Friday, May 27, 2011

Southern Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia)

Another butterfly sighting off the end of Anthony Shoals Road in the Broad River Wildlife Management Area in Wilkes County, Georgia. In mid-May, we saw this Southern Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia) in a Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) near the clearing along the trail in the woods. I haven’t seen a Southern Pearly Eye since I photographed one in our woods in 2009. I’ve only seen these butterflies in deciduous woods and deep in the woods rather than at their margins..

The Southern Pearly Eye is one of two Enodia species found in Georgia. The other species which occurs throughout Georgia is the Creole Pearly Eye (Enodia creola). The underside of the wing of the Creole Pearly Eye has a slightly blue cast compared with the Southern Pearly Eye.
Click on an image to view a larger image


Identification resources:

Westcentral Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm:

- Southern Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia)

- Creole Pearly Eye (Enodia creola)

BugGuide:

- Southern Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia)

- Creole Pearly Eye (Enodia creola)


Related post:

- Southern Pearly-Eye (Enodia portlandia)

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela)

On a recent trip to the Broad River Wildlife Management Area in Wilkes County, Georgia, we found this Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela) in a clearing along the trail in the woods off the end of Anthony Shoals Road. This is the first Little Wood Satyr we’ve seen.

Carolina Satyrs (Hermeuptychia sosybius) are very common in our woods. Rarely, we’ll see a Gemmed Satyr (Cyllopsis gemma). However, I’ve never seen a Little Wood Satyr in our area.


With its wings partly open. This is the only satyr in our area that has eye-spots on the top of the wings.

With wings folded.
Click on an image to view a larger image


Identification resources:

- Westcentral Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela)

- BugGuide: Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela)
[Dorsal] [Ventral]

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

OK, Now I’m Getting A Complex: Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsolete) At Home

OK, now I’m getting a complex. I had a secret hope that I’d see and photograph more snakes this year. But two in the space of two days is overdoing it. At least they’re Black Rat Snakes.

I was driving home yesterday afternoon and saw a snake extended across the opposite lane. It was a young snake compared with the one we saw on Saturday. It was in ‘crinkle’ pose – frozen into a series of kinks – probably in response to me driving up. As I passed it, I couldn’t tell if it was alive but, as I was deciding whether to back up, it started to move off. I backed up quickly and pulled forward between it and the embankment it was going to have to climb to reach the woods.

I jumped out and found a stick to encourage it to stop. It coiled up into a tight ball. That gave me time to re-park the car off the road, grab my camera, run back to get at least one photograph, run back to the car to turn off the headlights and run back to take more photographs.


It had curled up into a tight ball in response to being asked to stick around for some photographs. I couldn’t see its head.

A closer view. If you enlarge this photograph you can see its head sticking out from under the coils on the right. I didn’t see its head until I enlarged the image tonight.

I rolled the ball over, suspecting that its head was protected under the coils of its body. It’s interesting to compare the defensive response of this young snake to coil up into a ball compared with the big snake that assumed a strike pose.

After a while it started to move off cautiously

A little further

Almost completely uncoiled and heading up the embankment. It was a beautiful young healthy snake. About 3 feet long and slender, only about a third of the diameter of the snake we saw last Saturday.

Almost to the top

Heading over the top and off into the woods. There’s a subdivision on the other side of the woods. I hope it stayed clear of the houses. It’s more likely to be killed by folk who think that the only good snake is a dead snake. It deserves to live a long life.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Identification resource:

- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Herpetology Program: Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta)


Related posts:

- Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoleta): Broad River Wildlife Management Area, Wilkes County, Georgia

- Black Rat Snake: Another Close Encounter

- And There It Was… Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoleta)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoleta): Broad River Wildlife Management Area, Wilkes County, Georgia

We visit the Broad River Wildlife Management Area in Wilkes County, Georgia fairly regularly. A couple of trails are reputed to drop from the end of the roads in the WMA down to the Broad River. We decided to check out the trail from the end of C. Johnson Road last Saturday.

I was standing at the trail head when I remembered that, since this trail goes through brush, I’d like to have a snake hook along just to beat the bushes and logs before I stepped over them. W had just about reached the trail head with the snake hook so I turned to start down the trail. I have to confess I wasn’t paying particular attention; it was the head of the trail after all. Nothing happens at the trail head.


After a step or so, I gasped – I think my heart missed a beat or two - and came to a sudden stop. It took a few seconds for my brain to process what I was looking at, only a few steps in front of me.


The biggest Black Rat Snake we’ve ever seen. It stretched across the trail. W estimated to it be about 5 feet long and it was well fed; a really healthy snake. I’ve had a little experience with Black Rat Snakes so I gently stroked its tail with the snake hook.

