A Wealth of Wasps

                While mowing the lawn recently I noticed something white attached to grass blades.  It looked like the end of a cotton swab and was the same size.  The more I looked, the more of them I spotted.  My lawn was filled with hundreds of the small white cottony things.  An infestation.  My first thought was… this can’t be good. 

                My next response was … get the camera.  After getting a clear photo, I bagged a few samples in a sandwich bag and sealed it shut.  I thought of taking them to the extension office for identification.  In the meantime, I searched on line and found something similar looking in Minnesota – a scale disease.  That didn’t sound good.  Then my daughter-in-law found a similar photo on line which led to a site that described predatory wasps egg sacs.  That sounded better.  Images from both sites looked alike.  For a definitive answer I emailed photos to entomologists at Virginia Tech, my county extension office and a few other lucky recipients.  

                An expert from Virginia Tech responded with good news.  My cotton swab cocoons were indeed egg sacs containing wasps – from the Genus Apanteles.  “They will parasitize pests like the cutworms and armyworms ,“ he reassured me. 

                Meanwhile, on my kitchen counter, my plastic baggie of cocoons was suddenly filled with tiny ants.  Upon closer inspection, I noticed wings.  Baby wasps! I rushed the newborns outside and set them free.

                Remember my post about predatory wasps and the photo of the tomato hornworm with cocoons attached?  Or the potter wasp post?  Of course you do.  There are thousands of species of parasitic wasps, many of which are tiny.  Although many adult wasps feed on nectar, they lay their eggs inside live hosts such as caterpillars, armyworms, Japanese beetle larva and  other insects, mostly, but not all, garden pests.  When the eggs hatch, their considerate host provides a food source until the larvae mature into adult wasps.

                Now I am really glad I didn’t treat my lawn with any pesticides this spring.  I was tempted.   I considered doing so because of ticks and the underground food supply that makes my moles so healthy and active.  But I knew I couldn’t selectively kill only bad bugs without hurting the good bugs.  And now the payoff is – I have my own army of tiny parasitic wasps working for me.  I feel powerful.

May

      It is May…time for Mother’s Day.  My mother passed away several years ago and I miss her.  I probably owe my love of nature to her.  She loved the outdoors and was a great gardener.  She and my dad grew enough vegetables to feed the neighborhood.  When I was very young, my mother often let me choose a pack of flower seeds to plant.  Sometimes I planted zinnias, but most often I chose marigolds.  I planted them along the sidewalk that led to our front porch.  It is important for a child to plant seeds, to nurture something and watch it grow.  No matter how far I’ve come as a gardener, I still plant marigolds.  Marigolds are such humble little flowers, like my childhood, but butterflies and bees like them, so I do too.  I’m not sure if I plant marigolds for myself, for my childhood or for my mother, but I will plant marigolds this year, and the next, and the next. 

               

Eastern Hognose Snake

      

 

 

 

       Pugnose would have been a nicer name than hognose, and certainly friendlier sounding than Heterodon platirhinos, its formal name.   A snake with so much personality deserves a more suitable name.   Rodney Dangersnake, Mr. Snakepants, Class Clown Snake. 

      The upturned snout is the snake’s most distinguishing feature.  Otherwise, it can be tricky to identify.  Its background color can be gray, yellow, brown, green or black – sometimes, not always, patterned with large, rectangular spots down its back.  The hognose seems to want to amuse us with a color wheel of possibilities.  Perhaps it is compensating for its nose. 

       The defense mechanisms are what make the hognose snake such an entertainer.  It has been called a “puff adder” because when confronted, it will suck in air to inflate the area around its head so that it almost looks like a cobra.  Then it will lunge, like it is going to strike, but it never even opens its mouth.  The hognose pretends to be fierce but is a complete fake.

      Speaking of fake, if the fierce cobra imitation doesn’t frighten you, the hognose has another trick up its sleeve, so to speak.  It will play dead.  Not just a limp fake dead, but a full blown play dead trick like you might teach your dog.  It will roll over onto its back and lie motionless with its mouth open.  Can your dog do that?  This snake goes to great lengths to avoid real confrontation.

      If you don’t think this snake is interesting by now, consider its feeding habits.  It adores toads.  It even has a special set of fangs near the back of its mouth – making toad eating easier.  When a toad deploys its clever defense mechanism, which is puffing itself up with air to become bigger, the rear teeth of the hognose can pop a puffed up toad like a balloon.  But what about toxic toads?  No problem, the hognose is immune.  There isn’t a toad out there that can outsmart a hognose.  

