Ebony Jewelwing

Posted on September 10, 2014 by tspuckler

The Ebony Jewelwing is a damselfly. Damselflies are closely related to dragonflies and they look very much alike.

The easiest way to tell dragonflies and damselflies apart is to look at the wings. Dragonfly wings stick straight out from the body when the dragonfly is resting. Damselfly wings usually fold back above the body.

This two-inch insect is easily recognized by its all-black wings and iridescent metallic green body (the body may also appear black or blue depending on the light). Females have a white spot on their wings.

Ebony Jewelwings are found wherever there are shady forest streams. When they fly they look a lot like a butterfly because they flutter. They often stop to rest on leaves or twigs. Both sexes can be found together; males often face off in slow, circular “dances” that call to mind World War I aces squaring off for battle.

Ebony Jewelwings can be seen flying from May to August. They are not only beautiful, but beneficial, eating large numbers of gnats, aphids, flies, and other insects.

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Hawthorn

Posted on September 5, 2014 by tspuckler

Hawthorns comprise the single largest group of trees and large shrubs that inhabit the woods and fields of Ohio, about 60 species.

They are known primarily for their white Spring flowers and Autumn fruits, which can be yellow, orange, or red in color. Here are some flowers from back in May.

Hawthorns have a sturdy yet enchanting presence that exudes a mighty strength for such a relatively small, twiggy, thorny tree.

These trees tend to colonize pastures, where their thorns prevent animals from grazing on them. Heights range from 10 to 25 feet, and widths about 15 to 30 feet.

Hawthorn berries have been used to treat heart disease as far back as the 1st century. The extract from this tree’s leaves and berries are still used today to treat diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

These trees are so named by a combination of an alternative name for its fruits (haws) and the plentiful thorns found singly on its twigs.

The wild berries are consumed by birds and other wildlife. People eat the berries as well – and they are made into jellies, jams, pies and tarts.

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Indigo Bunting

Posted on August 31, 2014 by tspuckler

The sparrow-sized, brilliant turquoise blue, male Indigo Bunting is one of the most eye-catching birds around.

Indigo Buntings have no blue pigment; they are actually black, but the diffraction of light through the structure of the feathers makes them appear blue.

Male Indigo Buntings sing from treetops, shrubs, and telephone lines all summer. They favor brushy pastures and edge habitat where fields meet the forest.

As with many birds, the adult female has less spectacular coloration and is mostly brown. In both sexes, the upper beak is dark contrasting with a whitish lower beak.

These birds perform a valuable service to man by consuming grasshoppers, cankerworms, flies, mosquitoes, weevils and other insect pests. Their diet also includes fruit and seeds.

The sights and sounds of Indigo Buntings are a pretty good indication that Summer is in full swing.

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Fiery Searcher

Posted on August 24, 2014 by tspuckler

I saw a large, unusual shape clinging to the underside of a leaf on some low-growing vegetation and discovered this beetle. The Fiery Searcher is one of the largest ground beetles. It can grow to almost to one and a half inches long.

Not only is it sizeable, but it is also quite colorful, being mostly a metallic green. It has a fierce appearance; if you look at the head of this insect, you will see sharp, curved jaws, used for grabbing prey. Fiery Searchers live in open woodlands, meadows and gardens. They are often under rocks, logs, leaves and bark. Both larvae and adults eat caterpillars. This beetle’s nickname is the “Caterpillar Hunter.” It will climb trees and plants to look for food.

This is considered to be a beneficial creature, as Fiery Searchers eat more Eastern Tent Caterpillars and European Gypsy Moth caterpillars than any other type of caterpillars. These particular caterpillars do a lot of damage to trees.

Although they run fast and bite hard, they have an additional trick up their sleeve to deter predators, which is releasing a noxious, bad-smelling spray when threatened.

The Fiery Searcher is indeed interesting and appealing. It was awesome to encounter for the first time this Summer.

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Pitcher Plant

Posted on August 18, 2014 by tspuckler

This is the first time I’ve ever seen this plant in the wild. The leaves of the pitcher plant have reddish-purple patterns, which resemble flowers. Each leaf forms a “cup” that is partly filled with water. The “flower mimic” causes some of the insects investigating the potential source of food to become food for the plant.

Once an insect enters the hollow leaf, it is faced with waxy walls leading to a pool of water. The pit-fall trap of the pitcher plant further reduces its prey’s chance of escaping by having downward-pointing hairs to make getting out more difficult.

In addition to using visual cues to attract prey, scent is utilized. The outer edge of the leaf produces a sweet-smelling substance. Ants are attracted to the smell and are trapped in a similar manner as flying insects.

Pitcher plants reside in bog habitats in eastern North America. Carnivorous plants tend to live in nitrogen-poor soils. They augment the inadequate nitrogen in the soil by capturing and consuming insects.

In the Summer, this plant produces a large maroon-to-red colored bell flower, 2-3 inches wide, which droops from a single, tall leafless stalk. The Pitcher plant is indeed mysterious. With its unique ability to obtain food, it has inspired us to reshape our concept on how nature really works.

