Wilson Shoals Wildlife Management Area: July, 2012

July 7th, 2012. We wandered north and found ourselves at the Wilson Shoals Wildlife Management Area in Banks County. We’d visited this WMA previously in … As we did last time, we entered the WMA from the Yonah-Homer Road (GA-51) and drove north on Grant Mill Road.

Our first finds were...

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A single ironweed plant growing in the shade. I think this one is the Broadleaf Ironweed (Vernonia glauca), and…

A single Rosepink (Sabatia angularis). We saw several more plants along Grant Mill Road up to the ridge.

We continued along Grant Mill Road and turned along Hunt Camp Road and found a number of plants blooming or fruiting. In a short section of road, not far from the turn off, we found…

Several Ludwigia alternifolia (Bushy Seedbox, Alternate-leaf Seedbox) bushes in bloom. 

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More Rosepink plants in bloom, probably a dozen or so.

We started to see Pycnanthemum incanum (Hoarymountainmint) plants. These are much more ‘heavily frosted’ at these higher elevations in the mountains compared with the lightly ‘frosted’ leaves on plants lower in the Piedmont.

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The flower had is a cyme with many small individual flowers that are easy to overlook.

And my find of the day, plant-wise – a couple of buckeye bushes fruiting. I’ve seen a lot of bushes in bloom but none fruiting. Based on the fruit, I believe these are Aesculus sylvatica (Painted Buckeye).

The road dropped down into an unnamed creek valley where we found a

wild ginger, and

a viola, probably Viola walteri (Prostrate Blue Violet). We’ll have to check these out in the Spring.

The road climbed out onto a ridge where we found…

Cirsium vulgare (Bull Thistle). This plant serves as the reminder of a missed opportunity. We stopped beside the plant and I started to get out before I realized that a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) was feeding on the flower. By the time I saw it, I had startled it and it flew off into the woods. It’s good to know, however, that this is an area to look for this butterfly whose range doesn’t extend much south of here in Georgia.

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Immediately across the road was a plant that looks like Aralia spinosa (Devil's walkingstick) just starting to bloom. Wish I’d looked at the stems more closely to be sure.

We drove a along the road until the road dropped precipitously and we couldn’t see how steep it would be to go further. The road was covered with loose gravel and, even with four-wheel drive we decided it would be prudent to turn around. When we started back to Grant Mill Road, we spotted…

a nice group of bracket fungi. These belong to the genus Ganoderma.

Next: More photos of fruiting buckeye bushes.

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Identification resources:

Duke University, Jeffrey Pippen: Vernonia glauca (Broadleaf Ironweed)

Southeastern Flora 

- Sabatia angularis (Rosepink) 

- Ludwigia alternifolia (Bushy Seedbox, Alternate-leaf Seedbox) 

- Pycnanthemum incanum (Hoarymountainmint) 

- Aralia spinosa (Devil's Walkingstick) 

Duke University, Will Cook: Asculus sylvatica (Painted Buckeye) 

Missouri Plants: Cirsium vulgare (Bull Thistle)

 Related post: 

- Banks County: Wilson ShoalsWildlife Management Area

Scull Shoals Experimental Forest: Just Checking In

July 6^th, 2012. We made our almost-weekly stop at Scull Shoals Experimental Forest. Usually, we can drive to the end of the road to a turn-around and drive back out. But on the 6^th… 

we found the road blocked by a fallen tree trunk. It was a snag and much of the wood was rotten. But the trunk was probably about 18 inches in diameter and too large to move. So we satisfied ourselves by climbing over it and walking a little way up the road. We could check a couple of plants we have been following and were treated to a variety of wildflowers and insects.

We’d just had rain after a long drought and ants had to clear their tunnels of sand that had washed into them. There weren’t any ants in sight; just the evidence of their housekeeping.

This Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is about three feet high now and had five suckers this year. It’s long since finished blooming for the year and one of its suckers is developing seeds.

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Passionflowers vines (Passiflora incarnata) are blooming. Insects are feeding and inadvertantly fertilizing the blooms.

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Angularfruit milkvines (Matelea gonocarpos) vines are blooming. It’ll be interesting to see if any develop seedpods this year.

A Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades) skipper was flitting from bloom to bloom, feeding on the last of the Heal All (Prunella vulgaris) plants still blooming. This butterfly wasn’t posing for photos and wouldn’t let me get a good shot of the top of its wings; I’ve posted some photos of this butterfly previously.

Six-spotted Tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). Several of these beautiful beetles were scurrying around the road and they weren’t posing for photos either. I had to make do with a zoom shot which I’ve enlarged here.

A robber fly. I don’t know what species this is. It, also, was nervous about being approached but allowed me to get this photo.

One of several Eastern Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) along the road was folding its wings as soon as it landed. And last, but not least, a…

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) had a favorite perch just where we parked the pickup.

All-in-all, it was a fruitful stop even if we couldn’t get to the end of the road. Hopefully next time we visit, the snag will have been cleared from the road. It’s a long walk to the Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) flowers we’re following.

