Common Whitetail Skimmer

From the class Insecta, the order Ordonata, and the family Libellulidae, I bring to you the Common Whitetail Skimmer.

It's a dragonfly common to Missouri and seen almost every day during the summer months. They are called Skimmers because of their habit of skimming water and shallow grass. If you see them out in the woods and need water, this is a good sign that there's a stream somewhere within walking distance. However, you probably can't follow these guys to find it. They are quick and shy of people.

On top is the male, which is whitish blue and slightly larger than the female, which is dark brown and covered with lighter triangles underneath.

Scientific name:
Libellula lydia

Ecdysis

Nighttime Series Shot #1
Sometimes you'll find some surprising things at night. So, today I introduce the first in a line of nighttime photographs. These'll include the things that are hidden to the daytime world. I hope you enjoy!

On this night I found a Cicada going through its Ecdysis cycle, or moulting cycle. When an arthropod moults, it sheds its exoskeleton for a newer version. Think of it as Windows 98 going to 2000, or something like that. Basically, the old shell is replaced and left behind on plants or buildings. This Cicada was found on a barn near my home. It's not technically out in the throws of nature, but it works as an example. You'll probably see more of these coming as I find a lot of neat things on buildings.

Don't worry, the flash shouldn't hurt the Cicada as the eyes are milked over to protect the sensitive eyes from the sun and other sources of light.

Anyway, here's a good introduction through Wikipedia on Ecdysis.

Hairy Ruellia

Some wildflowers don't resemble their fieldbook counterparts for several reasons. In this case, it's due to some cutting in the area and the heavy rains which plagued most of southern Missouri during the early Summer.

This plant is usually taller with a thinner stalk, but the hairy, lanceolate leaves give it away once the flower is in full bloom. The light purple bell-shaped flower is deeper than its cousin, the Smooth Ruellia. However, it has a distinct look with five petals growing directly off the stem and close to the ground.

A lovely native, it has a slightly grassy smell with an acidic tinge.

Scientific name:
Ruellia caroliniensis

Bush Honeysuckle

What we have here is a failure to exterminate.

Bush Honeysuckle, although a beautiful and attractive plant, is an invasive species in the United States. It was brought over from Asia years ago and swept across the country. It competes with native Honeysuckles and drives them out. The hardest part about describing various kinds of Honeysuckles through one picture is that there are subtle differences in each. For example, Bush Honeysuckle's only true determinate is its grand size. It is the largest of the creeping Honeysuckles and will quickly create a heavy fence or hedge row. It also dominates the landscape.

Other Honeysuckles will grow sparsely and are usually stouter. Also, the flowers of the Bush Honeysuckle are larger, but grow in fewer clumps. These flowers start out white and turn a slight orange-yellow after the Spring rains.

Though I haven't found any evidence that this plant is strictly banned in Missouri, it should be controlled through chopping, firing, or mulching. However, if it can be controlled, grow it cautiously. A better suggestion is to use native Honeysuckles.

The berries, which occur during the summer, are also bright red and mildly poisonous.

Scientific name:
Lonicera maackii

White Sage

This soft, white, hairy native plant is an old favorite of the spicy shrubs. It's White Sage.

The distinct odor and color of this plant make it stand out in fields. It grows in patches which tend to look like soft, bluish-white ground covers.

This picture is a closeup of the Catkin, which is a soft cone of individual small flowers. This isn't the only flower-like protrusion the White Sage produces as there is larger cup-like flowers which blossom early in the season off of the same base. This is what is the flowers leave behind since there are few large-petal flowers that do bloom.

The leaves can be crushed to produce salad blends, mosquito repellents, poultices, and smokestack logs. The Native Americans used this plant to smoke their lodges in an incense before performing ceremonies. Today, people still collect the leaves, dry them, and put them in fireplaces to add flavor to the air. It's also an evergreen shrub, so it will be available year-round.

