Comma Anglewing Butterfly

This is a  Comma Anglewing butterfly, with it's lovely Shadow, on burdock.  Anglewing butterflies are named for wing shape (the genus Polygonia means many angles). "Punctuation" anglewings include Comma (Polygonia comma) and Question Mark (P. interrogationis), both named for the tiny silver marking on hind wings' ventral surface (underside). 

These butterflies, native to the eastern half of the U.S., are colored in burnt orange with dark brown blotches. Resting against tree bark with wings closed, they're virtually impossible to see. Ragged wing edges and cryptic brown/gray coloration on the underside make them look like a dead leaf or bark. 

Here is the underside of the wings, so you can see the white comma.

Anglewing Butterfy on Nettle.

Anglewing butterflies are named for wing shape (the genus Polygonia means many angles). "Punctuation" anglewings include Comma (Polygonia comma) and Question Mark (P. interrogationis), both named for the tiny silver marking on hind wing's underside. Resting against tree bark with wings closed, they're virtually impossible to see. Ragged wing edges and cryptic brown/gray coloration on the underside make them look like a dead leaf or bark.

The larvae of anglewings, tortoiseshells and the Red Admiral all feed on nettles.

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Teasel

Teasel

Dipsacus. The seeds are an important winter food resource for some birds, notably the European goldfinch. Teasel roots are used to Support the musculoskeletal, (including osteoporosis, bone fractures, joint pain, back pain, and arthritis) also, immune, and digestive systems and the body’s detoxification pathways. Teasel roots are also traditionally used for curing brain ailments like depression, anxiety, and stress. Teasel is a great herb for Lyme disease and joint problems. The dried heads of the plant were once used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woolen cloth and the dried flower heads are used in the floral industry.

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Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. 

Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission. 

Disclaimer

My blog is meant to inform and I strive to be totally accurate. It is solely up to the reader to ensure proper plant identification. Some wild plants are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.

Poppy Love

Poppies In Pink

Center Of A Pink Poppy

Peachy Poppy

Pink And Purple Poppies

Pink And Purple Poppy

Pink And Purple Poppy

Center Of A Giant Poppy

Poppy In White

Another way to look at a poppy. I love all the details of all the parts.

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© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Happy Pollinator Week!

June 17th, through June 23rd is Pollinator Week.

Bumble Bee On Bleeding Hearts

Bee In Purple Bottleneck Gentian

 White Admiral Butterfly On A Pine Branch

Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly on Echinacea

Bee On Clematis

Hover fly on Bush Honeysuckle 

Hover fly, also called flower fly, or syrphid fly, resemble wasps or bees but do not bite or sting. The larvae of many hover flies are predatory on aphids, so I’m glad to see them in my garden.

Bumble Bee Pollinating Cup Plants

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Summer Farmhouse Beauty

Summer Farmhouse Beauty
at the Hudak Farm

European Flair At The Intervale

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It's Peony Time

A lovely Peony. I particularly love the leaves on this one.

Peony

 Peony

 Peonies

Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America. 

About ants on Peony Flower buds: Many plant species have special glands on their stems that produce sugary secretions which attract ants. It's not just plants either. Insects such as aphids and leafhoppers famously excrete honeydew that ants can't resist. In each of these cases, organisms are using the ants' natural tendency to guard a food source. The ants will viciously attack anything that threatens this easy meal. Peonies are doing just that with their flower buds. By secreting a sugary substance during their development, the plant are likely recruiting ants to protect the flowers, which for angiosperms, are the most precious part of the plant. It takes a lot out of a plant to flower and the threat of herbivory is ever present. If an insect tries to take a bite out of a bud, the ants quickly swarm and drive it off. It's a win-win situation. The ants get an easy, high-energy food source and the plant suffers less damage to its reproductive organs.

Peony In A Gorgeous Coral Color
Paeonia 'Coral Sunset' (Peony)

Purple Peony

Lusciously Pink Peony

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False Indigo Being Visited By A Bee

False Indigo Being Visited By A Bee

(Baptisia australis)

Native to the prairies of southern North America
False indigo or baptisia, is a member of the Fabacea (aka Legumacea or legume) family with distinctive blue pea-like flowers. The flowers are bisexual and appear in upright racemes (spikes) in early June. The blue-black fruit ripens in late summer. It is about 2 inches long and filled with tiny, yellow-brown, kidney shaped seeds that rattle around inside once they have ripened. This gives the plant its common names Rattleweed and Rattlebush. Leaves are grey-green, trifoliate and arranged alternately upon the smooth stem which, if broken, releases sap that turns dark blue or purple upon contact with the air. The roots are woody, black and warty.

