Iris domestica

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 08, 2017 by Henry
<em>Iris domestica</em>

Iris domestica

This is the so called blackberry lily, formerly known as Belamcanda chinensis but now renamed to Iris domestica. It’s a pretty little thing. each individual bloom lasts a day (or a fraction of a day, really) but they come one after the other for a nice, long while. They are, as you can see, very eye-catching. Each year we collect the seeds from them and scatter them around in other parts of the garden. Of course, they get moved by birds, as well. This is a seedling, growing on the edge of a garden bed in the center of our back yard, among the Verbena bonariensis, with which it contrasts very nicely.

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Cerceris fumipennis

Photograph taken on Friday, July 07, 2017 by Henry
Cerceris fumipennis

Cerceris fumipennis

After taking the picture of the lady beetle larva in the woods, I crossed the stream on a fallen tree trunk. I worked my way from there through a fairly dense area of brambles and small trees to the slope that leads to what I call the uplands part of the empty lot. This is about 30 feet higher than the lowlands across the stream and it is mostly clear of trees. It is filled with ragweed and milkweed with a few empty spots that are almost barren, with just bare clay which sometimes holds standing water and other times is baked into a cracked, hard surface. In one of those empty spots, I followed this wasp, which is Cerceris fumipennis, an apoid wasp (Apoidea) in the family Crabronidae. It landed and disappeared into this little hole in the ground. I figured it would eventually come out again so I got down and waited. I was rewarded for my patience when he appeared at the entrance and was able to get a half dozen shots off before he flew off into the distance.

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Lady Beetle Larva

Photograph taken on Friday, July 07, 2017 by Henry
Lady Beetle Larva

Lady Beetle Larva

It was a beautiful, if somewhat hot afternoon today and I went out into the woods next to my building. As I walked through the underbrush under the sycamore, tulip poplar, redbud, walnut, and black cherry trees, I noticed this little creature on a leaf. This is the larva of a lady beetle. The family Coccinellidae, the lady beetles, has about 6,000 species in 360 genera worldwide and nearly 500 in eastern North America. I have no idea to which of those this larva belongs and I’m not even going to try to figure it out. The adults are generally easier to narrow down but to me, anyway, the larva are just too much alike. I found a key to the larva of North American lady beetles but it starts out as follows. Tell me how helpful this is to you:

Mandible with digitiform teeth, retinaculum absent; terga with scoli, sometimes with parascoli; frontoclypeal suture complete; antenna long, 3 or more times as long as wide, of nearly uniform diameter.

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Bumblebee on Coneflower

Photograph taken on Thursday, July 06, 2017 by Henry
Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) on Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) on Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

I didn’t get out of the office today to go take pictures. Most of the day it was raining and then I just didn’t have time in the afternoon. I was a little busy but actually more frustrated than anything else, so going out would have been nice. Nevertheless, when I got home I took some pictures of a common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) on one of the purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) outside our dining room window. I like bumble bees and they are out in pretty good numbers right now. In prior years it seemed that they were outnumbered by carpenter bees (Xylocopa virginica). This year I’m seeing a lot more bumblebees. That’s just anecdotal evidence, of course but that’s the way it seems to me.

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Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)

Photograph taken on Wednesday, July 05, 2017 by Henry
Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)

Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)

It was a slightly less warm but every bit as humid day today. I went to eat my lunch in the empty lot next to my building, sitting on the edge of a now-dry drainage pond. This pond rarely has more than a few inches of water in it but the water is gone and the mud has cracked and is only damp. I had expected to see more insects there but I suppose it’s dry enough that even they have moved to somewhere with a bit more water. I took some pictures of the flowers of some softstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) and this Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) came and landed right in front of me. I was able to get four quick shots before it flew away. In this, the last of the four, its wings are just starting to open.

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Addy

Photograph taken on Tuesday, July 04, 2017 by Henry
Addy

Addy

It’s funny to me how differently people, especially kids, react to having their picture taken. Some duck for cover, some turn their faces away, and some practically beg for more. This little sweetheart is one of the beg-for-more types. Her siblings all like having their pictures taken, too, but this one more than the others put together, I think. Anyway, she’s a very sweet girl and I’m happy to take her picture any chance I get.

I took quite a few pictures of her and her sister and brothers, as well as the other children who were there today. In many of them Addy is making faces and I considered posting one of those. Actually, I suspect she will be disappointed that I haven’t posted one of them. But I love this one that shows her how she normally looks (although from a fairly close vantage point). I’ll share the others with her parents so she’ll be able to see them. Hopefully that will make her happy.

