Month: July 2018

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This “chicken of the woods” (Laetiporus sulphureus) (I think!) has appeared every year for as long as I have been rambling in the Hollow. I have been watching for it for over a month this year and hoping it would emerge. And then it did! You can see how much it grew in less than a week—even in the one day I missed.

7-21-18

7-22-18

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7-27-18

It is stunningly beautiful, and I was delighted to spot another one in the Hollow today.

7-23-18

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I’ve seen plenty of mushrooms and other fungi this year, including what I think was an Indigo milky mushroom (Lactarius indigo). I’m glad I noticed it; it was gone the next day! I welcome any help in identifying any of these (but I don’t plan to eat any of them!).

The deer, turkeys, and butterflies continue to visit. Sometimes the butterflies seem to swarm the coneflowers. Here’s a video.

The turkeys are walking up the path from the meadow now, and the deer are waiting in the woods. I’ll post again another day.

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7-27-17

I guess it’s a good thing that I’m retired, as lately I seem to have spent a lot of time chasing butterflies. (And it’s not easy—Look at these videos 1 2! from May!) Maybe it’s because there seem to be so many, especially in the meadow, where milkweed is abundant. They also like the purple coneflowers and butterfly bush. (I know—it’s invasive….)

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)

Checkerspots mating

Great Spangled Fritillary

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)

Checkerspot butterflies

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus [Papilio] appalachiensis)

Silver-spotted skipper

Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) 7-21-18

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Appalachian Brown (Lethe appalachia)

Sometimes I don’t have to chase them at all; it’s more like they’re chasing me! When I walk, I often see them on the road, and these red-spotted purples like resting on doormats, the patio, etc. (I have tried to identify the butterflies but welcome suggested corrections.)

Silvery Checkerspot

Red-spotted Purple

Question Mark Butterfly

Red-spotted Purple

The first time I saw a hummingbird clearwing moth, I wasn’t sure what it was.  They hover like hummingbirds!

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe)

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe)

Snowberry Clearwing Moth 6-17-18

I continue my rambles in the Hollow. The river has been up most days, although we hadn’t received as much rain as they did upriver.

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Today a peloton went by!

The deer and turkeys continue to come for meals. One (the mother of the twins) is brave enough—or hungry enough to eat from my hand!

And they are waiting now, so I’ll post again soon!

It’s been a year to the day since I started this blog; it hasn’t been every day, or even every week, but I’ve posted 55 times. I’m looking forward to more posts and more rambles!

7-11-18

7-12-18

The Hollow has had lots of young wildlife activity recently. Earlier this week several of us saw a hen turkey with tiny poults. I got this video of them feeding in my driveway; they’re so small that they’re hard to see. One neighbor, Josh Klaaren, got a close-up video from his vehicle. Then there are some that are a bit bigger. I was able to get this video when they passed by the house. If you listen closely, you can hear them peeping.

The fawns are active, too. Sometimes I see them when I walk. The twins and their mom stay in my part of the Hollow, and I see the twins several times daily. Usually they run off as I approach, but I was able to record them yesterday. Video here. Their mom comes very close (look here!), and I’m sure the fawns will come closer soon. They are very curious!

Of course, there are still turtles, mushrooms, flowers and trees to observe, and I’ll post more about them soon.

7-11-18

7-12-18

I guess the fawns are getting big enough to hang out with their moms; today I have had visits from three (or maybe the same ones three times). One pair was too far away for a good pic, but two of them walked right past the house! This pair walked by this morning when I was on the deck, and this pair came by when I was outside weeding! It may be

the same doe that greeted me at the end of my walk yesterday. I’m sure she thinks I should carry apples or corn when I walk! 🙂 (Videos re-uploaded for clarity 4:40 PM 7-9-18.)

I always enjoy my walks, and that has been especially true the last few days. The weather has been mild but will soon turn hot again.

7-8-18

7-9-18

7-8-18

7-9-18

After a few days with no rain (but high humidity), the rain is back today (and keeping me inside). With all the rain, the Hollow has plenty of mushrooms and other fungi. Some are quite large,

and some are covered with leaves and/or other fungi.

This one appeared in my yard, then shriveled up after a couple of days.

The river continues to be up and down, green and brown, depending on rain upriver.

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I see fawns almost daily, and I can tell that many of the does have milk. I think Vee hangs out near my house; he also emerges from the woods when I walk out.The deer are all plagued by flies and other pests; I wish I could do something to help, but they are, after all, wild animals.

The summer flowers are blooming. The meadow is full of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and the bee balm (Monarda didyma) has exploded. The staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) has started to bloom; I’m used to seeing it in the fall but am watching it more closely this summer. And the Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) makes me think of my mom, who loves it.

The rain is supposed to clear by tomorrow, and it’s supposed to be cooler than normal. If so, it will be an outside day!

The deer keep coming, especially Vee (above) and Fuzzy (below). Sometimes they eat together.

It seems that my meadow has become a fawn nursery (and maybe a birthing space). I have seen two tiny single fawns (including the one from the last post), as well as a set of twins. It’s hard to see the twins in this photo, but here are a couple of videos: Fawn meets Vee, tiny fawn and turkey I expect to see more fawns, and more of these particular fawns, in the coming days and weeks.

Summer is definitely here—the weather has been hotter than usual, and we often have thunderstorms in the afternoons. The mountains to the south (upriver) often get a lot more rain than we do, and sometimes the river runs high, even though it hasn’t rained in the Hollow.

6-22-18

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The spring flowers have faded, and now it’s berry time! The mulberries are almost gone (and most are out of my reach!), but it looks to be a great year for blackberries.

The small blueberry bushes in my “orchard” have produced about two quarts of berries, which is about twice as many as last year. Both apple trees have apples, and there is at least one pawpaw. (I thought I had photos but can’t find them right now.)

The butterflies and other insects fly and flutter;

the lizards bask in the garden;

and the turtles come out after a rain. (Jet spotted one for me!)

So, life goes on in the Hollow. Death does, too, but I can’t bring myself to write about it. It’s that circle of life again.

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