Scientific name:
Salvia apiana

Ironweed

Like something out of a cowboy flick, this tall, slender plant comes marching down the prairie. It's Ironweed.

The native plant is seen throughout Missouri in many moist fields. The masses of purple heads and fluffy, purple flowers makes this plant stand out. The leaves are alternate, simple lanceolates. It grows up to 3-3 1/2 feet (~1m) tall.

Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees love this plant because it has plenty of nectar and pollen for them to suck up. At this time of year, the moths go crazy for it. If you're out at night, you can often find a resting moth on one of these plants.

Native Americans and even settlers used this plant for respiratory ailments, blood problems, and pain reduction. Apparently, a mixture of this plant and several others was enough to reduce birthing pains. But, unless you know how to prepare it, I don't recommend it.

Scientific name:
Vernonia altissima

P.S. I'm sorry for the delays this week. I have been working longer hours, and it's cutting into my computer time. I shall try to work up some pics this weekend to start faster updates. Thanks for your patience!

Jerusalem Artichoke

Here we have yet another sunflower in my picture collection.

It's a Jerusalem Artichoke. Notice the many skinny rays and the tuft of anthered seeds. The JA is a large sunflower in that it reaches up to six feet tall. The large, alternate leaves shade the areas around it, making it much much cooler.

A curious fact about these plants is that not only are the seeds edible, but the tuber-like roots (notice the tuberosus) were once considered good fritters. I haven't tried them, but it sounds interesting enough.

You'll find these native plants in meadows and along stream banks. They like moist soil, but do alright in drier places.

Scientific name:
Helianthus tuberosus

Spearmint

This is a typical wild salad additive. In small portions, it's great for complementing any meal. The smell, taste, and look are quite distinguishing. Like all mints, it has rough, opposite leaves with prickly edges. The veins run opposite as well. However, the flowers are in shorter layers than most other mints, and Spearmint branches several times.

The flowers form in the leaf base as small clusters. They smell remotely like chewing gum, which helps set them apart from other plants. The oils are considered toxic in concentrated quantities, so if you try it, don't eat too much. Just chew and spit. But, I only recommend this after proper identification. The same caution goes for all mints. Also, many mints hybridize in the wild where insects cross-pollinate the plants. Therefore, you might run into several plants that don't always meet a particular description.

This is a picture of the flower cluster before it blooms. After all of the rain we've had this past summer, the flowers are later than normal.

Oh, and although it's native to Europe, it is an established plant in Missouri. It has plenty of competition from other mints, so it won't overrun native species.

Scientific name:
Mentha spicata

High Clouds

Except for that small part in Northwest Missouri from where the Martians come in , the whole state benefits from our atmosphere. Okay, it's a bad joke, and I know it.

However, the sky does play an important part in the state's natural habitats. So, today, I give you a picture of two types of high clouds. The small, spotty clouds are Cirrocumulus clouds. The wispy, delicate clouds are Cirrus clouds. Both form from six to 18 kilometers in the atmosphere(~5-15 miles). They rise so high due to the fast winds which develop above pressure systems.

These clouds precede weather changes -- mostly warmer air. So, you'll see them before and after storms. Occasionally, you'll see them between bouts of rain. In the case of the picture, these clouds were seen between rains that were lagged from a stabilizing air mass.

When you see Cirrus clouds alone in the morning, it usually means clear weather for you. But, you're friends to the east might get something. Cirrocumulus clouds alone can indicate developing cloud patterns and possible rain. Look for heavy, broad stratus clouds behind them and into the wind. If you see that, there's a good chance for a spotty rain shower.

One type of cloud alone cannot accurately predict the weather. It's the changes in clouds and the movements from high to low or low to high that help skywatchers win their bets.

Moth Mullein

This particular plant comes in a few variations, but it changes based on the soil conditions and environment. The one pictured is on a graded hill in a semi-shaded area. It was shorter and smaller than usual, which made the identification harder.

