Nature
Cicadas 2024: Brood XIX and XIII will impact our ecosystems for years to come - Vox
While the insect explosion will be brief, it will shape forests for years to come. The binge-fest that birds enjoy during these periods supersize their families and, in turn, shift the eating and hunting patterns of many other species. These effects send ripples throughout the ecosystem. As one recent study put it, pulses of periodical cicadas can “rewire” entire forest food webs.
It has begun! I found this year's cicadas in my garden this morning. Magicicada septendecim, sometimes called the Pharaoh cicada or the 17-year locust, is native to Canada and the United States and is the largest and most northern species of periodical cicada with a 17-year lifecycle.
2024-04-21 07_22
I never noticed that when magnified some of the Calyptra (oval ends of sporophytes) look a little bit like long sharp teeth!
A new-to-me moss, Plagiomnium cuspidatum. Very pretty with smooth, thin leaves.
Seen on the trail today, a zebra swallowtail! Saw a red spot purple on the walk yesterday. And the small flowers are starting to pop up above the leaves.
Rue anemone
A perfect afternoon visiting the bees as they collected pollen from a flowering plum tree.
#nature #bees #spring #flowers
A variety of bees, flys and butterflies were busy pollinating the plum trees today - the western honey bees especially!
With the recent rain the moss and lichen are looking very lush.
#moss #mosstodon #lichen #lichensubscribe
An interesting patch of moss and lichen near the trail on my morning walk. The lichen appears to be taking over the moss.
A gall induced by Atrusca quercuscentricola, Spotted oak apple gall wasp. An egg is laid and after hatching the larvae signals the tree which produces a protective gall which contains a nutritious food source. At maturity in late November to early December it cut's a tiny hole and exits the gall.
Seen on my morning trail walk. From top to bottom: The gall of a Atrusca quercuscentricola Spotted oak apple gall wasp.
Cladonia portentosa Lichen
Broom Forkmoss, Dicranum scoparium with a little cedar berry appearance.
Thuidium delicatulum, delicate fern moss or common fern moss.
ID uncertain, possibly Entondon cladorrhizans flattened entondon moss
I almost missed this fallen branch covered in Luminescent Panelus, Panellus stipticus. Such a fascinating world if we take the time to see it.
With last night’s rain and the soft light this morning the fungi, lichen and moss really popped out at me during my morning trail walk.
Luminescent Panellus, Panellus stipticus and Eastern speckled shield lichen, Punctelia bolliana
Sternum ostrea, false turkey-tail
Tremella mesentercia, witch’s butter
While out on a trail walk yesterday, I saw something small and white moving around in the leaves and met this cute, furry moth, Artace cribrarius, the dot-lined white.
This morning I discovered a small group of pawpaws growing just 150 feet from my cabin! 🤗 I planted 2 in a different spot last spring but these volunteers are growing in the other spot I was considering. Which leads me to think there must be more in the area that I have yet to discover. 🤗