Oak Leaftier Moth

Oak Leaftier Moth

This is the Oak Leaftier Moth (Acleris semipurpurana). It is rather small at less than 10mm. Judy found one in her yard; then I found one in my yard. LOL This is the Pale Metanema (Metanema inatomaria). It belongs in the Family Geometridae (Geometrid Moths). I finally looked up to see what makes it a geometer moth….

Chickadee chronicle

Chickadee chronicle

Here’s the chronicle of the Carolina Chickadees with the dead bluebird built into the nest. March 25 – nest with dead bluebird, mosses, fur, and grasses. March 29 – 7 eggs! April 11 – Very fresh! Fourteen days after all seven eggs laid. April 11 – angry bird! April 15 – Mom sitting on nest….

Cream Wild Indigo

Cream Wild Indigo

More Beavers Bend State Park… This is Cream Wild Indigo (Baptisia bracteata). We took locations of the plants we found for a researcher friend of Claire’s that is looking for Frosted Elfin caterpillars.  For a moment, we thought oh boy! But it was not. The caterpillar is a yellow caterpillar, the size of a grain of…

Lichens, moss, and beetle

Lichens, moss, and beetle

More from Beavers Bend State Park… This moss was awesome! It was like giant pine trees!   Gracie and Briar enjoyed the park too! This has several different Cladonia lichens!   This is Usnea strigosa, another Fruticose lichen (the shrub-like lichens).  Claire and I decided to draw. Look, I drew a fly LOL! Bess Beetle (Odontotaenius…

Fire pink!

Fire pink!

More from Beavers Bend State Park… This Luna moth was really wet. Poor thing.  Awesome moth! I put it over in the grass and it started to vibrate its wings. So maybe it was going to fly another day.  This plant brought back memories of seeing it when I was a child.  We called them…

Birdfoot Violet

Birdfoot Violet

More from Beavers Bend State Park…  A view of Broken Bow Lake. We got over 3 inches of rain last night. This is Jim, Claire, Gracie and Briar.  Love this snail on the moss covered tree. In this shot you can see its foot too! Another view.   This flower is called the most beautiful violet in…

Wild Comfrey

Wild Comfrey

 More from  Beavers Bend State Park…  This a plant that Kathy gave me once. Of course I killed it. There a quite a few of them at the park. Also called Blue Houndstooth…Andersonglossum virginianum Close up! The flowers are easy to miss. They are rather small.  Crustose lichen and moss on a quartz rock.  Keep…

Feet in the air!

Feet in the air!

The leaves on a thistle tied together with silk. It is the Painted Lady caterpillar! Thistles are its host plant. Frass of the Painted Lady caterpillar! Buprestid beetle on Prairie Verbena! Thin-lined Owlet (Isogona tenuis) is a common moth in our Post Oak woods. Baby Bluebirds growing fast! Found this pretty green cat on an…

Pollinating

Pollinating

This girl was into something with an orangey pollen! Really tiny on a Post Oak leaf. I believe it may be a type of Crambine Snout Moth (Subfamily Crambinae). This is the Green Soldier Fly (Hedriodiscus binotatus). Close up the wings. It is a beautiful critter! And it looks like it has been doing some pollinating…