Monthly Archives: August 2021

Sunflowers at McKee-Beshers

Cathy Amidst The Sunflowers

Cathy Amidst The Sunflowers

It started raining about mid-morning and we weren’t sure about going out but decided we’d go regardless. We drove to the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, which we’ve never visited before. They have four fields that they plant with sunflowers, although only two of them were planted this year. I don’t know if that’s normal or not. Sunflower area #4 was the more spectacular of the two (the weeds were taller than the sunflowers in field #2). We saw a few male (and a lot of female) indigo buntings in the field, which was really nice. There were also a lot of gold finches and cardinals on the flowers, as well as butterflies. We walked all the way around field #4 as well as near the ponds on the way to field #1. That field was planted with corn, but we actually enjoyed the ponds quite a bit, with their wildflowers, etc. Highly recommended.

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Eurytides marcellus (Zebra Swallowtail)

Eurytides marcellus (Zebra Swallowtail)

Eurytides marcellus (Zebra Swallowtail)

After spending a few hours at McKee-Beshers, we stopped at Rocklands Farm for a little while. It was closing soon and we didn’t stay long but I took a few pictures, including this zebra swallowtail Eurytides marcellus on Janis’ buddleia. I’m pretty sure this is the first of them that I’ve seen and definitely the first I’ve photographed. It’s really a striking butterfly, with the bright red on the underside of it’s wings. I was really happy to get this photo. As for the rain that had been coming down fairly heavily when we left home, the roads were drying up by the time we got out here and by the evening the sky was totally clear.

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Growing Fawns

Growing Fawns

Growing Fawns

A month ago (see Sunday, July 04, 2021) I had a photo of one of two fawns that were in our back yard. Exactly one month later, the fawns are still roaming the neighborhood and we saw them in our yard again. They were slightly more alarmed by my presence than they had been a month ago but I was still able to get fairly close to them before they took off. As you can see, they are still spotted but the spots are less well defined and obvious. We’re slightly amazed that they’ve lived this long, being so close to a busy road with all its traffic. It’s nice to see them, but then, of course, they’re here eating our garden, which isn’t so nice.

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Diabrotica undecimpunctata (Spotted Cucumber Beetle)

Diabrotica undecimpunctata (Spotted Cucumber Beetle)

Diabrotica undecimpunctata (Spotted Cucumber Beetle)

Cathy’s brother arrived from the Chicago area today and in the evening we all went to the Agricultural Farm Park. In the dahlia garden, we spotted this spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) on a beautiful magenta dahlia. It’s not peak season for the dahlias quite yet, but there are enough blooms to make it worth visiting, if you’re in the area. The demonstration garden ‘next door’ is in fine fettle and also worth walking through. It’s in a lot better shape this summer than last year, when I suspect getting people to work on it was a bit harder.

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Another Sunflower Photo

Sunflower

Sunflower

We decided to go see the sunflowers in the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area again today. It was quite hot but really nice. I got photo of both male and female indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea), although neither of them is really great. Good enough to positively identify them, but that’s about all. I also photographed a great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele). Naturally, I took more photos of the sunflowers. Cathy and Jim’s mom stayed in the car with the doors open. She could see the flowers but it’s much too bumpy for the wheelchair.

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American Black Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

American Black Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

American Black Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

From Sunflower Field #4 we went to the parking area for field #1. There are no sunflowers there, but close to the parking area are two shallow, artificial ponds. We walked about half way around one of them and enjoyed the diversity of plant and animal life. We mostly saw insects and a few birds in terms of fauna. Early afternoon, in the heat of the August sun is not the best time for wildlife viewing. But the mallows (probably Hibiscus moscheutos), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and especially the American black elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) were really nice. this is the fruit of the elderberry, ripe and ready to eat.

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Scolia dubia dubia (Two-spotted Scoliid Wasp)

Scolia dubia dubia (Two-spotted Scoliid Wasp)

Scolia dubia dubia (Two-spotted Scoliid Wasp)

From McKee-Beshers we went to Rocklands Farm. We were greeted by Janis who took us to her garden and gave us tomatoes and eggplants. I photographed these two-spotted scoliid wasps (Scolia dubia dubia) on the Eryngium in her garden. There were probably a dozen of them on the small plant with a lot of movement. There were a few other wasps but most were this very distinctive subspecies of blue-winged wasp. We bought burgers and Brussels sprout from the Boxcar Burgers truck and a bottle of wine from Rocklands and enjoyed a warm but beautiful evening sitting by the barn. A nice way to spend a summer evening.

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Backyard Bric-a-brac

Backyard Bric-a-brac

Backyard Bric-a-brac

When we bought our house, the outside portion of our air conditioner was on the back patio. I’m not sure who would ever think that was a good idea. Someone who never sits on the patio, I guess. When we replaced the furnace and air conditioner, we had it moved to the end of the house so we could actually sit outside in the summer and hear each other talk. The concrete plinth that the unit used to sit on is still there and is a sort of stage for assorted bric-a-brac. Rocks, shells, bones, and antlers make up the bulk of the collection.

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Jim’s Visit

Cathy, Dorothy, Henry, Jim, and Margaret

Cathy, Dorothy, Henry, Jim, and Margaret

Cathy’s brother Jim visited us for a long weekend and of course, before he left we had to take a group photo. We had a good time visiting some rural places and he and Cathy spent a lot of time going through pictures, papers, and other memorabilia from their family’s past. We went to the Agricultural Farm Park on Thursday, McKee-Beshers and Rocklands Farm Winery on Friday, and then Rockville Cemetery, Croyden Creek, and Redgate Park on Sunday. All in all, a very nice time.