It turned partly to confront the threat. Isn’t it beautiful?
(It strikes me that it reacted much like I would have if someone sneaked up behind me and touched me unexpectedly. I’d wheel around to see if I was being threatened in some way too.)

A view from one side and…

The other.

A close view. It’s flicking its tongue and the color pattern on the scales on its underside are clearly visible.

Another close view. The white eye is due to reflection of the flash light; the eyes were clear in natural light.


I must confess that the encounter left me a little jittery for the rest of the hike.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Identification resource:

- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Herpetology Program: Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoleta; formerly Elaphe obsoleta)


Related posts:

- And There It Was… Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoleta)

- Black Rat Snake: Another Close Encounter

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

We don’t see Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) butterflies very often and when we do, they’re usually on the move. On a recent trip to the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge southwest of Hillsboro in Jones County, Georgia, this swallowtail was on the move but stopped to rest on a Sweetgum (Liquidamber styraciflua) branch for a while.

Partially in the shade and facing the camera directly, this butterfly shows only a hint of blue on the wings.

In the sun and at a slightly different angle, blue color is visible on the abdomen.

Taken in 2009, this photograph shows the distinctive pattern on the underside of the wings.
Click on an image to view a larger image


Identification resources:
- Butterflies and Moths of North America: Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

- Westcentral Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

- BugGuide: Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Friday, May 20, 2011

Spotted Phacelia (Phacelia maculata)

We were making our way off the stone outcrop at the Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, on April 29th. Venus’ Looking Glass (Triodanis perfoliata) was blooming on a ledge above the lower outcrop. I spotted a lavender flower among them that was different.

Closer inspection showed that there were lavender blooms of Spotted Phacelia (Phacelia maculata) growing
among the Venus Looking Glass. Phacelia maculata is known by the common names Spotted Phacelia and Flatrock Phacelia.

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The blooms. The spots are light but visible.

The raceme arrangement of blooms on the stem.

The leaves

Phacelia maculata
(Spotted Phacelia) is native to the southeastern states: North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Distribution Map:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Phacelia maculata (Spotted Phacelia)

-
University of North Carolina Herbarium: Phacelia maculata

Identification resources:

- Southeastern Flora: Spotted Phacelia (Phacelia maculata)

- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Phacelia maculata (Flatrock Phacelia)


Related post:

- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Piedmont False Pimpernel (Lindernia monticola)

Lindernia monticola is known by several common names: Piedmont False Pimpernel, Flatrock Pimpernel, Riverbank Pimpernel, False Pimpernel. We found this plant growing on the stone outcrop at Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area in Athens-Clarke County in late April.

At a distance, these flowers tend to blend into the background.

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Up close, the flowers are delicate; white with distinctive purple markings. The Piedmont False Pimpernel is very similar in appearance and size to the…

Mazus pumilus (Japanese Mazus) flowers. Japanese Mazus has distinctive gold spots that make it easy to recognize. Although Japanese Mazus usually grows as a ground cover barely 2 inches tall – and I’ve seen it grow as a ground cover at Fort Yargo State Park - I saw it blooming on taller stalks along the Frog Pond Trail at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Natural Preserve.

Leaves of the Piedmont False Pimpernel.

Lindernia monticola
is native to the United States and grows only in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Mazus pumilis (Japanese Mazus) grows in the eastern United States as well as in the Pacific Coast states.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Distribution Map:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Lindernia monticola (Piedmont False Pimpernel)

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Mazus pumilus (Japanese Mazus)


- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Lindernia monticola

- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Mazus pumilius


Identification resources:

- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Lindernia monticola (Flatrock Pimpernel, Riverbank Pimpernel, False Pimpernel)

- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Mazus pumilis (Japanese mazus)
-
Southeastern Flora: Japanese Mazus (Mazus pumilus)

Related post:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Appalachian Fameflower (Phemeranthus teretifolius)

Phemeranthus teretifolius is one of two Phemeranthus sp. that may be found in the Piedmont area of Georgia and the Carolinas. Phemeranthus teretifolius is known by several common names: Quill Fameflower, Appalachian Rock-pink, Appalachian Fameflower, or Rock Portulaca. We’d read that this flower could be found at the Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area.

The lure of the Appalachian Fameflower is that each flower only opens for a few hours late in the afternoon. If the flower is not fertilized by a passing insect while it is open, it will self-fertilize. Since we made our visits in the early to mid-afternoon, I never thought I’d see this fameflower in bloom. But fate stepped in…

On April 29th, we arrived at the trailhead a little later than usual and met a DNR staff member who was making sure the mailbox was well stocked with trail maps and doing some repairs to the area beside the steps descending to the trail. We got to talking and time passed. So we were a little late getting started on the trail although we were a lot better informed about the area. Thanks.

