Monthly Archives: August 2014

Chestnuts roasting on an …

Posted on August 29, 2014 by

… August day. Whoever first looked at the spike-covered fruit of a Chestnut tree (genus Castanea) — the arboreal analogue of a sea urchin — and thought it might harbor something remotely edible was a true culinary daredevil.

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The frog comes on little splat feet

Posted on August 27, 2014 by

Pale and marked with a few stripes, including the telltale ‘X’ on the back, this Northern spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) was hard to spot as it hopped across the tops of grass leaves on its padded-toe feet. Smaller than your … Continue reading →

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Aquatic pick-me-up

Posted on August 27, 2014 by

Flanked by their large, lily-like leaves, pointy purple clusters of Pickerelweed (perhaps Pontederia cordata) are flowering along the water’s edge at Franklin Lake Park in West Long Branch.

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Taking a powder

Posted on August 21, 2014 by

This delicate damselfly — perhaps a Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta) — found a nice fern frond to rest on in Thompson Park. Its long, segmented abdomen looked like a decorative piece of dark bamboo.

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Campion gear

Posted on August 19, 2014 by

Drooping on the stem like a jellyfish with filament feelers or an upturned water sack, this small Bladder campion (Silene vulgaris) stands out among its splay-petaled neighbors.

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The Vertical Day in the Sun

Posted on August 17, 2014 by

Not at his preferred eating establishment at the moment, but certainly nearby, this Red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) flew and climbed his way around a group of several large plants.

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Three-form display

Posted on August 15, 2014 by

This one stem of Soapwort or Bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis) simultaneously showed several stages of its flower form: from unopened umbrella to full throttle propeller, ending with deflated balloon.

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