Sunday, July 24, 2016

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.

1 comment:

  1. You have some very different wildflowers! I enjoyed seeing them! Those webs are incredible!! :)

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