Signs of Fall

As fall comes to this part of North Carolina we begin to see the leaves changing color.  Although it's October, only a few trees have begun to change.  The dogwood in my neighbor's yard is the most colorful one on our street.  Out on Beaty St. there are some other changes: the Poke Weed has lots of berries which will attract animals- unfortunately they might cross this busy street to get to them.  Also see lots of yellow flowers.  Among them is this goldenrod.

Hearts-a-bustin

This interesting plant is called by several names including Hearts-a-bustin because of the unusual fruit that looks like tiny hearts about to explode from the pod.  Also known as Strawberry Bush it is loved by deer who apparently enjoy eating it so much that some have called it Deer Ice cream!  It grows in abundance in the woods behind our house and maybe keeps the deer from eating quite so much from our garden.  It has tiny white flowers in the spring and the stems stay green all year.

Butterflies

We've seen so many butterflies this year.  This one is a Tiger Swallowtail.  Our neighbors have a Butterfly bush and we have one, too but not as big as theirs.  We also have some flowers that the butterflies seem to like a lot.  We also see the dark swallowtails that like parsley!  I think they are called Spice Bush Swallowtail.  The caterpillars for these butterflies are quite interesting, too.

Summer Wildflowers

I walked on the Cross Country trail at the college this week and saw these lovely wildflowers.  The first one is called Queen Anne's Lace and it really is very lacy looking.  It's related to carrots but is usually known for it's lovely flower.

Next is Rose-Pink or Bitterbloom.  It's a lovely pink color, a contrast to the many yellow flowers found this time of year.

Last is Black-eyed Susan.  Many people have this growing in their summer flower garden. I do.  But it's also found growing wild in open places like this trail.

I love to walk on the cross country trail- and stay out of the way of the runners!  There is shady woods and open, meadow like areas.  Besides flowers, I see different types of birds and sometimes a deer or a rabbit.  It's a great place to walk.

Leaf Gall Aphids

These Witch Hazel leaves have galls on them caused by an aphid.  This doesn't appear to harm the Witch Hazel plant.  The aphids lay their eggs on the leaves causing this strange growth to occur.  There are many different kinds of aphids and gall making insects.  A common one is the oak leaf gall that looks like a brown ping-pong ball and is made by a wasp.

Katydid

This insect is called a Katydid. It looks a lot like a leaf! These insects are known for their singing. We hear them a lot in the mountains in the summer. There are many insects that sing in the summer, including crickets and cicadas. When you see the size of these insects (they are pretty large for insects) it's still amazing how much noise they make. To me the sounds are a part of summer. But on a summer night with the windows open you might wish they would sing a little softer!

Walkingstick

Saw this interesting insect on our steps here in Montreat. It's called a walkingstick. It lives usually on plants and it eats leaves and twigs. It is a wingless insect and when it's on a plant it's really hard to see. Got a good look at this one standing very still on the steps.