Shiny Disks Among the Trees, Flowers at Our Feet, Saturday Morning, July 23, 2016

Disk-like spider webs

Another one.  We stopped and counted.  We could see ten webs from where we were standing.  They are about the size of the 45RPM records that were popular when our children were teens.  They are bigger than a DVD and smaller than a Frisbee.  Because of the narrow spaces between the circular threads there is speculation that they catch tiny insects.

The spider...one of the Micrathena.  Micrathena  have spiny, hard, glossy abdomen which this spider has.  According to Common Spiders of Ohio Field Guide published by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, one of the common ones found in Ohio woods is the Spined Micrathena.  Maybe that is what this one is.

They are supposed to be common in Ohio in August and September.  Are they a bit ahead of themselves this year?

Old friend...Tall Bellflower  (Campanula americana)  It's been blooming for at least three weeks.

Agrimony...I had to ask for help from the Facebook group, Ohio Wildflowers and Flora to learn what this was.

Rose-pink...(Sabatia angularis) We found this on the prairie hill between the creek and Cedar Pond.  This was a flower I felt I should be able to name but just couldn't come up with it.  The Ohio Wildflower and Flora group helped me out.

Lobelia...Again, the Ohio Wildflower and Flora group helped me out.  Next time I need to take a better look at the leaves.  It was in the right kind of area to be Lobelia spicata (Spiked Lobelia).

Compass Plant...(Silphium laciniatum)  We found one we knew immediately.  So nice to really know some plants.

Red Admiral...(Vanessa atalanta)...must be from the second brood.  It is fresh and has no ragged edges.

Brukner Nature Center Butterfly Transit, July 9, 2016

The prairie plants along the drive were planted a few years ago and have taken hold nicely.  The butterflies come to the purple coneflowers, wingstem, common milkweed, and other flowers.

The former porch of the Interpretive Center has been enclosed to create a larger meeting place for school groups and a new smaller porch added.  During the construction process, the native plant flowerbeds on either side of the porch were torn up.  Up until this year these were good places to find butterflies. Next year there will flowers again.  They have been planted.  But, this year the number of butterflies around the entrance has been sparse.

Our count for July 9 was
7 Cabbage whites
3 Pearl crescents
2 Great spangled fritillaries
1 Summer azure
1 Red admiral
and one unknown dark brown skipper

We did  get some photos.

Pearl Crescent seen at the top of the amphitheater.

Pearl Crescent seen along the drive.

The unknown dark brown skipper

The Summer Azure

A worn Great-spangled Fritillary

And a less tattered Great-spangled Fritillary

We are finding more caterpillars as we have learned to look for them.

Found on a Redbud leaf

Found on Indian Hemp

Found on Black-eyed Susan.

My Sister's Flower Garden ( and my brother-in-law's as well) Ferns, Hostas, Treasures...

 I hope you take time to click on these photos.  A lot of what makes my sister's garden special is in the small details.  You can only see them in a larger photo.

To the right as we walk into the backyard..

To the left as we walk into the backyard.  See Tom in the background?  The garden reaches to the property line.  The total backyard garden is a little over one hundred feet wide and two hundred feet deep.

Joy and Beauty abounds...

The Wood Wizard is reading his book of spells under a tall spreading tree.

Under another tree a red fox listens.

There are newly repainted gnomes for children to delight in finding.

And tucked away in another niche is a family of ducks which my sister  found one by one in various places as she browsed through shops and sales.

Throughout the garden a variety of wind chimes add music.

Here and there are messages that garden lovers realize are true.

There are nearly hidden narrow paths bordered by ferns and hostas.

Chairs and benches, many of them painted by my sister, hold baskets of flowers.

This chair brings back memories for both of us.  Dad brought  home a collection of kindergarten chairs when a school district was disposing of unwanted items.  We used them for teaparties and extra seating for years.

This angel is one my sister bought in memory of my mother.  My mother was a flower lover, too, so this garden is a perfect spot for remembering her.

My sister planted a tribute to one of her very best friends in a quiet back corner.

I enjoyed my walk through my sister's garden.  I enjoyed the love it radiated.  And I loved this quiet peaceful spot where I could sit on a comfortable bench and rest my mind.

My Sister's Flower Garden ( and my brother-in-law's as well), July 6, 2016 (Mostly the lilies on this blog)

 The sidewalk to their front door is inviting.  Across the front of the house is a sample of the daylilies they love.

As we drove further up their drive, we were treated to more and more delightful flowers.

We came especially to see the daylilies which were in glorious bloom but we saw so many other things that I've decided to add a second blog about the treasures peeking out from the hostas and lilies and ferns. 

Today, I'll show you some of their beautiful lilies.  They all have names but those have slipped my mind.  If you are a daylily enthusiast, you will probably know them.