Monthly Archives: July 2012

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Revisited

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Back in May I visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore between Munising and Grand Marais, Michigan. On that trip my friend and I headed up to Isle Royale National Park for four days of backpacking, and Pictured Rocks was just a … Continue reading →

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Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: Lakeshore Trail

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

While on our way to Voyageurs National Park earlier this week, my wife and I made a half-day stop at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. This park encompasses 21 islands and twelve miles of mainland coast on the Lake Superior shore … Continue reading →

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Voyageurs National Park

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Earlier this week my wife and I drove up to northern Minnesota to visit Voyageurs National Park. This jewel of the North Woods encompasses 84,000 acres of interconnected waterways separated by 134,000 acres of densely wooded land and over 500 … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Eight-spotted forester moth

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Last week I found this eight-spotted forester moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Alypia octomaculata) feeding on a variety of flowers at Side Cut Metropark near Maumee, Ohio. First it was visiting a mullein foxglove (Dasistoma macrophylla, Scrophulariaceae), then it moved over to a wild bergamot … Continue reading →

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Plant-Insect Interaction: Monarch butterfly feeding on common milkweed

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

A few weeks ago my wife and I were hiking at Side Cut Metropark near Maumee, Ohio, and we found this monarch butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Danaus plexippus) feeding on a common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, Asclepiadaceae). Larvae feed entirely on plants in the … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Wild garlic

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

A few weeks ago I came across some wild garlic (Allium vineale, Liliaceae) at Side Cut Metropark near Maumee, Ohio. In late June each tall, hollow stalk bore a swollen bulb-like object near the top. A couple of weeks later, the papery … Continue reading →

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Baby raccoons

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

On Sunday morning I went for a hike in the morning twilight at Oak Openings Preserve Metropark near Swanton, Ohio. I came upon the usual white-tailed deer and even some turkeys before stumbling across a raccoon (Procyon lotor, Procyonidae). She … Continue reading →

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Eastern cicada killer mating swarm

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Here’s a video of eastern cicada killers (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Sphecius speciosus) mating. Their activity attracted my attention, so I put myself in the middle of the mating swarm with hundreds of these buzzing around. Considering that they’re one of North … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Red milkweed beetle

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

During the summer I frequently see red milkweed beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) feeding on milkweed plants (Asclepias sp., Asclepiadaceae). I came across this individual and many more while walking through the meadows of Side Cut Metropark near Maumee, Ohio. Here I saw … Continue reading →

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A Gaggle of Geese

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Out along the Maumee River at Side Cut Metropark there is no shortage of Canada geese (Branta canadensis, Anatidae). Most of these large birds migrate north in the summer to breed and migrate south in the winter for survival, but they’re present … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Man-of-the-earth

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

When it comes to trailing and twining plants I’m most familiar with riverbank grape, Virginia creeper, wild cucumber, and poison ivy. These vines are common in the southeast Michigan forests I frequent. There are other vines in my region, however, … Continue reading →

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Plant-Insect Interaction: Cabbage white butterfly on wild mustard

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Introduced to North America from Eurasia in the 1860s, cabbage white butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Pieris rapae) are now found throughout most of our continent. The larvae feed on a variety of plants in the mustard/cabbage family (Brassicaceae). Some of these plants … Continue reading →

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Insect Love: Banded longhorn beetles

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

In the dense foliage of summer it can be difficult to get through the ground cover of floodplain forests here in southeast Michigan. While out along the River Raisin last week, I found a dry creek bed that offered some … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Painted lichen moth

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

I came home from the store this evening to find a painted lichen moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Hypoprepia fucosa) waiting on my doorstep. Since my porch light hadn’t come on yet, I think it was early to the party. Like most … Continue reading →

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Woodchuck up a tree

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

While on the edge of a southeast Michigan floodplain forest the other day, I came across a young woodchuck (Marmota monax, Sciuridae). Normally this wouldn’t be an interesting event, since woodchucks (AKA groundhogs) are very common around here. I often see … Continue reading →

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Broad-winged damselflies mating

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

The other day I recorded these broad-winged damselflies (Odonata: Calopterygidae) mating along the River Raisin near Blissfield in southeast Michigan. When mating, a damselfly male grasps a female behind the head with clasps on the end of his abdomen. The … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Common teasel

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

Armed with spiked leaves, stems, and flower heads, common teasel (Dipsacus fullonum, Dipsacaceae) looks rather formidable. I came across some of these at Side Cut Metropark near Maumee, Ohio last week, and they left an impression. Introduced from Eurasia,  this plant … Continue reading →

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Random Insect: Flesh fly

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

I got these clear shots of a flesh fly (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) in a nearby Michigan floodplain forest the other day. While similar in appearance to blow flies (Calliphoridae), house flies (Muscidae), and tachinid flies (Tachinidae), there are many features that … Continue reading →

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Insect Love: Horned squash bugs

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

As with much of the country, it’s been rather hot and dry here in southeast Michigan.  The nearby River Raisin has been very low, so the other day I took advantage of the empty, exposed banks to hike along the … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Northern catalpa

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Jeremy Sell

With big, heart-shaped leaves, dense clusters of white flowers, and long, slender seed pods, catalpa trees (Catalpa spp., Bignoniaceae) are easy to recognize. Two species are found in North America: northern catalpa (C. speciosa) and southern catalpa (C. bignonioides). These trees have … Continue reading →

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