HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - OAT GRASSES, BLACK EYED SUSANS AND MILKWEED BUGS AND SUCH

The Mourning Doves are cooing right now, such a pretty sound, so peaceful and relaxing. The sun is shining (I wrote this on Saturday the 9th), and it is 78 degrees F. (25.5 degrees C(?), going up to 83 (28.33(?) in Centigrade). We are off for another walk later on when the sun starts going down. 

Continuing the visit to Walney, in the same flower bed as the Black-eyed Susans, I saw Inland Sea Oats. At least I think they are, so if you can confirm or deny because you already know, go right ahead. I try my hardest to get a correct ID. On this website there is a debate going on, about whether to plant these oats or not. It is the first time I have noticed them. I have seen a lot of grasses but not these. Anyhow, if you are really interested in this yay or nay conversation, you can check it out at the above link. I think they look lovely together but I read that the Inland Sea Oats can take over if allowed to.

I was very curious about these Inland Sea Oats, so I did a search on Google. They are edible but I doubt I am ever going to try them. Unless I am 100% sure about what I forage, there is no way I would eat them. I am not 100% confident in my abilities, and then of course they would have to be pesticide free. Anyhow, not an expert and only read about foraging. But I enjoy finding out and passing on what I read. At the same time they are very appealing to me, and I would love to have a bed of Black-eyed Susans with Inland Sea Oats among them. In the meantime, I'll take note of what others' experiences are first, and I'll just be happy to take photos in any of the gardens where I seem them grow.

From Google: "Inland see oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) are edible. The seeds can be processed and used as a cereal grain or ground into flour. They can also be cooked and eaten as a grain, similar to traditional oats. Some resources note that they were a Staple food crop for some indigenous peoples."

And more: "The seeds of the inland sea oats are the edible part. The seeds can be processed similarly to traditional oats, including being ground into flour or cooked as a grain.

The Cocopah Indians are known to have used the seeds as a food source.

In modern use some foragers and wild food enthusiasts suggest that the seeds can be used in a variety of ways, similar to other cereal grains."

The next day (8-4-25) it was another very pleasant temperature, cloudy but I thought I could still get some decent photos. The first things I came across was these little creatures on the milkweed pods. They were several Milkweed plants in the front beds of the house, it was the right time to see these red bugs. 

On the left of center on the above photo, you can see the Small Milkweed Bugs which you can read about at this site. They also show the Large Milkweed Bug. There are other similar bugs mentioned. I found it a very interesting read. 

I have no idea what this is, some kind of shield bug perhaps? It seemed to me that it had caught the attention of the Small Milkweed Bug as it followed it around the pod.

As I hadn't taken photos of these bugs in a long time, I left them and turned to the Milkweed Nymphs. These are immature milkweed bugs that feed on milkweed plants. They gradually develop into adults through a series of five molts, which eventually brings them to adulthood.

Not cute and cuddly creatures by any means but fascinating to me. They lack wings at this stage, often found in clusters on milkweed plants. Their bright orange and black coloration serves as a warning to predators, indicating they are unpalatable due to the toxins they accumulate from milkweed. You can read more about them here, along with a few other insects that feed off the same plant.

Leaving bugs alone for now, here are some pretty flowers including the above spider flower and below, the garden phlox.

One last photo and that's all from Walney until the next time we go.

Thanks for taking the time to visit. 

Hope you all have a great day!

MORE OF THE WASP NEST AT WALNEY - 8-4-25

As I write this (8/6/25 at 3.52 p.m.) it is 77 degrees F. (25 degrees C). The cooler temperatures have been wonderful, with hardly any humidity. No doubt the temperatures will be rising again but we have been making the most of it.

