See? I DID go outside!

[rubyelf]

And it was beautiful! The unseasonably hot weather broke last night and today was delightfully spring-like... and of course tomorrow night we're back down into possible heavy FROST. Ugh. That will do some damage to some of the plants I've been keeping an eye on to see what they turn into

Comments

[rhye]

I was eyeing a wildflower course. I can identify almost nothing but I sure wish I could.

[rubyelf]

Between the native ones and the non-native or invasive ones, and between all the look-alikes (there are 8 different kinds of goldenrod just in the Great Lakes area) it's almost impossible to identify everything, although I'm sure a good teacher could identify most of them at least to family if not a genus.

[untiltimeends]

Goddddddd. Your pictures are always so wonderful. <3

[rubyelf]

Thank you! I love to have my camera with me and there's just certain things that catch my eye.

[offski]

Lovely pictures, as always, made all the better by the accompanying information. I do like to learn something every day! I especially love the leafy avenue.

The blue flowers look a lot like speedwell (veronica?), but the leaves are all wrong. Is there something like a false veronica?

Funny, there have been lots more white violets than usual here as well, and fewer violet ones. As far as I can find out they are two different species, not just colour variants.

Our weather is crazy too. It has been summer this week, temperatures as high as 37C (98.5F), although it should be dropping back to the high twenties in a few days. Because the heat has come early while everything is still lush from the April rains the humidity is a killer. (Humidity and my CFS do NOT go well together.) And they've started to cut the hayfields which is the final straw(!) for my hay fever. I'm having to take my daily walk in a breathing mask.

[rubyelf]

I had considered that, as the Veronica family is quite a large one, but like you said, the leaves aren't right, and the arrangement of flowers isn't typical of that group.

As far as the violets, I found an article that noted that they are probably subspecies; they can interbreed, but at one point they may have been separate species and have drifted closer through hybridization.

My allergy troubles when I used to have more of them were mostly with tree pollen... considering how much time I spent with horses, it was a good thing hay didn't bother me.

[moth2fic]

Eek!! Your tent caterpillars look like our processionary caterpillars and those are nowhere near harmless. Wreck forests, kill animals (especially dogs), cause severe allergic reactions in people, and are a 'notifiable' infestation - all trees have to be cut down and burnt. Anyone walking in pine forests here should wear broad brimmed hats, never ever let a dog even lick the caterpillars or play with them then lick paws, and never, ever, ever touch.....

Everything else is beautiful.

[rubyelf]

Fortunately, tent caterpillars are nothing so nasty. They are a nuisance to farmers and other people who do not like them making a mess of their trees, and some years there are an unreasonable number of them, but they are more annoying than anything else. The favorite local remedy is to pour gasoline on the nest and torch it, which does not do the poor tree any favors...

I know there are caterpillars that are quite dangerous... there's a species in Brazil that has caused quite a few deaths through toxic reactions to its spiny hairs... caterpillars generally have to have some kind of defense because they don't have an exoskeleton. It would keep them from growing as fast as they need to grow. Since they are soft and delicate, they often have chemical defenses.

[bluegerl]

Another poetic walk with Rubyelf. I can't express how 'warming' these pics are... you take us with you! That green avenue.. was driving under them on Monday... oh lor. One just wants to die there so it never ends

[rubyelf]

From my reading it sounds like the white and purple violets have been hybridizing for a long time and at this point are basically the same species and can easily interbreed.

Trilliums are oddly perfect flowers, so neatly organized and tidy. They MUST NOT BE PICKED, though! Since they are an ephemeral and so much of the plant's energy is focused on creating the single flower, picking it can either kill the plant or cause it to go dormant for up to several years before blooming again. Must be left alone!

Raccoons are very messy eaters, but their little hands are very clever and they can do almost anything with them.

I don't really cuddle my ent... I just stand and rest my hand or my forehead against him for a moment. It's a way of paying my respects.