Browsed by
Author: Elise

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Butterflies are a common sight on my outdoor walks lately. On a recent visit to Falmouth’s Crane Wildlife Management Area I saw numerous species, including Monarchs, Common Buckeyes, Common Ringlets, American Ladies and Painted Ladies. Although most of them did not rest long enough for me to capture a photo, I was able to get a few shots of this Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).  Painted Ladies are colorful, medium-sized butterflies, stretching approximately 2.5 inches from one wing tip to the…

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Wildflower Wednesday: American Germander

Wildflower Wednesday: American Germander

While walking along a salt marsh I visit frequently, I was surprised to see clusters of blooming flowers I’d never noticed before. It’s amazing how many things I still overlook, despite careful observation and multiple return visits throughout different seasons. But it also means there are still happy surprises and more plants to get to know. This new-to-me-plant ended up being American germander (Teucrium canadense), a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) with a terminal, dense spike-like cluster of flowers. …

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Green frog (Rana clamitans)

Green frog (Rana clamitans)

The green frog (Rana clamitans, aka Lithobates clamitans) is one of the most common frogs in Massachusetts, and can be found in all types of freshwater wetlands. Their coloring varies from green to olive to brown, although according to one guide book I consulted, regardless of body color they tend to have a green upper lip. Green frogs look somewhat similar to bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), but green frogs have a pair of dorsolateral ridges that extend the length of their…

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Connecticut Appalachian Trail Section Hike

Connecticut Appalachian Trail Section Hike

Earlier this week I completed my second state (Connecticut), in an effort to ultimately complete the entire Appalachian Trail (AT) in sections. (Click here to read about my ~100-mile Massachusetts section hike from 2017). While Connecticut was a little less rugged than Massachusetts (with the exception of Bear Mountain at an elevation of 2,326 feet, the rest of the Connecticut AT is under 1,500 feet), it had beautiful open forests, very few “road walks”, and numerous wide sweeping views of…

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Fragrant Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)

Fragrant Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)

As one of the most common water lilies, fragrant water lilies (Nymphaea odorata) are a common sight on New England freshwater ponds, shallow lakes, and slow moving streams. Native to the northeastern United States and parts of Canada, the fragrant water lily has large (2-6 inches across), fragrant, white (sometimes pink) flowers. Although the large flowers can be quite conspicuous, they only open in the morning, and typically close around noon. So if you’re visiting a pond in the afternoon…

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Comet Darner (Anax longipes)

Comet Darner (Anax longipes)

Darners, of the family Aeschnidae, are our largest dragonflies. Besides their large size (some are more than 3 inches in length), darners can be distinguished by their large eyes that meet in a long seam on the top of their head. Their abdomens also tend to be long and narrow, perhaps reminiscent of a darning needle. They also tend perch vertically, with their heads facing up, either by hanging from branches or clinging flat against the trunk of a tree,…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Ragged Robin

Wildflower Wednesday: Ragged Robin

Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) is a non-native member of the Pink family (sometimes referred to as the Carnation family), originally from Europe. It has since become naturalized in parts of the northern United States, including Cape Cod. Although commonly found in bogs and marshes in Europe, in the U.S. it is more often found in moist but non-wetland areas and once established it can perform well in drier soils. The plant produces a rosette of low-growing foliage and numerous stalks…

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Sassafras Flowers

Sassafras Flowers

With their dominance in our Cape Cod forests, it’s hard to miss the oaks unfurling their leaves and sending forth their flowers. Interestingly, what we see are the male flowers, which appear as obvious hanging catkins; the female flowers, on the other hand are much more difficult to observe with the naked eye, particularly from where we stand on the ground. However, it is much easier to overlook the spring emergence of some of our common understory trees, like sassafras…

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Common Slipper Shells (Crepidula fornicata)

Common Slipper Shells (Crepidula fornicata)

On most of the beaches I frequent, Common Slipper Shells (Crepidula fornicata) are by far and away the most common seashell I encounter. Each shell is an oval, approximately an inch to an inch and a half long. But on some beaches, particular those along Buzzards Bay, these relatively small shells can be so numerous as to form significant mounds covering entire areas of the beach. Although usually referred to as slipper “shells”, while the animal is still alive I…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Wood Anemone

Wildflower Wednesday: Wood Anemone

Wood anemones (Anemone quinquefolia) are low-growing delicate perennial herbaceous plants with three leaves arranged in a whorl below a solitary five-petaled white or pinkish flower. The leaves are actually divided into three parts, but with the deeply lobed lateral leaflets, it often appears as though there are five distinct leaflets. In fact, the appearance of five separate leaflets is sometimes so pronounced that when Carl Linnaeus named Anemone quinquefolia in 1753, he described the plant as having leaves with five…

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