Blowing in the breeze, the silk from the ear of corn is waiting to catch the pollen from the tassels at the top of the corn stalk. There is one silk for each kernel and if pollen reaches the silk, then the kernel will grow, otherwise there will be some empty holes on the cob.
Corn Silk
The daytime flight habits of this insect may cause some to think it is a butterfly, but feathery antenna and folded back tent-like shape of the wings tell you it is a moth. The Virginia Ctenucha moth is one of the largest moths in a group called “wasp moths”. Despite its name, this species is more commonly found in the northeastern United States and southern Canada than in Virginia, which represents the southern boundary of its range although it has begun to expand westward and can now be found west of the Rocky Mountains. Adults feed on nectar during the day, and are considered good pollinators, while the caterpillars feed on grasses.
Virginia Ctenucha Moth
The fields and ditches are in pretty yellow color with the Black-eyed Susans blooming and even a lone flower is a lovely sight. Rudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed-susan, is a native flower to the Eastern and Central North America and naturalized in the Western part of the continent. Members of the sunflower family, the “black eye” is named for the dark brown-purple centers of its daisy-like flower heads.
But who was Black-Eyed Susan for which the flower was named for? The legend says it all comes from an Old English poem of the post-Elizabethan era entitled simply, “Black-Eyed Susan,” written by a very famous poet of the day named John Gay, 1685-1732. The first part of the poem reads like this.
All in the downs, the fleet was moored,
Banners waving in the wind.
When Black-Eyed Susan came aboard,
and eyed the burly men.
“Tell me ye sailors, tell me true
Does my Sweet William sail with you?”
Lonely Black-Eyed Susan
While a majority of the kittens at the farm are born in the spring and early summer, some come early when the snow is on the ground or in the fall. My long time cat Dutch who died last year, was born on this date thirteen years ago. One of the new kittens has similar markings and likes to climb, and time will tell if it can get back down by itself as that is one thing Dutch had trouble doing correctly.
Eyeing Up The Climb
On a warm sunny Sunday, heading to the lake (or a small pond in my case) might be a way to spend the afternoon for some swimming, boating, fishing or just relaxing watching the clouds go by. But since the fish in my small pond are only bait size, I guess I would have go to somewhere to fish or to kayak.
Sunday Afternoon by the Water
The year that Abraham Lincoln took his oath as President for his second term amidst the Civil War, a family settled on their farm which has been passed down through generations. Today they are celebrating the 150th year of their family farm with an open house near Baldwin, Wisconsin. This barn was built around 1900 from nearby timber.
Family Farm Sesquicentennial
Today’s full moon is called a Blue Moon, even though the moon isn’t any bluer than the full moon earlier this month. But once in a while there is a blue moon, when a volcanic eruption or smoke filters the Sun’s reflected light and makes the moon appear blue.
The original definition in the Maine Farmers’ Almanac defined a “blue moon” as the third full moon in a season with four full moons instead of the typical three. The second definition came about after an article by hobby astronomer James Hugh Pruett was published in the American magazine Sky and Telescope in 1946. He made a miscalculation, and claimed that any second full Moon in a calendar month is called a blue moon. A correction was printed but the mistake spread worldwide and is now the most common definition.
So the next blue moon by the original definition would be May 21, 2016 and next blue moon based on two in a month will be January 31, 2018. The true blue moon based on color isn’t as easy to predict since based on particles in the air.
Once in a Blue Moon
One small perk of mowing lawn, especially on my trails, is that you get to see what flowers are blooming and last evening as the sun was setting and while finishing the last sections, I spotted a rare find. It had been thirty plus years since I had spotted the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid while walking through the cow pasture on the farm so I was thrill to spot one last night. It is found in the Eastern US, but in some of those states it is listed as endangered, rare, or threatened, although Wisconsin is not one of those state, it is not a flower that I see very often in this area. Probably since they prefer wet habitats but with the rain this summer, my lawn is a wet habitat!
So I will have to venture out today in the daylight to get more pictures of the showy inflorescence of pinkish-purple dancing flowers of the Platanthera psycodes, meaning ‘butterfly like’, referring the spreading fringed petals, before someone mows it off or a deer eats it!
Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid
On a breezy day like today, I wonder how many storms and changing seasons this old log barn in upper Wisconsin has seen. Not sure if the owner had limited paint or time, but definitely gives a different look to it.
Log Barn
The sun is starting to peek out after the rain, but it hasn’t cool off nor has the dewpoint dropped, so it is another hot summer day. The yellow blossom of the common St. Johnswort looks like the sun bursting out its rays. But like many other flowers, this native one from Eurasia and North Africa was introduced into this country in the 1700s as an ornamental and as a medicinal herb. Now it is considered an invasive and noxious weed especially since toxic to livestock as it crowds out native species and forage on pasture lands.
Common St. Johnswort
