toxic to horses. It is a spreading vine and is nearly impossible to get rid of, but it is pretty and bees are very fond of it.
Lest I forget, I must occasionally stop and remind myself that the flowers of grasses, while not dressed in bright colors to show off for pollinators, have a complex beauty of their own.
Yet another invasive, this is Solanum dulcamara, also known as bittersweet, blue bindweed, poisonberry, and climbing nightshade. The last name is probably the most accurate, since this is a true nightshade and is poisonous. It is a climbing vine and unlike most of my finds for today, it actually dislikes full sun for the entire day and would prefer it in the morning or evening. Its berries are red and some species of birds eat them without being harmed.
Covering the guard rails and filling the roadside ditches are the just-starting-to-bloom stalks of Melilotus albus, also known as honey clover and sweet white clover. It is yet another invasive deliberately introduced to North America. It is a legume and is valued both for its nitrogen-fixing properties (that's why legumes are so important... they're among the only plants that return nitrogren to the soil instead of taking it out) and for the vast amounts of nectar that it produces, which allow kept beehives to produce lots of tasty honey (which, unlike the honey from rhododendrons and azaleas, is non-toxic). Like other legumes, it also makes a fairly good animal feed. The main problem with it, like many invasives, is that it out-competes native species and takes over areas, leaving the ecosystem stripped of much diversity.
Evening primrose (I've looked up the scientific name for other posts, but can't recall it now). This is the only one I found and it was only a foot tall... by late summer there will be lots of them and they will be nearly as tall as I am. The oil is apparently popular for many things, although I've never seen it for sale around here, This beauty is actually a native, growing all across eastern North America, but it has relatives all over the world.
Not able to identify this, although I suspect that's because these flower clusters are only very temporarily pinkish-orange and will soon be white. They are probably some sort of dogwood because at this point, any shrub that isn't a honeysuckle is probably a dogwood, and if it's not, no one would blame you for guessing.
I was lucky enough to stumble across this fellow trying to cross the road, and anyone who thinks turtles are slow and helpless has never tried to catch an Eastern Painted turtle before it scoots into the water! They are shockingly quick and very muscular, and this one did not appreciate being picked up and made repeated attempts to kick me. I took a few pictures and put him down on the side of the road he was trying to get to.
This is not a very old one but not a baby, either... these are not large turtles although they can get quite a bit biggerr than this. You can see the bright markings that give it the name "painted turtle". There are several subspecies and they are very common, eating almost anything they can get and living in almost any body of water that is of decent size and isn't moving quickly. I haven't managed to catch one since childhood, so I was very pleased with this one, although I didn't want to disturb him too much, aso I didn't play with him for very long.
People used to walk down this little path to see the eagles' nest, but now the nest is hidden behind other trees, so I come down here to look at the ghost trees and see if I can get water snakes to chase me.
The marsh where the ghost trees stand is a perfect place for turtles, frogs, and snakes as well as a habitat for nesting water birds. In most of it you'd be up to your waist in water but over your head in mud. In swampy still water like this, oxygen content is very low and decomposion happens extremely slowly, so dead organic matter accumulates at the bottom.
Pretty Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is a native North American, widespread and tough. Its natural habitat is wet but it will tolerate extremely dry summers if necessary. It is related to carrots and parsley.
And...
As always... Lake Bush. I stop and say hello to Lake Bush as I go by. Who cares if you don't belong in the middle of a lake? You do it your way, Lake Bush. You just be you.
.
.
.
The lake was very busy on a Sunday afternoon, lots of pontoon boats and kayaks and such, and the herons were annoyed and cruising along the banks making their dreadful strangled squalking noises. There were two ospreys hunting in a spot I don't usually see them, but I'm not sure if they were a mated pair or perhaps last year's siblings (I know mated pairs mate for life but migrate separately, but I'm not sure if siblings migrate with their parents). There's no nest in that area that I know of. Saw an eagle hunting too, but it wasn't impressed with the boats.
It always amazes me to notice how many of our common wildflowers are non-native or invasives. On the other hand, this part of North America would have been almost entirely covered in dense old-growth forest without human intervention, so perhaps these sun-loving new arrivals, most of which are considered naturalized and not of great ecological concern, took over a habitat of scrub and field that we created.
A still-water day at my lake, barely a ripple, reflections of the clouds in the water.
Daisies are everywhere and they are always for Looloo.