 On the 4th we went to Walney Pond. Above you can see the wasp nest I added to my collage I shared here. Gregg spotted it first - I fondly call him 'eagle eyes' as he sees these things before I do. This nest was at least a foot in diameter and a foot-and-a-half long. Very active as we could see its residents going in and out of entrance holes. It is in a tricky area and is not even ten feet from where everyone walks and low, head-height. We worry about children playing in the area, and have envisioned someone running into it, perish the thought! We have already gotten in touch with the appropriate department at the local government center. Hopefully it will be taken care of soon and we will keep checking as we often pass by. I looked as we drove off. If you know where to look it can be seen quite clearly, but not immediately obvious when closer.

I took several photos using the zoom lens and found it fascinating to look at when on the larger screen of my laptop. Clever and amazing these nature's engineers. Not sure what kind of wasp or maybe a hornet? Any experts out there? I've looked online and seen similar, maybe the one at this link.

Last shot further along the pathway from the other side. It is also quite close to the edge of the pond.

A couple of more photos and that's it from this area.

Next we drove to the Visitor Center just up the road. 

Common milkweed were growing among all the Black-eyed susans, not only in the flower beds in front of the house...

but also in the separate round butterfly garden. 

First I wanted to share something else. I saw a flurry of movement on the steps of the house and if you look on the far right of that first step you will see...

a skink, possibly a five-lined skink which are the most common lizards in northern Virginia, according to what I found out at this website. Please let me know what you think if you check it out.

Another much smaller lizard crawled out of that larger crack on the right but wasn't as brave as its larger companion. It disappeared immediately.  

I saw a bug on this Black-eyed susan and couldn’t find a lot of information but identified it as an assassin bug. Once it forms full wings, its back will no longer be visible. Also found a clearer photo of it here.

Here's a closer look. I had a hard time focusing.

Onto the Black-eyed susans.

One last photo for today taken of the flower bed in front of the old house that is now the visitor center.

There will be more flowers soon.

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.

MORE OF SKYLINE DRIVE - COMMON MILKWEED

I saw the Common Milkweed plant growing everywhere.  Later we parked next to Big Meadows and I had a chance to take photos.  The one below has leaves that are practically untouched, not too long out of the ground.  The botanical name is Asclepias syriaca and its other names are Silkweed, Butterfly flower and Silky swallowort.  The pods when they ripen will crack open.  Its seeds are white and fluffy, and will flutter like dandelions in the wind.A perennial, there are over 100 milkweed species that are native to North America, and it is the only food that Monarch caterpillars can eat. The monarch migration occurs twice every year. Nectar from flowers provides the fuel source monarchs need to fly. If there are not any blooming plants to collect nectar from when the monarchs stop, they will not have any energy to continue. 

Planting monarch flowers that bloom when when they are on their journey will help the monarchs reach their destination. Creating more monarch habitat will help work to reverse their decline.

However, the Milkweed is a toxic plant, which you can read about at this link.  Forewarned is forearmed!

I often wonder about the first settlers here.  I am sure they must have experimented on eating various plants they found to survive.  

There are many plants and flowers that we have to be careful with.  There are pros and cons to all things I suppose.

When they saw me taking photos, the couple in the photo above spoke to me for a few minutes.  They were very nice.  The gentleman was carrying his own camera.  I was curious where they were off to, because they were heading along the path with purpose. 

Other like-minded enthusiasts are good at finding great photo opportunities, and have often pointed me in the right direction.  Today was not the day to stay long.  Gregg was back at the car double-parked as the lot was full.  It would have been difficult for people to get around him, but he insisted I take my photos.  

A warning sign for dog owners.  On the other side there was information about ticks.  Having had one particular experience with them several years ago, the thought of them still give me the shivers.  But we left each other alone on this trip!

I have lots of photos from Big Meadows, and will share them next time.

Thanks for looking, and I hope your day is a great one.

BACK TO WALNEY - 7-22-21

We went back to Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, where we always start off at the Visitor Center.  It has a nice area to walk around, and we enjoy seeing the flowers in the front of the house. 