     Unless you are a toad, you have no reason to fear the hognose snake.  If you are lucky enough to come across a super nice, fun-loving, toad eating snake, please leave it alone.  Remember, snakes are protected in Virginia, making it illegal to kill them. 

Springtime in Virginia

If a picutre is worth a thousand words... then here is my essay on springtime in Virginia:

April Wildflowers

        A few spring wildflowers are now in bloom here in central Virginia.  These ephemerels bloom briefly while sun penetrates the forest floor before leaves emerge and the tree canopy shades the woods.

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

 

Named for the red sap in the root, the plant was used medicinally and as a dye by Native Americans.  It is still being used in cancer research.

Bloodroot closes at night and on cloudy days.

 

 

Cutleaf Toothwort, Dentaria laciniata

Native Americans made a poultice from the roots to treat headaches

 

 

Ginger, Hexastylis shuttleworthii

Most gingers have heart-shaped leaves.   The flowers are hidden on the ground underneath the leaves.

 

 



Trout Lily, Erythronium americana





 

Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica

       To see these and other spring wildflowers, go for a walk in the park.  James River Parks, Robious Landing and Powhatan State Park are among the places to see wildflowers in April.  Look, but do not touch.  Never pick wildflowers -- some take years for the seeds to germinate.  Others depend on a fungus in the soil -- if you dig them up they most likely cannot grow in your garden.  Take photographs but do NOT take flowers.

Get Ready for Hummingbirds

 

What makes the world’s smallest bird such a huge pleasure for us to observe?  Is it the tiny size?  They weigh about the same as a nickel.   Or is it the way they dart about that makes them so entertaining?  After all, they can easily fly forward, backward and sideways.  They are so darn cute we all enjoy having them around. 

April marks the return of hummingbirds to the Richmond area.  After a winter in Mexico and Panama, hummingbirds make their way back to our area.  Unlike many migratory  birds, they do not migrate in flocks.   Instead, a staggered  schedule of departures continues for several weeks.  Males and females travel separately.  During the journey, hummingbirds must travel about 500 miles over water to cross the Gulf of Mexico, which they do in about 22 hours.   The migration process is completed around mid-May.  With all that time and distance to cover, no wonder they arrive so hungry!

Food Sources

Early blooming columbine is an excellent nectar source for hummingbirds arriving in early spring.  Bee Balm is another native favorite.  Hummingbirds sip nectar from tubular or bell-shaped flowers, making petunias and salvias good choices for attracting the birds.  In fact, the tiny birds visit several thousand flowers in a single day.  With no sense of smell, hummingbirds are visually attracted to red but will seek any color flower that provides nectar. People often add red food coloring to their hummingbird feeder solution but the dye is not necessary to attract the birds and some sources say it can be harmful.  A simple solution of four parts water to one part table sugar is the rule of thumb for making your own nectar.  Keeping the feeder clean is very important.  Use warm water and a soft brush rather than harsh chemicals to clean your feeder.

Nesting

         After the long migratory flight, eating is the first priority but nesting follows close behind.  As hummingbirds are solitary birds, building the nest and raising the young is the female’s job, with no involvement or support from the male.  The female chooses a safe location before gathering soft plant material, moss and lichen.  Gathering nest material takes about four hours a day, with up to 34 trips an hour.  The female then uses spider web to bind it all together. Nest building requires nearly a week. The finished nest is about the size of a quarter. 

          Hummingbirds usually lay two eggs, which hatch in about two to three weeks. The white eggs are pea-sized.  Hummingbirds feed their young nestlings a regurgitated “soup” of nectar and insects.  The chicks are ready to leave the nest in about 20 days.  What an exhausting process for one parent!

Watching Hummingbirds

Nectar feeders are a great way to enjoy watching these jeweled beauties this summer.  You must keep your feeders clean and filled to keep the birds happy.  Place several feeders in your yard to prevent a pesky male from dominating a feeder and keeping other birds away.  You can also attract them by planting hummingbird favorites such as monarda, cannas, columbine, cypress vine, petunia, salvia, hosta, and impatiens.  You should avoid using pesticides on hummingbird plants.  In the Richmond area, be on the lookout for Ruby-throated, Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds. 

These hungry hummers couldn't wait for me to hang a fresh feeder