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Rainbow, Up Close

Rainbow, Up Close

Rainbow, Up Close

Generally you can only see rainbows when the sun is relatively low in the sky. To reflect and refract such that the arc of the rainbow is 42 degrees from the line from the sun to the observer. So, when the sun is high in the sky, the rainbow will be below the horizon. Generally that means you can’t see the rainbow because there’s not enough rain between you and the background. Sometimes you’ll see a rainbow against a distant mountain, but I think this is the closest I’ve ever seen one. It’s between us and the trees across the street. It wasn’t obvious at first, but after looking for it a little while, it became visible and I got a few pictures before the rain moved on a bit further and it was gone.

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Magnolia and Chamaecyparis

Magnolia and Chamaecyparis

Magnolia and Chamaecyparis

After church today we went to Stadler Nursery in Laytonsville. We only bought one small plant but we enjoyed looking around. I think a little later in the year we will be back to buy a few shrubs, including a dark red leaved nine bark (Physocarpus opulifolius) and possibly a crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). I photographed varieties of both that I’m interested in. As we were out in the large shrub and tree area, I took this photo of a Chamaecyparis (possibly C. obtusa, the hinoki cypress, but I didn’t actually make a note of it). I think the juxtaposition of the big, bold Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia) blossom with the more delicate foliage is really nice.

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Dinner With Friends

Annie, Jonathan, Ian, Susie, Rob, and Dorothy

Annie, Jonathan, Ian, Susie, Rob, and Dorothy

Cathy had to work late this evening so sadly she was not available to be at the dinner Dorothy and I shared with Annie, Ian, Jonathan, Susie, and Rob. We met at the Cactus Cantina in northwest Washington and had a lovely time. We don’t get together often enough, but we don’t all live close together, so it’s not always convenient. This is a group that’s had a few major trips together, including to Phoenix, Arizona and even more impressive, to Venice and Florence, Italy. I don’t know that we’ll be able to top those trips, but we can always dream.

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Colorful Bracket Fungus

Colorful Bracket Fungus

Colorful Bracket Fungus

Cathy and I took a walk in Meadowside Nature Center this evening. It wasn’t terribly hot this evening but it was very humid. I took pictures of a few different types of flowers including Vernonia (Iron Weed), Senna, Helenium (Sneezeweed), Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower), and Eutrochium (Joe-pye Weed). We tried to identify the leaves that looked a little like a rue-related plant. They had small flowers but it wasn’t until we saw the seeds that we were able to identify it as tick-trefoil (Desmodium Species). This bracket fungus was on the side of a fallen log. I think it’s really beautiful.

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Dahlia ‘Pam Howden’

Dahlia ‘Pam Howden’

Dahlia ‘Pam Howden’

After church today we decided to go to the Agricultural Farm Park and look at the dahlias. While were were there, a woman told us that there were dahlias being displayed and judged over near the farm house. This is one of my favorites of those that were displayed. It’s a dahlia called ‘Pam Howden’ and was hybridised by Gar Davidson. It’s a really lovely waterlily type dahlia with really amazing color. I was able to ask about a dahlia that I photographed last year (see Saturday, September 26, 2020). While I thought it was really amazing, apparently it didn’t make the grade because it didn’t produce enough blooms. Pity.

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Cleome

Cleome

Cleome

We took a walk in the neighborhood this evening and I took a few pictures of this Cleome blooming a few blocks from our house. The yard in question is one of the nicer gardens in the neighborhood, filled with quite a variety of plants and with something in bloom pretty much the entire spring, summer, and fall. We’ve had Cleome in the past but currently don’t have any. It’s fairly easy to grow from seed, so we should try to get some for next year. The seeds are not particularly hardy, so it’s safest to keep them indoors before planting them in the spring.

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Chardonel Grapes

Chardonel Grapes

Chardonel Grapes

I spent some time in the Rocklands Farm vineyard this morning, as well as having a meat photo shoot with Dorothy for their livestock business. Harvest is underway and it appears it will be a good one. These are Chardonel Grapes, which are the result of the cross, ‘Seyval’ x ‘Chardonnay’, made in 1953. It is “distinguished by its superior wine quality combined with high productivity and cold hardiness superior to its acclaimed parent” (i.e. ‘Chardonnay’).

I came early in the day hoping to get pictures with the sun as a low angle. Sadly it was cloudy when I got here. Also, if I had come about a half hour earlier I would have been treated to a wonderful sunrise but I was too late for that. After the meat photo shoot the clouds were gone. The sun was much higher in the sky but the light on the grapes was good and I spent another hour or so in the vineyard. If you haven’t been to Rocklands, I recommend it, both for the wine and for the atmosphere. Tell ‘em Henry sent you.

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Phyciodes tharos (Pearl Crescent)

Phyciodes tharos (Pearl Crescent)

Phyciodes tharos (Pearl Crescent)

We were out at Rocklands again today. They were having a picnic for their Cellar Club and asked if I’d come to take pictures. Since many of the pictures were of people but people that I don’t really know, I decided to post this one. It’s a pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) and it was in Janis’ garden. This is a fairly common little butterfly but you do sometimes have to pay attention to see them. They aren’t particularly flashy. I also took pictures of a few flowers and a nice shot of a soldier beetle.

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