Thanks to Andy and Kelly for having us over with a few other friends this morning. It was a nice way to celebrate the original Brexit (circa 1776). Also, I took a couple pictures of the baby robins but they didn’t turn out too well. Not as well as Kelly’s taken with her phone, in fact.

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Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

Photograph taken on Monday, July 03, 2017 by Henry
Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

It was a fairly quiet day at work, with a lot of people off for a four day weekend. I went into the woods next to my building, across the streem and up to the higher and more open area, filled mostly with ragweed and milkweed. There were a few butterflies and I tried to get some pictures of them. Then I saw this female eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) and I slowly move it to get a good picture. She would fly away but then would come back to the same perch, so I would move a little closer each time until I was able to get this one.

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Leaf Beetle (Family Chrysomelidae)

Photograph taken on Sunday, July 02, 2017 by Henry
Leaf Beetle (Chrysomelidae)

Leaf Beetle (Chrysomelidae)

I was out taking pictures in the yard again this afternoon and happened to look at the same flower on which I took the picture of the Scudderia nymph two days ago (see: Friday, June 30, 2017 ). The outer ray florets, the ‘petals’ of the coneflower, were all tattered and eaten into. The culprit was this little beetle (well, a bunch of them, actually). It is a leaf beetle (family Chrysomelidae), probably in the subfamily Eumolpinae. If I get a more definitive identification, I’ll update this post. It’s a little beetle, less than 5mm long so I wasn’t able to get a close as necessary to really get a good picture, but this one turned out well enough to use.

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Water Droplet on Spruce Twig

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 01, 2017 by Henry
Water Droplet on Spruce Twig

Water Droplet on Spruce Twig

Summer is definitely here and we’ve had a few really hot, really muggy days lately. Today was no exception but in the mid afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through and dropped a fair bit of rain in about a half hour. The wind was blowing and it was beautiful. I sat under cover of the back of the house and watched it, getting a little damp, but really enjoying the show. As the rain slowed and water dripped from the trees, I went out with my camera and took a couple dozen pictures, including this one of a drop of water, gathering on the end of a twig. A second after I took this, it fell and a new droplet began to form.

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Scudderia Nymph

Photograph taken on Friday, June 30, 2017 by Henry
Scudderia Nymph

Scudderia Nymph

I went out to take some pictures of flowers this afternoon and that’s what I did at first. Well, first I got a few pictures of a rabbit (an eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus). Then I took a few flower pictures but I noticed this little fellow on a coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). It is the nymph of a Scudderia, a genus of eight species in our area comprising the bush katydids. This is just a small portion of the larger group of all katydids, of which there are nearly 250 species in 49 genera in eastern North America. Anyway, I think this is a cute little guy and I took quite a few pictures. Enjoy.

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Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry)

Photograph taken on Thursday, June 29, 2017 by Henry
Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry)

Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry)

These tiny flowers of the American beautyberry Callicarpa americana are, you won’t be surprised to learn, followed by beautiful berries. There will be clusters (called cymes) of the slightly pale, purple berries (called cymes) around the stems at each leaf axil (see December 7, 2013). The flowers are not nearly as showy as the fruit, or maybe it would be called American beautyflower. I still think they are pretty, though. And judging by the proliferation of berries, the insects sure must like them.

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Sue and Gordy

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 by Henry
Sue and Gordy

Sue and Gordy

We were happy to be able to attend this year’s Erick’s Hope dinner and also happy to see a few friends that we don’t see often enough. This beautiful couple were high on the list. There are a few people who epitomize who I’d like to be or what I’d like to be like when I grow up (assuming it’s not too late for me to actually grow up, of course). These two, either one, are on that list. There are others, of course, but they all have some things in common. A genuine care for others is one thing. Also, natural grace and style (which is hard to learn, being natural, of course). Anyway, Sue and Gordy, I think you’re the cat’s whiskers.

This post is also a modest plug for Erick’s Hope. If you have any interest in working with a small non-profit to help children, you could do a lot worse than throw a little money their way (OK, better to actually talk with them and find out what they are up to, but you get the drift). They can be reached through their web site, http://www.erickshope.org/.

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Bumble Bee Balm

Photograph taken on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 by Henry
Bumble Bee on Monarda Flower

Bumble Bee on Monarda Flower

I’ve been able to get a fair number of flower pictures so far this year but the insects are not out in all their force yet. I’ve seen many around but haven’t been able to photograph many of them. This is my first bumble bee of the summer. It isn’t the best bumble bee picture I’ve ever taken but it makes me happy, with the brightness of the bee balm (Monarda didyma) contrasting with the black of the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). I’m sure there will be many more to come. As for the title of this post, it’s the sort of thing that shows up in crossword puzzles fairly often, two words or phrases that overlap in the middle. Bumble Bee and Bee Balm.

