Nice weather in the Philadelphia area on the weekend facilitated an extended walk on a loop along the Schuylkill River with camera in tow on Saturday the 9th of September.
As the plants go the jimsonweed has mainly gone to seed, as has the velvetweed. The Mountain Mint is almost done blooming as well. The main bloom that was drawing insects was the large patches of White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) growing along the trail on the far side of the river from where I live. (White Snakeroot is toxic to livestock, and the poison can be passed on to those who consume milk from poisoned animals. Said poisoning was known as Milk Sickness, and it was a serious thing in the Midwest in the first half of the 19th century.)
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
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NOTE: If you do not like pictures of wasps, bees, etc. then stop now.
Bumblebee in a patch of toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
Other color was supplied by Toadflax, Evening Primrose, and some other yellows. Purple Loosestrife about as well. Not as much Goldenrod blooming as I expected to see.
Lots of Skipper butterfly (Hesperiidae) about
And a lot of loud buzzing noise in the trees…
Annual Cicada making a racket
A wide variety of bees and wasps collecting pollen and nectar
Honeybees
More below the fold.
A honeybee on another white flower which I do not think was White Snakeroot
A mason or leaf-cutter bee (Megachilidae) on a Gaillardia.*
* — Note that the bee is storing pollen on the bottom of the abdomen in a scopa as compared to how honeybees and bumblebees collect it in baskets (corbicula) on their rear legs. Both mechanisms are batches of branched hairs that help hold pollen grains.
A long-legged fly (condylostylus?) and a small beetle on a leaf
Fuzzy photo of a Stink Bug.
Two pictures of a particular species of digger wasp. They were either collecting nectar or buzzing around looking for caterpillars I think.
Blue-winged Digger Wasp (Scolia Dubia)
Blue-winged Digger Wasp (Scolia Dubia) — this picture shows the wing color
Thin-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron) — probably a potter wasp or mud dauber of some kind
The second wasp was much nicer about sitting still long enough for a focused picture.
And something scuttled by while I was resting on a bench.
Larva of a Ground Beetle (Caribadae). Nice set of mandibles you have there.
Insect sculptures on a corner at the edge of Fairmount Park
Birds. There were some birds too.
Cormorant and a gull sitting on a log snagged on the top of the dam.
Male Goldfinch nomming on thistle seeds
Obligatory Cat Picture — Detail of “Tiger at Bay” in the park
I went by the spot where I see cedar waxwings usually. But I think they checked what lens I had on the camera and hid since I had the 55/300 on it.
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.