Let's start off with the Common Milkweed.  There were many.  I am always happy to see them as I know how essential they are to the Monarch Butterflies, and others.

Milkweeds are the only plants Monarchs will lay their eggs on.  Unfortunately there weren’t any around today, but a few Cabbage whites were fluttering about.  

The two birds you see on the window are actually decals, to stop birds from getting confused and flying into the mirror image no doubt.

This is Black-eyed susan, a species of Coneflowers (Rudbeckia).  Also known as Yellow ox-eye daisy, English bull's eye, Brown betty, Golden jerusalem and Gloriosa daisy.  It's botanical name is Rudbeckia hirta.  

The description I read said, "the black-eyed susan is a flowering black and yellow plant with curving leaves.  It is culturally important in the Southern United States, and is often used to attract butterflies to gardens.  It long ago spread throughout North America and much of the world.  Black-eyed susan is the state flower of Maryland".

I have shown this before.  It is a circular bed of plants and flowers called the Butterfly Garden.

The plate of stones has been added since the last time we were here.  It says: "This is a puddling stone.  "Puddling" is a behavior common to butterflies.  They often congregate on wet sand or gravel to sip water and they also get salt and minerals needed for survival."  It seemed too late in the day for butterflies, and although it was still light it was in the early evening. 

In the same flower bed, more milkweed...

 but also Garden phlox.  Other names are Fall phlox, Autumn Phlox, Summer phlox, Perennial phlox and Cross-leaved phlox.  Its botanical name is Phlox paniculata.  Garden phlox is native to the United States.  The name phlox comes from the Latin for "flame", reflecting its bright colors.  

It can also become important food sources for not only butterflies, but other insects and hummingbirds.  The sweet aroma of garden flox nectar draws the hummingbird in, allowing the plant to douse the bird in pollen to be carried on to other flowers.  (And I once again thank my plant app "PictureThis", for all the great information it provides.  I take the photo while in the app, and it automatically pops up with all this great information.)

I have a hard time dragging myself away from this area, but the rest of the garden is calling.

The kitchen garden is thriving...

and nearby our bench is waiting.

We have been lucky as it has been vacant the last few times we have been here.  Our timing is specifically for when it is quiet.  We sit and enjoy looking at any birds that may be around, and notice there are grapes growing on the arbor.

The Brown Thrasher was sitting on the top of a roll of chicken wire near the shed next to the kitchen garden.  I was happy as I haven't seen one in a very long time.  It's a clever little bird.  When feeding it can hammer nuts such as acorns in order to remove the shell.  In one case, a bird was observed to dig a hole about 0.59 inch deep, place an acorn in it and hit the acorn until it cracked, considered to be a form of tool usage.

You can read more information about them here.  I was interested to find out that it has great flexibility in catching quick insects, as the amount of vertebrae in its neck exceeds giraffes and camels!  Also, Brown Thrashers have the largest repertoire of songs of the North American birds, and are able to vocalize 3000 distinct songs.

It is the state bird of Georgia, is very territorial and will vigorously defend its nest.  The name "thrasher" does not come from the aggressive nature of the bird, but rather that the name is believed to have come from the thrashing sound it makes when digging through ground debris.  That's one explanation anyway.  The longest known lifespan in the wild is twelve years, but they are susceptible to disease and parasites which can shorten their life considerably.

Maybe it had its eyes on the bees but they were  safely guarded...

and I make sure I don't get too close.  We visited for years when there was no electric fence.  I would love to know the reason why it was erected but, as I have mentioned in other posts, the visitor center has been closed perhaps due to us picking the later time for our arrival.  I make my usual guess that it is to stop animals from raiding the hive.  I remember the Spanish word "peligro".  I learned it while watching episodes of Sesame Street with our son when he was very young. It has been a long time but the word stuck.

It looks like everything is growing well in the kitchen garden.
This is the restored Smoke House used by the family who lived in the old house in the first photo.  

It is time to head down to the pond, which I will tell you about soon.