A Budding Naturalist

July 18th, 2007

Living out here in the country, I feel a yearning to learn the names of things, the nature of things and understand the cycles of life around us. I want to be a naturalist! (Not a naturist.)

I suppose before there were Barnes & Nobles with nifty identifying books and prior to when Al Gore invented the Internet, we had to rely on our parents, grandparents and teachers to tell us the names of things. Now, Google can help us put names the creatures in the world around us.

That is, if you believe everything you read on the Internet.

Giving a name to an animal, a bug or a plant is the beginning of knowing the nature of that animal, bug or plant. When you can name it, you can refer to IT, add to your library of information about IT. It provides a pinpoint reference for what IT is. You can explain IT to others and feel on a first-name familiarity with IT. IT becomes a part of you.

At least, that’s what I think.

In the seven years we’ve lived here on this property (about 21 or so acres), I’ve made some on-again, off-again efforts at putting names to things. Now, with my nifty new camera by my side, I can photograph IT and then do research to identify IT that doesn’t have to rely on my aging memory.

And with this nifty new blog, I can check to make sure that I’m not off track about what IT is. I can ask people like Ruthie to help! Or maybe even Julie, the uber-naturalist, would drop by and straighten me out!

Out here in the country, the farmers give their own names to things. For example, Farmer Rudy, who tends our hay field, calls some of the vines in our trees monkey vines. Now, a quick Google search tells me that there are, indeed, some plants called monkey vines. But the vines he’s referring to have little or nothing to do with the monkey vines mentioned on Google.

So just what ARE those darned monkey vines?

Similarly, the locals call these beautiful, wild flowers that twine up high through the trees trumpet flowers, no doubt because of their trumpet-like shape.

Mystery Flower Identified – Trumpet Vine (Thanks Carol and Ruthie for the ID!)

But IS this a trumpet flower? We have dozens of them, providing bright spots of color in the foliage in the hot months of August.

Now, I’ve already threatened to have my own little butterfly gallery. So here are two more candidates.

Mystery butterfly #1

I’m pretty sure this is a butterfly and not a moth because of the knobby ends on his antennae. He’s a small, light green fellow. There are many of his mates that hang out with him at our butterfly bush–an aptly named bush if I ever met one.

Cabbage White Butterfly (Thanks Ruthie for the ID)

Similarly, this little white butterfly sporting the black spot is plentiful here at the Bumblebee Garden. I consider myself fortunate to have captured his image because they are usually flitting around rapidly, seldom landing for very long.

Cabbage White Butterfly

Not, I actually DO know the names of some things here at the Bumblebee Garden.

For example, I know that the box turtles around here are generally Eastern box turtles.

Eastern Box Turtle

One of the things I love about living out here is how people have respect for turtles. After a rain, it is not unusual to see dozens of turtles slowly crossing the road. People invariably drive around them. And it is not a rare scene to see someone stop a car and gently move a turtle off to the side. In fact, I have NEVER seen a squished box turtle. And there is PLENTY of other road kill around here.

Finally, I definitely know about these wild creatures.

Papillons

They may look like tender fluffs of fur, but these animals are FIERCE. I just have to say the word “deer” in a normal tone of voice and they are on TRIPLE HIGH ALERT, darting from window to window, ready to stalk and chase down the offending creature. When I open the door, they RACE out and chase down the deer–at least until they hit the edge of the woods. They do not do woods.

They also know “squirrel,” “bird” and anything that begins with “Is that a…”

So there you go.

Anyone who wants to help advance my naturalist education, chime right in and give me the name for IT!

Posted In: Gardening

Tags: gloriosa superba Rothschildiana

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New Camera Photo Day

July 14th, 2007

A garden is continually changing…

Plants grow, flourish, produce their fruit and then find their magical ways to create a new plant.

The spinach bid adieu long ago. Our lettuce also has finally gone to seed. This is, perhaps, one of the saddest passings in our garden, since a green salad is nearly always on the dinner menu. One of the great joys of a garden is going out and picking what is fresh and ripe, rinsing it off and eating it within minutes of the harvest.

Lettuce going to seed

But to take its place, our cucumbers are thriving. Cucumber salad. Cucumbers in neufchatel cheese. Oriental cucumbers. Chopped cucumbers in veggie wraps. Homemade bread and butter pickles.

Yes, you can perhaps have too many cucumbers. And zucchini.

Cucumber vines

A closer look at the flowers in the garden also reveals a bounty of bugs. Some good. Some bad.

A constant are the bees–at least so far. I do worry about the mass bee deaths that are occurring. So far, we still see bees, particularly the big fat bumblebees.

Bumblebee

My favorites are the butterflies. I haven’t made a conscious effort to attract butterflies. It just happened. They love any and all flowers. But especially, they love the butterfly bush.

I wish I had the skills to capture what happens near the end of the day. Although all day long the butterfly bush is FILLED with butterflies, around 5 p.m., there seems to be some sort of butterfly meeting. They all converge in a frenzy of activity. Perhaps they are trying to get that last bit of nectar before it gets too late and everyone has to go to bed. Really, though, I don’t know why. But I wish that I had the ability to capture the mass and movement of butterflies. I’ll have to figure that out.

Butterfly – Red Admiral (vanessa atalanta)

Until I do, though, there will be plenty for me to do cataloging and identifying the wide variety of butterflies that visit our garden.

Butterfly — Anise Swallowtail?

Can anyone tell I have a new camera? After seeing all the fabulous photography in some of the garden blogs I visit, I decided I need to be a better photographer.

Good grief. Another thing to do! Ben is already laughing at all my “pet projects!”

Posted In: Gardening

Tags: gloriosa superba Rothschildiana

7 Comments