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We’d noticed some succulent leaves on short stout stems during our visit in mid-April. Clearly, these plants were perennials but, since I hadn’t done my homework on fameflowers – that they belonged to the family Portulacaceae – I didn’t realize that these were fameflower plants.

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We arrived at the upper rock at the outcrop at about 4:30 pm. A number of the succulent plants had, or were developing buds.

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At 4:36 pm, we thought the best we could hope for were photographs of partly opened blooms.

But as we were photographing the blooms, they appeared to open a little, almost imperceptibly.
But it was real!

At 4:41 pm, the bloom opened a little more….

And a little more still…

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Until, at 4:43 pm, the bloom had opened completely.

Of course, as the blooms began to open, we knew that we were witnessing the opening of the Appalachian Fameflower. Something I didn’t think I’d be fortunate enough to see. It was quite extraordinary to sit and watch a bloom open before one’s eyes.

As we made our way down over the lower stone outcrop to leave, we found that many fameflowers had opened in the area between the two outcrops.

Phemeranthus teretifolius
is native to the United States: From Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. Phemeranthus teretifolius is distributed more widely in the Piedmont in Georgia than is Phemeranthus mengesii.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Distribution Map:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Phemeranthus teretifolius (Quill Fameflower)

Compare with:
Phemeranthus mengesii (Menges' fameflower)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Phemeranthus teretifolius

Compare with: Phemeranthus mengesii


Identification resources:

- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Phemeranthus teretifolius (Appalachian Rock-pink, Appalachian Fameflower, Rock Portulaca)

Compare with: Large-flowered Rock-pink, Menges' Fameflower, Large-flowered Fameflower, Menges' Rock Pink (Phemeranthus mengesii)

- Carolina Nature:
Appalachian Rock-pink, Talinum - Phemeranthus teretifolius

Related posts:

- Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area; Part 1, Blue Trail

- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index

Friday, May 13, 2011

Afternoon Of The Skinks…

We went to Fort Yargo State Park to photograph some wildflowers and, in the course of our walk, encountered two skinks.

The first encounter began when something with a tail appeared to slide behind a pine tree. All I saw was what looked like the tip of a tail and it didn’t go far. It was just behind the trunk or it had gone up the tree. I thought it was a snake so we circled around the tree in the hope that we could identify it and get some photographs. But it turned out that I’d seen a lizard. W found it on the tree trunk about four feet above the ground.

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This looks like it’s a female. The body is distended as if it’s carrying eggs.

The second encounter was at the end of a pedestrian bridge that crosses a small inlet on the lake. It’s not uncommon to encounter skinks sunning themselves but it’s difficult to photograph them. I’m not sure this lizard was paying attention because I had stepped onto the decking before it moved.

It scampered down the rail support and stopped. I don’t think it really wanted to leave its sunny spot. The ‘lines’ are evident in this photograph.

It dropped down onto the ground but, after I moved to get a photograph from a different angle, it scampered under the bridge out of sight.

These were quite large skinks; I suspect they are Five-lined Skinks (Eumeces fasciatus). It’s always a treat to see these lizards although it’s surprising to see two in one day.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Identification resource:

- Lizards of Georgia and South Carolina: Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus)


Related post:

- Southeastern Five-lined Skink (Eumeces inexpectatus)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Hairy Spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis)

Tradescantia hirsuticaulis is known by the common names Hairy Spiderwort or Hairystem Spiderwort. Blooms are usually purple or rose-pink; some blooms may be white. We found plants in various stages of blooming along the trail before we crossed the creek. At Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area, we found them growing thickly on the hillside by the trail leading up to the stone outcrop in mid-April. We saw both purple and rose-pink blooms; most were purple.

Plants on the slope along the trail from the creek up the hill to the stone outcrop.

An individual clump of plants.

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Buds developing

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Purple blooms; just opening and fully opened

A purple bloom in profile

Rose-pink blooms

A rose-pink bloom in profile.

Although purple blooms predominated at Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area, we found rose-pink blooms predominating in a lawn near the Broad River Wildlife Management Area.


Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
is native to the United States; it is found in dry woods and rocky outcrops in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Click on an image to view a larger image


Distribution Map:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Tradescantia hirsuticaulis (Hairystem Spiderwort)

- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Tradescantia hirsuticaulis


Identification resources:

- Southeastern Flora: Hairy Spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis)

- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Hairy Spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis)

- Alabama Plants: Tradescantia hirsuticauli
s

Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index

- Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area; Part 1, Blue Trail

- Rock and Shoals Outcrop Natural Area: Mid-April Wildflowers