Had to look up these pretty ones... mulk mallow (Malva moschata), a native of Europe and Asia but naturalized in North America. While we don't have this pretty pink mallow as a native here, we do have other native ones.
And just to prove that you should be careful when smelling flowers... this is an assassin bug and they are well-named. The powerful stabbing beak easily punctures insect prey, and if you meddle with one it will also easily puncture your finger. They are lethal hunters with a nasty killing tool.
Moth mullein (Verbascum blattaria) is also a naturalized invasive and is one of my favorite finds along sunny roadways. The scientific name "blattaria" comes from scientific name for cockroaches, as this plant is believed to be a repellent (although I doubt it). It tolerates sandy or gritty soil, which is part of why it likes roadside living.
Daisies and crown vetch (Securigera varia), this one a pretty but not a welcome invasive. it is a legume deliberately introduced for erosion control, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe. It can be safely eaten by cows and other ruminants but is toxic to horses. It is a spreading vine and is nearly impossible to get rid of, but it is pretty and bees are very fond of it.
Lest I forget, I must occasionally stop and remind myself that the flowers of grasses, while not dressed in bright colors to show off for pollinators, have a complex beauty of their own.
Yet another invasive, this is Solanum dulcamara, also known as bittersweet, blue bindweed, poisonberry, and climbing nightshade. The last name is probably the most accurate, since this is a true nightshade and is poisonous. It is a climbing vine and unlike most of my finds for today, it actually dislikes full sun for the entire day and would prefer it in the morning or evening. Its berries are red and some species of birds eat them without being harmed.
Covering the guard rails and filling the roadside ditches are the just-starting-to-bloom stalks of Melilotus albus, also known as honey clover and sweet white clover. It is yet another invasive deliberately introduced to North America. It is a legume and is valued both for its nitrogen-fixing properties (that's why legumes are so important... they're among the only plants that return nitrogren to the soil instead of taking it out) and for the vast amounts of nectar that it produces, which allow kept beehives to produce lots of tasty honey (which, unlike the honey from rhododendrons and azaleas, is non-toxic). Like other legumes, it also makes a fairly good animal feed. The main problem with it, like many invasives, is that it out-competes native species and takes over areas, leaving the ecosystem stripped of much diversity.
Evening primrose (I've looked up the scientific name for other posts, but can't recall it now). This is the only one I found and it was only a foot tall... by late summer there will be lots of them and they will be nearly as tall as I am. The oil is apparently popular for many things, although I've never seen it for sale around here, This beauty is actually a native, growing all across eastern North America, but it has relatives all over the world.
Not able to identify this, although I suspect that's because these flower clusters are only very temporarily pinkish-orange and will soon be white. They are probably some sort of dogwood because at this point, any shrub that isn't a honeysuckle is probably a dogwood, and if it's not, no one would blame you for guessing.
I was lucky enough to stumble across this fellow trying to cross the road, and anyone who thinks turtles are slow and helpless has never tried to catch an Eastern Painted turtle before it scoots into the water! They are shockingly quick and very muscular, and this one did not appreciate being picked up and made repeated attempts to kick me. I took a few pictures and put him down on the side of the road he was trying to get to.
This is not a very old one but not a baby, either... these are not large turtles although they can get quite a bit biggerr than this. You can see the bright markings that give it the name "painted turtle". There are several subspecies and they are very common, eating almost anything they can get and living in almost any body of water that is of decent size and isn't moving quickly. I haven't managed to catch one since childhood, so I was very pleased with this one, although I didn't want to disturb him too much, aso I didn't play with him for very long.
People used to walk down this little path to see the eagles' nest, but now the nest is hidden behind other trees, so I come down here to look at the ghost trees and see if I can get water snakes to chase me.
The marsh where the ghost trees stand is a perfect place for turtles, frogs, and snakes as well as a habitat for nesting water birds. In most of it you'd be up to your waist in water but over your head in mud. In swampy still water like this, oxygen content is very low and decomposion happens extremely slowly, so dead organic matter accumulates at the bottom.
Pretty Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is a native North American, widespread and tough. Its natural habitat is wet but it will tolerate extremely dry summers if necessary. It is related to carrots and parsley.
And...
As always... Lake Bush. I stop and say hello to Lake Bush as I go by. Who cares if you don't belong in the middle of a lake? You do it your way, Lake Bush. You just be you.
.
.
.