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Jumping Spider

Photograph taken on Monday, June 26, 2017 by Henry
Jumping Spider

Jumping Spider

I know many of my followers are less than thrilled with my spider photos. Nevertheless, at the risk of chasing off either of them (my followers, that is), I’m going to post another. I went for a short walk early this afternoon. There is a section of the road behind my building that has a well along the sidewalk, above a stream. Growing on that wall are Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), wild grape (Vitis species), porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa), and of course, the ever present poison ivy, (Toxicodendron radicans). I stopped to take a few pictures of bumble bees on the Virginia creeper flowers and then noticed this little jumping spider on the underside a leaf. Kind of cute, I think.

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Ellen and Dan

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 25, 2017 by Henry
Ellen and Dan

Ellen and Dan

Cathy, Dorothy, and I were privileged to be allowed to witness the wedding of our good friend, Ellen. She married this guy Dan, who, by all accounts, is a pretty nice guy. He better be, that’s all I can say. Seriously, though, we hear good things about him and Ellen has her head screwed on pretty well, so I’ll take her word for it. The wedding was very pretty and we were glad to see Ellen so joyful. As you can see (and this will come as no surprise to anyone who knows her, she was a beautiful bride.

I was going to post just the one picture from the wedding but then decided I liked this second one, also, taken at the reception. Ellen is the middle of three girls and this is a picture of the three of them, Hannah, Ellen, and Katie. Our two families have known each other for nearly 20 years. It’s been a pleasure to see the three of them grow up into the beautiful young women you can see here.

Hannah, Ellen, and Katie

Hannah, Ellen, and Katie

If you’ve been following this blog for a while you might remember that we traveled to England with Ellen and her family from August 5 to 19, 2013. That was a fun trip and timed very well in terms of the four girls (these three plus Dorothy), just before Ellen went off to college and life got more complicated.

We wish Dan and Ellen every happiness, of course, and hope to be able to keep in touch in the years ahead.

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Gea heptagon

Photograph taken on Saturday, June 24, 2017 by Henry
Gea heptagon

Gea heptagon

Cathy did a bunch of work in a small garden this morning, clearing out the overgrown sedum and making room for annuals that have been waiting to be planted. She said I should come out with my camera to take some pictures of this little spider that was doing really well gathering the small insects that are present in our lawn by the thousands. It is a Gea heptagon, one of the orb weavers (family Araneidae) and I think it’s a really cool little spider. The abdomen is painted with red, yellow, and pale spots that are quite pretty, especially in the sun. I’ve photographed this species before, with posts on Monday, September 05, 2016 and Saturday, August 20, 2016.

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Eryngium

Photograph taken on Friday, June 23, 2017 by Henry
Eryngium

Eryngium

I went over to pick up something from Tsai-Hong this afternoon and decided to take a few pictures in the garden. There is a small clump of Eryngium in the front garden, beside the driveway, and that’s what is in this picture. I have no idea what species it is or if it is a hybrid of some sort. We had three or four different Eryngium species in our garden in Gaithersburg and this reminded me that we need to get some for our current garden. They are mostly blue or purple and add such a nice point of interest in a sea of green. They are not really related to the holly (Ilix), of course, but it’s easy to see how they came by their common name, sea holly.

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Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Photograph taken on Thursday, June 22, 2017 by Henry
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

The coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) has started to bloom. I often have a difficult time getting good pictures of this, because the ray florets (the ‘petals’) are often eaten into by some insect or other. They are still pretty from a distance and in mass but individually, they get to look a bit tattered. I also took some pictures of day lilies today but they put out new flowers each day and they fade before the critters have a chance to do them any harm. So, they will be around for more pictures on another day.

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Fleabane

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 by Henry
Fleabane

Fleabane

At one point today I needed to get out of the office. It was a lovely if somewhat warm day and I went to the empty lot next to my building. The western part of that is mostly woods now, having been empty for about 25 years. The eastern part is much more open and covered with a waist-deep herbaceous perennial of some sort (I really should look it up). Anyway, I took some pictures of this fleabane. I don’t know for sure what it is but my guess is annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus).

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Lonicera sempervirens

Photograph taken on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 by Henry
Lonicera sempervirens

Lonicera sempervirens

Dorothy went to camp this morning so I gave Jonathan a ride to the farm. He plans to stay there for the week and Dorothy will pick him up on Friday. While I was there I took a few pictures of this trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) growing on a post in front of their garage. This is a native honeysuckle to the southeastern United States. The flowers are not fragrant but are quite pretty, with scarlet to orangish red on the outside and yellowish inside. They are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.

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