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Four-toed Salamander

Posted on August 12, 2014 by tspuckler

This small, slender salamander is orange to grayish brown above, sometimes with small black and bluish speckles on the sides. This is Ohio’s smallest salamander – and the first one I’ve ever found. Adults are 2 to 3 inches long; their tails make up over half their length.

Though it ranges throughout much of the state, it only occurs where boggy ponds or spring-fed creeks are available in or near damp wooded habitats. As its name implies, this amphibian has only four digits on its front and hind feet.

Four-toed Salamanders can voluntarily detach their tails, which continue to wiggle to distracting predators. This autonomization of their tails in unique. The tails of most salamanders must be grasped to come off.

It was cool to finally meet this uncommon and secretive creature in the wild.

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Crown-Tipped Coral Mushrooms

Posted on August 7, 2014 by tspuckler

These tend to grow on wood that has been dead for a very long time. They will grow on both hardwood and coniferous logs. This coral fungus or coral mushroom is appropriately named because it looks like coral from the ocean floor. It is rather small, as it Latin species name, pyxidata, hints at.

Crown-Tipped Coral Mushrooms are actually one of the duller-colored coral fungi. There are some very striking, brightly-colored coral fungi, especially west of the Great Plains.

Like so many fungi, this species exists as a network of cells that obtains nourishment by digesting the rotting wood that it lives within. Most of the mushroom hidden. When ready to reproduce, the branching “fruiting body” develops outside the wood, which is a reproductive structure.

Crown-Tipped Coral Mushrooms, like other fungi, perform an important feat of breaking down once-living matter to release carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and other matter back into the soil and atmosphere.

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Giant Leopard Moth

Posted on August 2, 2014 by tspuckler

Walking through Brecksville Reservation, just a few minutes from my home, I noticed this stunning creature resting on a log.

This species has a wingspan of 3 inches. The wings of this moth are a high contrast bright white with a pattern of black spots, some solid and some hollow.

This is the first adult I’ve ever seen, though I am familiar with their caterpillars, which have black bristles and orange colored bands between their segments.

Although they are called “leopard moths” these insects belong to the family known as “tiger moths.” There are thousands of species in this group, many with equally vivid markings.

It was an awesome experience to come across this spectacular insect known from its amazing coloration and impressive size.

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Red-eared Slider

Posted on July 28, 2014 by tspuckler

As its common name implies, the Red-eared Slider’s most distinguishing characteristic is the bright, red-orange patch behind each eye. The “slider” part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly.

In central Ohio, it is thought that we have a population separate from its typical native North American range in the Mississippi River system, but now, you can see them in many lakes and rivers across the state.

This turtle lives in ponds, lakes, marshes, and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms. Older makes sometimes lose most of their color and turn almost completely black. Here are a few I saw while visiting southern Illinois.

Red-eared Sliders are common in the pet trade and now live all around the globe. They are now considered among the word’s 100 most invasive species because as pets they are a lot of work to maintain, so owners release them into the wild.

Like many other aquatic turtles, the Red-eared Slider starts out life largely carnivorous, feeding on insects, tadpoles and other aquatic creatures. As it matures, it becomes largely herbivorous, feeding primarily on aquatic plants.

Red-eared Sliders can reach lengths of up to 12 inches, although 7 to 9 inches is more common; the females are typically a bit larger than the males. Males, kike this one, use their long fore-claws to tickle female’s head during courtship.

These reptiles may produce 3 to 4 clutches of eggs in a single year. Females will dig a nest three to ten inches wide and about four inches deep. The eggs are deposited in the excavation and carefully covered with soil.

The young turtles hatch 60 to 75 days later. As is the case with many other turtles, the hatchlings’ gender depends on the temperature within the nest; if the temperature in the nest is relatively warm, mostly males will be hatched; if it is relatively cool, mostly females will hatch.

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Scarlet Tanager

Posted on July 23, 2014 by tspuckler

Male Scarlet Tanagers are among the most beautiful birds in the eastern U.S. forest in Summer, with blood-red bodies set off by jet-black wings and tail. They’re also one of the most frustratingly hard to find, as they stay high in the forest canopy singing their rich songs.

The yellowish-green, dark-winged females can be even harder to spot until you key in on this bird’s call note. In Fall, males trade red feathers for yellow-green and the birds take off for South America.

Insects are the primary food of the Scarlet Tanager. Most often the Scarlet Tanager moves slowly through tree tops searching for beetles and caterpillars; however they do feed on other insects as well – like bees, wasps and butterflies.

Breeding Scarlet Tanagers prefer large, mature forest tracts with large trees. They can easily be overlooked because of their unobtrusive behavior and preference for residing in the forest canopy. I’ve only seen a this bird once before and it was several years ago in West Virginia. I was pretty stoked to come across a pair of them this year in Brecksville Reservation.

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Author Archives: tspuckler

Ebony Jewelwing

Hawthorn

Indigo Bunting

Fiery Searcher

Pitcher Plant

Four-toed Salamander

Crown-Tipped Coral Mushrooms

Giant Leopard Moth

Red-eared Slider

Scarlet Tanager