History and Folklore

The genus name Baptisia is derived from the greek ''bapto'', meaning "to immerse", in reference to the plant's usefulness in creating dyes for cloth. The specific name australis is Latin for "southern".
False indigo is native to North America and is most common in the Midwest. It was used by many Native peoples for various purposes including medicine and dye, which the Europeans later did as well. The name baptisia alludes to this practice. As the name false indigo implies, it can be used as a substitute for true indigo Indigofera tinctoria.
Harvesting & Storage
Flower and seed stalks can be hung upside down to dry and added to wreathes and floral arrangements.
Magical Attributes
Feminine in nature and associated with Venus, false indigo is an excellent protective herb. Plant it around your home for general protection, wear it on your person or use it in spells and amulets of a protective nature. It is especially useful for spells and amulets designed to protect pets and familiars, just make sure they don't get a hold of it and eat it because it is poison.
Household Use
The seed pods of wild blue indigo yield a lovely blue dye similar to that of true indigo. The dried seed pods are also quite pretty in floral arrangements.
This plant is said to repel flies from animals. To try this, hang a bunch of fresh flowers in your barn.
Healing Attributes
Baptisia is toxic and should not be used except under the care of an experienced practitioner. This herb should never be used by pregnant women.
This plant has been used as an antiseptic, a purgative and to combat coughs and fevers.
A tea of the roots has been used as an emetic and purgative, a poultice of the roots as an anti-inflammatory and small pieces were held in the mouth to treat toothaches.
A decoction of the stems has been used to stimulate the immune system and help the body fight of pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza and other serious illnesses, especially of the upper respiratory system. It may also be used externally as a wash for smallpox and similar illnesses.
Side effects of ingesting blue indigo may include vomiting, diarrhea and gastrointestinal spasms.

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Green Tiger Beetle

Green Tiger Beetle 

(Cicindela sexguttata)

The green tiger beetle is a large beetle with a metallic-green body, long blue-green spindly legs, and long, serrated antennae, and large mandibles. The common green ground beetle is also called the six-spotted green tiger beetle due to the recognizable cream-colored spots on its elytra.

The sizable, fast-moving shiny green tiger beetle grows up to 0.55” (14 mm). It is typically found in deciduous forests, feeding on small arthropods like caterpillars, spiders, and ants. The green tiger beetle is one of the fastest ground beetles and will fly if necessary.

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Mayapple

Mayapple is a perennial wildflower and ground covering that is much more common in native woodland areas than in cultivated gardens. Botanical Name: Podophyllum peltatum. Common Names: Mayapple, American mandrake, wild mandrake, Indian apple, duck's foot, American mandrake or ground lemon, is an herbaceous perennial plant of the Berberidaceae (Barberry) family having umbrella shaped leaves. The plant is native to the woodlands of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada and has been used medicinally for hundreds of years by 1st Nations peoples to treat constipation, wart removal, rheumatism and liver disorders as well as a laxative. 

Mayapple is  quite easy to identify because nothing else looks even remotely like it. Moreover, as a perennial that spreads via rhizomes to form large colonies, you're most likely to encounter it in a mass formation that's hard to miss. 

Growing 12 to 18 inches tall, each plant has a single stem with one or two large, heavily divided umbrella-like leaves. Plants with two leaves may produce a large white flower with six to eight petals in early spring, though the flower is usually hidden beneath the leaves. The flower is called mayapple because the bloom's appearance is reminiscent of apple blossoms. The flowers give way to a single greenish lemon sized fruit that turns golden when ripe. Once it has turned yellow, the mayapple fruit is safe for human consumption. This is a unique fruit, with an indescribably exotic flavor that conjures up visions of sunny tropical isles. In excess the fruit can cause colic so don’t overdo it.

While not edible, mayapple rhizomes are used for all sorts of medicinal applications. Native Americans valued the rhizome-Root which is most active medicinally in early spring when it is beginning to shoot. This plant's roots and leaves are toxic to both humans and animals.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. 

Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission. 

Disclaimer

My blog is meant to inform and I strive to be totally accurate. It is solely up to the reader to ensure proper plant identification. Some wild plants are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.