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.

A NICE WALK AT WALNEY

 

Hello Dear Friends!

A collage of photos from our latest walk at the visitor center and the pond today. I was hoping to see hummingbird moths. I didn’t see them but there were other things that kept our interest. 

It was a lovely day, in the low 80s and not too humid. I will have the larger photos and explain more when I can put a post together. Lots of lovely nature. I feel so good getting out in it. It's like a tonic and a breath of fresh air all rolled into one.

More photos either tomorrow or at least within the next few days.

I hope you all have a great day, wishing you peace and thanks for stopping by. 

MEADOWLARK GARDENS - PLANTS AND FLOWERS

 Continuing our walk, in today's post I concentrate more on the flora.  This is the Spider Flower (botanical name Tarenaya hassleriana).  It is also known as the Pink queen, Grandfather's whiskers and Spider plant.  It is a flowering plant native to South America and has other colors than the white one shown.  It can also be seen as pink or purple.

The following shows something I have seen in other gardens, and is called Cardoon (botanical name Cynara cardunculus).  It's other names are Artichoke thistle, Globe artichoke, Prickly artichoke and Cardy.

The Cardoon was first brought to the United States by Spanish and French settlers in the middle of the 19th century.

According to my plant app, it says that Sicily happens to be one of the few places where the stalks of certain types of thistles are consumed.  

In Sicily, the dish is called carduna, from the latin term carduus, which is the plant's principal genus.  The Italian word cardo is more generic and does not refer to a specific scientific family.  Therefore, it is called Cardoon.

Next is the Red amaranth (botanical name Amaranthus cruentus).  Its other names are Mexican grain amaranth and Purple amaranth.  Its leaves are often used for decorative purposes and are also used to make red dyes.

The plant is named for its bright gold, purple and red leaves that retain their beauty even after harvest and drying.  With the color of the leaves it is called the red amaranth.

Normally the first thing I notice are the blooms of the Crimsoneyed rose-mallow, but I found this stage interesting.  Its botanical name is Hibiscus moscheutos and is also known as Swamp rose mallow, Rose-mallow and Eastern rose-mallow.  It is a very hardy plant and can tolerate frozen temperatures up to -13 degrees.

It is providing a resting place for a Skipper in the next photo.  These little creatures were everywhere.

This plant is called Coleus (botanical name scutellarioides).  It's other names are Common coleus, Painted nettle, Coleus blumei and Trailing coleus.  It will grow in full sun to medium shade but the colors are most vivid in full sun.  

I always like to hear that a plant is super easy to take care of and this is one of them.  It is resistant to almost all pests and diseases.

This is also a Coleus plant with different colored leaves, as you can see.

In the following photo you will see the Rosehip of the Dog rose (botanical name Rosa canina).  It is also called Dog briar, Common briar, Briar rose and Dogberry.  

I read that all Rosehips are edible and has a high level of vitamin C.  It is used to make things like syrup, tea and marmalade, and more.  You can read about it here also.  The color is typically red to orange but ranges from dark purple to black in some species.  They form after pollination of the flowers in spring or early summer, and ripen in late summer through Autumn.

Here we have China pink (botanical name Dianthus chinensis).  It's other names are Chinese pink, Rainbow pink, Japanese pink and Indian pink.  The China Pink is also called the "mother's flower" in many countries.  Wearing this flower on Mother's Day implies wishing mothers happiness and good health.  China pinks have also become a flower of love for mothers.  

The next photo shows the Porcelain Berry (Botanical name Ampelopsis heterophylla var.vestita).  Other names are Porcelainberry, Porcelain-berry and Porcelain berry vine.

Next is the Common sassafras (botanical name Sassafras albidum).  Also known as White sassafras, Red sassafras and Silky sassafras.  The name "sassafras", given by the botanist Nicolas Monardes in 1569, comes from the French word, sassafras.  Some sources claim it originates from the latin word, saxifraga or saxifragus meaning "stone-breaking", saxum meaning "rock" and frangere meaning "to break".  As it is also the most common species in the genus, it is called common sassafras.

This is Sulfur cosmos (botanical name Cosmos sulphureus).  Other names are Klondike cosmos, Yellow cosmos and Orange cosmos.  It is an annual flower and is native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America.  It attracts bees and butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly.

I am very grateful to my plant app called 'Picture This', where I get most of my information from. 

And that's about all for the plants and flowers.  I thought I would end my post sharing some of the scenery from our walk.  

We sometimes sit down inside the gazebo but we left others to enjoy it today.  Instead we made use of one of the benches along the path nearby.

There are several benches along our walk and it is a very welcome feature of the garden.  

We chose another shady spot where we like to sit and talk and take in our surroundings.

And that's about it for today's walk around Meadowlark Gardens. We are very happy to be visiting again.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is a great one.

MEADOWLARK GARDENS - CONTINUING OUR WALK

The theme of the small garden area above, seen as we leave the visitor center and enter the main garden, has changed several times over the years.  For the first time they added a small desert oasis.  

This is the Valgenau Conservatory, a 1,200 square foot glass building. There is an article about its opening at this link, from October 2020.

 It was a surprise to see this new construction since the last time we visited.  At the article's website it says "it is equipped with heaters and automated ventilation windows, will be open for public entry with a focus on Mediterranean plants; plants that thrive in a warmer climate. Public school students are expected to visit frequently to learn about horticulture, geography, and the importance of plants in our environment."

As we headed down the hill, towards the bottom of the garden, we spotted this beauty on our left.  It is the first time we have ever seen a deer at Meadowlark.  The garden has a tall, surrounding fence and a lady who saw us looking, wondered how she had gotten inside. 

We didn't get too close and she was mostly obscured.  She didn't seem to be bothered that we were taking photos, and looked up a couple of times before retreating into the trees.

She was a wonderful surprise.

I spotted a Skipper on the bud of a Crimsoneyed rose-mallow (botanical name Hibiscus moscheutos).

 Below is a bloom not long from opening among the Hardy banana plant (botanical name Musa basjoo).

Flight of fancy here, the flower looks like a skirt made out of crepe.  It would look good on one of those fairies I posted about here.

There were Common milkweeds aplenty...

and Milkweed bugs.

Next is the American spikenard (Aralia racemosa).

Our walk continues around the garden, and I will share those photos soon.

Thank you for looking and I hope your day is a great one.