What to See This Week

The forest floor is covered in small white clusters of flowers. While ramp leaves are long gone, every year around this time the flowers begin to emerge and bloom. Look for the flower clusters atop a single, leafless stalk scattered in the Woodland Garden.

Chanterelles have also begun to pop up on the shady forest floor. At The Arboretum, chanterelles grow primarily in association with beech trees although they are also possible under oaks. Several species can be found around grounds but pictured here is likely smooth chanterelle, a species characterized by a lack of ridges running beneath the cap. Chanterelles smell slightly of apricot and peel like string cheese, along with other important identification features.

Slime molds come in an incredible variety of shapes and colors. Pictured here is the red raspberry slime mold, a particularly bright and interesting species of slime mold. Despite the name and fungus-like habits, slime molds belong to an entirely different kingdom of life. Slime molds belong to the kingdom Protista along with algae and amoebae.

A wonderful wetland plant is now blooming at the Red Barn Reserve. Pictured here is pickerelweed. Pickerelweed has long lasting purple flowers and is always covered in bumblebees and other nectaring insects. It is an obligate wetland plant meaning that it almost always occurs in wetlands under natural conditions.

This snowberry clearwing moth was seen visiting the pickerelweed flowers. These unique moths are notable for feeding like hummingbirds; they hover in front of flowers and use their long proboscis to feed while in flight. Snowberry clearwings are day flying moths and along with the pickerelweed, they can often be seen feeding from bee balm and native honeysuckles. In addition to enjoying the nectar from honeysuckles, the caterpillars also feed on native honeysuckle leaves!

Eastern amberwings are easy to spot around the edges of Dawes Lake currently. Pictured here is a male, recognized by their beautiful orange wings. Females have clear wings with dark brown patches. Eastern amberwings are also one of the smallest dragonflies you will run into in Ohio.

Another dragonfly you are likely to see at Dawes Lake is the widow skimmer. Pictured here is another male, and it is much larger than the previous dragonfly! Male widow skimmers have a large dark brown patch on the wings closest to the body, a white patch just next to it, and clear wing tips. 

While observing the dragonflies, there was a loud and bizarre sound coming from the small trees on the island on Dawes Lake. This sound was the song of a green heron sitting atop a tree! Green herons may be a little less well-known than their large, common relative the great blue heron, but they are seen at The Arboretum every year. Green herons are skilled fishers, even known to drop items like feathers or small twigs into water to “bait” fish before snatching them up!