Like other mulleins, it isn't native to Missouri, but it is established after a couple of hundred years. Immigrants brought this plant, likely accidentally, from Europe when they first settled the area in the early 1800s.

Moth Mullein is identified by the larger flowers with five petals. Each flower grows directly off the stalk with a short stem and involucre (collar-like back). There are few leaves on this slim plant.

Scientific name:
Verbascum blattaria

Roseate Skimmer

This lovely dragonfly is common to most of North America, and luckily, isn't endangered. It is a quick adapter and emigrates to new places whenever its natural habitat is threatened.

I caught the pic of this guy after it was attacked by a larger, emerald darner. I think it's a guy because it's stouter than what a female would be, and it has a lighter abdomen.

Quite pretty, isn't it?

Scientific name: (species)
Orthemis ferruginea

Sassafras

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

The plant in my header is a Sassafras tree. Yeup! By tarnation, it is. Well, with that out, I can sleep again at night.

Although it's mostly known for its fragrant wood, tea, root-beer flavoring, and potpourri, it is also a fairly strong and sturdy wood. Oh, and did I mention it's waterproof? The oil and sap which gives the wood its fragrant properties also makes the wood orange, springy, and, well, waterproof. In the Ozarks, this wood is harvested and whittled into small oars for kayaks. These oars are some of the best hand-made oars in the world.

Second only to the Osage Orange, Maclura pomifera, the Sassafras also makes some historically accurate bows, throw sticks, and walking sticks. It wasn't as popular to use this wood, but evidence shows it was used as for sacred instruments because of its identifiable smell.

The leaves are distinguished from other trees by their smooth, shiny look accented by the glove-like shape. If you hold your hand up with your fingers tight against one another, you'll have the general no-lobed shape, if you spread your fingers out like Spock, you'll have the general glove shape. The tree itself is short,stout, dwarfy, and notched with crevices. But, the smell gives it away.

It can be found across most of the state in shaded to well-lit areas, whether fields, woods, or wetlands.

Sassafras is also one of my favorite trees. ;)

Scientific name:
Sassafras albidum

Field Chickweed

Today, I give you an example of how some wildflowers can be confused.

A couple of posts back, I posted an Evening Lychnis. Today, I am posting a Field Chickweed.

Note the similarities in the flowers. They both have cleft rays and a long calyx. Both are ivory white. Now, note the differences. The Lychnis sprouts out while the Chickweed wilts down. The Lychnis has short, claw-like anthers while the Chickweed has long, straight ones. Also, the Lychnis has a puffy calyx while the Chickweed's is smooth and skinny.

Chickweeds are widespread. For the most part, they stand erect. However, they will conform to the surroundings and sometimes crawl along the ground.

Scientific name:
Cerastium vulgatum

Woodland Sunflower

A stereotypical sign of summer is the sunflower. Every field, woods, and roadside has them. Some are large, some are small, and some are just right.

This one is just right. It's the Woodland Sunflower. The flowers are about four inches wide and sprout off three split stems. I chose this picture over another to show you the layout of the plant. Notice the rough leaves (they are tough and hairy), stout, thin stalks, and the unbloomed flower off to the right. This pattern is common to the Woodland Sunflower and not to others. Therefore, it's readily identifiable in the state.

Scientific name:
Helianthus divaricatus

Evening Lychnis

Good evening and welcome to August!
I welcome you with the Evening Lychnis. Though it's not native to the area, it's spread throughout the Ozarks and much of the rest of the United States. It's distinguished from similar plants by its puffy calyx sac, split-edge ray flowers, and sticky stem.

My field guides say this is found mostly in waste places, but I have found them in rich woods and alongside gardens. They thrive in semi-shaded areas with an adequate amount of rainfall.

This one was photographed right before the sun set. As you can see, it was still open.

Scientific name:
Lychnis alba

P.S.
I'm doing some site remodeling so if you have a suggestion, please leave it w/ the comments. Thanks!