Category Archives: Yard

Morning roundup, 7.22.2010

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[Butterflies and In bloom updated below]

First, sightings from yesterday morning and evening

Morning

A hummingbird visited the yard and nectared her way through various species, finishing with the single remaining Buttonbush bloom.

Evening

While I was wandering around the backyard late in the evening (around 7:45) a spreadwing flew in front of me and perched on a Swamp Milkweed leaf of the plant just northeast of the wild plum. Just as the one a few weeks ago did, this one had blue on S9.

I tried to get a photo, a stupid thing to do, as it spooked the damselfly when it seemed it was ready to roost for the evening.

Birds

The usual so far this morning. I’ve put the favored nectar feeder back up, so I expect to see more hummingbirds, or at least to have more frequent visits.

  • Northern Cardinal (1 male)
  • Carolina Wren
  • House Finch (1 male, 1 female/young)
  • House Sparrow (2 male, 11 female/young, including the individual I [so imaginatively] call “White Top”, who has been around just about a year)
  • Rock Pigeon (21)
  • Common Grackle (1 adult)
  • Mourning Dove (2)
  • American Goldfinch (1 male)
  • Chimney Swift (2)
  • American Robin (1 young)

Odonates

  • Fragile Forktail
  • Citrine Forktail

The Citrine didn’t let me get a photo of it. It seems to like the low vegetation.

Butterflies and Moths

One lone, battered Summer Azure was out early. This has been another bad year for yard butterflies.

UPDATE:
Shortly after I complained about the lack of butterflies in the yard a Little Yellow, a skipper (very bright, probably a Fiery), and a dark swallowtail flew in.

Others

Assorted flies and bees, which I’m not yet up to identifying.

It looks as though the Black-tailed Red Sheetweavers [that were in the Golden Alexander on the north side of the plum] were washed away by the rain on July 18. Various tiny orb weavers are scattered throughout the backyard—some are so small they’re nearly invisible.

In bloom

[Updated to include Switchgrass (how could I forget?), Butterfly Weed, 2 Coreopsis sp., Mexican Hat Flower, Joe Pye Weed, Petunia, Russian Sage, Nicotiana sp.]

Once again the summer bloomers have gotten out of hand, but it’s too late to do much about it without destroying tiny webs and eggs.

  1. Switchgrass
  2. Sweet Coneflower
  3. Mexican Hat Flower
  4. Purple Coneflower
  5. Buttonbush (one button)
  6. Royal Catchfly
  7. Rose Verbena
  8. Tall Larkspur
  9. Fame Flower
  10. Swamp Milkweed
  11. Common Milkweed (just barely)
  12. Butterfly Weed
  13. Joe Pye Week
  14. Duck Potato
  15. Canna
  16. Daylily
  17. Pink Coreopsis
  18. Coreopsis sp. (2 species)
  19. Leopard Flower (a volunteer I need to eliminate)
  20. Petunia
  21. Russian Sage
  22. Nicotiana sp.

More yard odonates

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There was another hard-to-identify (for me) damsel in the yard yesterday evening. It and a Fragile Forktail seemed to be settling in for the night in the patch of switchgrass in the northeast corner of the backyard. I’m guessing that it was a Familiar Bluet. According to Rosche, Semroc, and Gilbert (Dragonflies and Damselflies of Northeast Ohio, 2nd ed.),

The dorsal surface of the female’s abdomen is mostly black. The segment joints at the bases of S3–S8 are nearly ringed with pale coloration. These rings, coupled with the pale areas of the lateral surface, usually give the impression of dark, torpedo-like designs.

This damselfly has the pale rings, and on S7 a perfect torpedo is visible (although not so much so in the thumbnail).

  • Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)—I think · July 14, 2010 · Backyard

Because of unwellness and resulting lack of sleep last night, I wasn’t up until 7:30 this morning and missed my usual early prowl around the garden. It was already 82° when I got up and 100° around 30 minutes ago—unpleasant.

Yard odonates

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I’ve begun taking a closer look at various insects that visit the yard and have been paying special attention to the dragonflies and damselflies. There has been a minimum of four species of dragonfly, including the saddlebags that fly overhead, and four of damselfly in the backyard.

At least four Fragile Forktails have been flying in the garden the past two days. These tiny beauties are surprisingly easy to see when you’re looking for them. The most exciting visitor so far has been a Citrine Forktail, which I’m told is rare in the Saint Louis area.

I haven’t yet uploaded the photo of the female Common Whitetail.

Damsels

  • Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)—I think · July 14, 2010 · Backyard
  • Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)—I think · July 14, 2010 · Backyard
  • Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile) · July 19, 2008 · Backyard on aster

Dragons

  • Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) · June 19, 2010 · Backyard
  • Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) · June 19, 2010 · Backyard
  • Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) · June 21, 2010 · Backyard

Heat wave

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The yard

Two weeks ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d be watering my hardy native perennials. Most of the plants seemed to be tolerating the extreme heat well, but when the Monarda fistulosa blooms began turning brown only a few days after blooming, I gave in and turned on the sprinkler.

On June 24, there were two Great Spangled Fritillaries in the yard nectaring on Echinacea purpurea. This morning there was another (or one of the two I saw three days ago), also nectaring on the coneflower.

What’s blooming

Flowers, wild and not
  1. Alcea sp.
  2. Aquilegia sp. (just barely!)
  3. Asclepias syriaca
  4. Asclepias tuberosa
  5. Blephilia ciliata
  6. Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’
  7. Coreopsis verticillata (unknown variety)
  8. Echinacea paradoxa
  9. Echinacea purpurea
  10. Erysimum capitatum
  11. Glandularia canadensis
  12. Monarda fistulosa
  13. Monarda sp. (red ornamental variety)
  14. Oenothera speciosa (pink)
  15. Penstemon digitalis
  16. Pontederia cordata
  17. Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
  18. Senna marilandica
  19. Talinum calycinum
  20. Tradescantia sp.
  21. feral petunia
Shrubs
  1. Hibiscus syriacus
Grasses
  1. Chasmanthium latifolium
  2. Elymus (virginicus? hystrix?)
  3. Panicum virgatum

Getting ready to bloom

The button bush has six buds on it (I had resigned myself to waiting another year for it to bloom). Joe Pye has buds, as do Swamp and Purples Milkweeds.