Nature Notes: An Early Summer Nature Ramble in the Blue Ridge

May is one of those most incredible months when the birds are singing their hearts out to maximize their reproductive potential. By the time official summer rolls around on June 20, it is a lot quieter but there is still a great deal of activity going on behind the scenes. For one thing there are the summer flowers to enjoy. One of my favorites, the buttonbush displays a remarkably complex flower made up of many individual flowers arranged in a ball. This is quite attractive to insects as well as to humans and as an obligate wetland species this shrub is an important component of healthy wetlands that are dry part of the year. We also look forward to this time of flowering of the purple coneflowers- and the butterflies such as this great spangled fritillary also seem to relish the appearance of this spectacular flower in our simulated prairies. The amazingly green mason and orchard bees are out in force to obtain pollen from flowers, in this case a beautiful yellow evening primrose.

Bill Dunson

The wetland loving buttonbush has an unusual round flower head made up of many small flowers

Bill Dunson

The great spangled fritillary is obtaining nectar from this purple coneflower

Bill Dunson

A bright green mason bee collects pollen from the anthers of an evening primrose

Bill Dunson

This camel cricket was found under a rock- often they are seen in basements

Bill Dunson

This harvestman or daddy long legs is a spider relative that is harmless to humans

Bill Dunson

This male green frog has an ear drum larger than than the eye and a fold down the side of the body that distinguishes it from a bullfrog

Bill Dunson

The male bullfrog has an ear drum larger than the eye and no lateral fold

Bill Dunson

This female bullfrog has an ear drum about the same size as the eye and no lateral fold on the body

Bill Dunson

This box turtle nest appears to have been destroyed by a skunk

Bill Dunson

The plastron of the male box turtle on the left is more concave than the female on the right

A couple of somewhat bizarre creatures I came across were a camel cricket and a harvestman. The camel cricket is an insect often found in basements; this one was under a rock under more natural circumstances. The daddy long legs or harvestman is actually an arachnid (spider relative- note the 4 pairs of legs) but is harmless to humans.

Some of the summer breeding frogs are rather obvious due to their persistent calling day and night. Two that are commonly confused are the green frog and the bullfrog. Green frogs have a distinctive "boink" call (I have named it the rubber band frog) whereas bullfrogs give the familiar "jug of rum" call. But can you tell them apart if you see them? It is easily done if you look for a fold on the side of the body starting near the eye, taking a side turn around the eardrum, and then down the side of the body or not. Note that this male green frog (ear drum larger than eye) has a fold around the ear drum and then extending some distance down the side of the body. Both the male (large eardrum) and female (small eardrum) bullfrog have the fold around the ear but not down the body.

Another sign of summer is the occurrence of turtle nests. I have seen some box turtle nests which were unfortunately dug up and eaten by skunks. In this photo you can see several egg shells remaining near the excavated nest. I have also occasionally come across mating box turtles and you can see from this photo of their plastrons (under sides of the shell) that the male has a more concave plastron, the better to get a grip on the female while mating with her.

So do not despair, just because May is gone we still have many wonderful natural events to witness before winter comes again. But the seasons are moving forward inexorably and we need to treasure each day and the natural marvels it reveals.

Bill Dunson

Galax, VA & Englewood, FL

wdunson@comcast.net

http://www.galaxgazette.com/blogs

http://lemonbayconservancy.org/dunson_archives.htm

http://lemonbayconservancy.org/wildflower.htm

http://bocagrandetalk.com/page/content.detail/id/517252/Orchids-give-Floridians-special-thrill.html?nav=5054