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Identification resources: 

 Southeastern Flora:

- Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) 

- Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower, Maypop) 

- Matelea gonocarpos (Angularfruit milkvine) 

Bug Guide:

- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades) 

- Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) 

- Eastern Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) 

- Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)

Related post:

- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades)

Climbing dogbane (Thyrsanthella [Trachelospermum] difforme)

June 30^th, 2012. We visited our favorite matelea vines – the Maroon (Matelea carolinensis) and Yellow (Matelea flavidula) Carolina Milkvines  in Hancock County and then wandered along the roadside looking for other flowers. W spotted a vine with smallish leaves and even smaller flowers at the bottom of a steep, almost vertical drop-off beside the road. (W just likes to see if I’ll bite). It was very hot and I couldn’t quite see getting down the slope let alone up again. However, we spotted another, much-more-accessible plant a little further along the road.

The tip of a vine with several clusters of flowers. This plant would probably go unnoticed unless you’re walking along a road or trail.

A closer view of the leaves. This plant, a member of the family Apocyanaceae, has a milky, sticky sap.

 A view of several clusters of flowers at the tip of the vine.

A closer view of an individual flower

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Close up views of an individual flower from slightly different angles. The flower is only about one-quarter inch in diameter.

Trachelospermum difforme (Climbing Dogbane) is native to the United States where it grows from Maryland to Illinois and southwest to Texas. In Georgia, it has only been documented in several counties throughout the state. It has not been documented in Hancock County.According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (IT IS), the name Trachelospermum difforme is not accepted and the species should be named Thyrsanthella difformis.

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Identification resources:

- Southeastern Flora: Trachelospermum difforme (ClimbingDogbane) 

- Will Cook, Duke University: Thyrsanthella difformis (Climbing Dogbane) 

Distribution:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Trachelospermum difforme (Climbing Dogbane) 

- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Trachelospermum difforme

Southern Jointweed (Polygonella americana)

June 15^th. We took a trip down to Washington County, Georgia – to an area west of Sandersville – to look at one of the routes for the national acoustic survey for bats in Georgia. The last section of the route travels along Smyrna Church Road to end at its intersection with Prosser Road on the Hancock County-Washington County line.

We spotted a small patch of unusual plants blooming on the west side of Smyrna Church Road and, not having noticed them before during our travels, stopped to photograph them.

Plants growing in sandy soil on the west side of Smyrna Church Road in Washington County, Georgia.

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Closer views of the plants. The unopened blossoms on the stems give it a striking appearance from a distance.

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The stems. The leaves are scale like.

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Closer views of the flower heads

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Closer views of the flowers.

Close up of a few flowers. These flowers have five white sepals and no petals.  

Subsequently we found plants on June 29th on the north side of Murder Creek Church Rd approaching the Discovery Center in the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Jasper County

Polygonella americana (Southern Jointweed) is native to the United States where it grows in southern states from Virginia to New Mexico south as well as in Missouri and Indiana. In Georgia, it’s been documented in counties scattered thoughout the state. Interestingly this plant has not been documented in Washington County.

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Identification resources: 

- Southeastern Flora: Polygonella americana (Southern Jointweed) 

- Name that Plant: Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Polygonella Americana (Southern Jointweed)

- Missouri Plants: Polygonella americana

Distribution:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Polygonella americana (Southern Jointweed)

- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Polygonella americana

Damselfly: Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita)

June 22rd, 2012. I was photographing a small wildflower by a road in the Scull Shoals Experimental Forest when I noticed some movement among the leaves a few inches above the ground. This usually means some small insect whose identification I have no chance of making. But this time, there were a couple of small damselflies not more than an inch in length flying stealthily from leaf to leaf. They’d settle on leaves unless disturbed so we had several opportunities to photograph them.

For once, it was relatively easy to identify them. The ‘exclamation mark’ pattern on the thorax is diagnostic for the Fragile Forktail (IIschnura posita). One had blue markings and the other had cream markings.

A view to give a relative size of the damselfly.

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Closer views of the ‘blue’ male resting on a leaf.

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Closer views of the ‘cream’ male resting on a leaf.

This damselfly is munching on a smaller insect it caught.

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 Identification resources: 

- Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of Georgia: Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) 

- Giff Beaton, Pond Damsels (Coenagrionidae): Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) 

- Fairfax County Public Schools: Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) 

- BugGuide: Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) [Male-Cream] [Male-Blue]

It’s Hot And I’m Keeping My Wings Folded

June 23rd, 2012. It’s hot! It’s been in the 90s F and low 100s F for the last two weeks. And the butterflies are feeling it. We were in the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge at Pond 2A when I spotted a Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) and another tiny butterfly that turned out to be a Southern Skipperling (Copaeodes minima) feeding on Sneezeweed (Helenium amarum) flowers.  

Pearl Crescent

In May, the Pearl Cresents kept their wings open when feeding or resting to absorb warmth. I photographed this butterfly on May 12th in the Piedmont NWR.

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Now they land and immediately folded their wings while feeding, only opening them to fly to another flower. It did make it easy to see the underside of the wings for a change.

Southern Skipperling

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I’d never seen a Southern Skipperling before but I’m not surprised. These little guys are barely ½ inch long. I only noticed this one only because it was feeding with the Pearl Crescent.

It was interesting to watch how both of these butterflies fed. They didn’t wander over the flower. They stood on the center of the flower and pivoted as they fed from the opened florets at the margin of the flower. I’d never noticed this before.

Click on an image to view a closer image

Identification resources: 

Butterflies and Moths of North America: 

- Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) 

- Southern Skipperling (Copaeodes minima) 

Michael Beohm: West Central Georgia Butterflies
- Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) 

- Southern Skipperling (Copaeodes minima) 

BugGuide: 

- Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)  [Side] [Top]

- Southern Skipperling (Copaeodes minima) 

Related post:

- Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)