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spnh.bsky.social
Learn about plants, animals, fungi, and more in the eastern United States.
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If you look at the end of a pine tree branch in the Piedmont this time of year, you’ll find developing male pollen cones. These will soon mature and release their pollen into the breeze, coating the world in “yellow chalk dust.”

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Lots of wildflowers are blooming in parks and lawns right now. Some are native (labeled N) but many are introduced from Eurasia and might be considered a weed in your garden beds. How many have you seen this year?

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

The fuchsia flowers of Eastern Redbud or Judas Tree (Cercis canadensis) are starting to appear. This native tree is a common sight in yards and along roadways and woodland edges each March and April.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Cut-leaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) grows in moist woodlands across the eastern and central United States. Its bell-shaped flowers have four white petals that fade to pink as they age. A wide variety of bees pollinate them.

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

So how many of you went out to view the eclipse last night? I took this picture at 3:20 am during totality. 🌖

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

It was a warm out this past weekend and I saw my first Mourningcloak (Nymphalis antiopa) of the year! They’re named after their chocolate brown wings, which resemble the dark clothing worn by a grieving person. Photo by Vicki DeLoach, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is blooming in hardwood forests! If you want to find some, look in hardwood bottomlands and coves during March and April in eastern North America. This native wildflower is named after the poisonous red sap in its rhizome (underground modified stem).

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Dimpled Trout Lillies (Erythronium umbilicatum ssp. umbilicatum) are one of the first native wildflowers to bloom each year and a beautiful sign of the return of spring. Also called Dogtooth Violets, you can find them from February to April in woodlands, particularly moist bottomlands.

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

Sharp-lobed Liverleaf (Hepatica acutiloba) is starting to bloom in shady woodlands of the upper Piedmont and Blue Ridge. Its tri-lobed leaves have sharp tips, hence this plant’s common name. The flowers vary in color from pink, to lavender, to white and are pollinated by native bees and flies.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

I’ve been seeing Green Lacewings around my yard on warm winter days. Many of the lacewing species in the eastern United States overwinter as pupae within a silk cocoon. The larvae, called Aphid Lions, are abundant in gardens and they consume pests such as aphids. Have you seen any?

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is flowering in lawns, roadsides, and sunny disturbed habitats. This introduced weed comes from Africa and Eurasia but you can find it across much of North America today. Hand pulling and frequent mowing before flowers mature are two chemical-free means of control.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) flock to fruiting trees and bushes this time of year. Their ‘cedar’ name comes from the habit of consuming large numbers of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) seed cones but they eat many native fruits too. Photo by Shiva Shenoy, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 DEED

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) live year-round across most of the United States. They’re the smallest falcon in North America, roughly the size of a mourning dove. Kestrels live in open habitats and often perch on fences and power lines. Photo by Jeff Bryant, Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana) is one of the first spring wildflowers to appear. It’s native to eastern North America and blooms from February to May in shady bottomlands and creek banks within hardwood forests.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

I found this Common Script Lichen (Graphis scripta) growing on the north side of a Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) last week. The script-like pattern of its fruiting bodies has given it another name - Secret Writing Lichen.

submitted 25 days ago • 2 comments

Have you ever seen a tiny egg-like structure like this and wondered, “What’s that?” It’s the cocoon of a small wasp named Charops annulipes. I found this cocoon dangling from a pokeweed leaf.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

I found this Common Script Lichen (Graphis scripta) growing on the north side of a Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) last week. The script-like pattern of its fruiting bodies has given it another name - Secret Writing Lichen.

submitted 25 days ago • 2 comments

One of the first native wildflowers to bloom each year is Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens). Roadsides, the margins of hiking trails, and under the partial shade of bushes are good places to look for it starting in mid-February. Photo by Fritz Flohr Reynolds, CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments