Flora Minatures

Despite the vagaries of weather, Blue Jay Barrens cannot go through a full year without the soil in most areas becoming super dry. This flat section of ridge top holds no moisture and is one of the driest open spots around. Most of the plants here are adapted to the harsh conditions imposed by this situation. That doesn’t mean they don’t show any effects of the arid conditions.

I think of this ridge top as my collection of miniatures. Species that grow over six feet tall in the nearby prairies can barely make it to one foot here. A good example is this Whorled Rosinweed that is so stunted that it doesn’t display all of the common identifying characteristics. Identifying miniatures is often tricky when they don’t resemble their larger siblings.

A regular sized Spiked Lobelia would have at least ten times this number of flowers. There have been several times in the past that I was convinced that I’d discovered a new species only to have it flower and prove to be one of the miniatures.

Eastern Red Cedars form themselves into natural Bonsai trees without the help of any pruning. This one made progress because of the wet spring, but it will never be able to maintain this much green growth.

This Orange Coneflower has managed a height of eight inches and three tiny blooms. In moist soil, the Orange Coneflower can easily reach a height of five feet and produce over a hundred flower heads. Since the small size is due to environmental conditions and not genetics, the seeds produced by this plant would have the potential to produce a super sized plant if grown under the right conditions.

Diminutive Bluehearts hold their own in the rocky soil. This species reaches a height of almost three feet within 20 yards of these ten inch plants. This disparity in size shouldn’t surprise gardeners who know that improved soils conditions equal larger plants.

A stunted Flowering Spurge can barely produce a noticeable flower cluster. Nearby plants hold their large flower clusters three feet in the air and are visible from far across the field. I visit the land of miniatures each year and marvel at the tenacity of these tiny plants. Their ability to survive under such adversity assures me that the larger members of their species are far from stressed by the normal dryness of the Blue Jay Barrens landscape.

Tiny plants can still provide cover for interesting insects. This is a Bee Fly known as Anthrax georgicus. The larvae of this fly feed on Tiger Beetle larvae. I’m still searching for new species of Tiger Beetles for the Blue Jay Barrens list, so I hope these flies aren’t reducing the population of some species I’ve not yet seen.

Goldenrod Insects

It’s the time of year when fields begin to turn yellow with Goldenrod blossoms. I love to check out the Goldenrods to see what types of creatures have been attracted to this magnificent plant. Goldenrods have been described as being an ecosystem unto themselves because of the diversity of animal life that meets and interacts on these plants.

It’s primarily the old crop fields that support the large stands of Goldenrod at Blue Jay Barrens. Each year the stands are slightly smaller as the native prairie plants crowd in to claim the field as their own. Goldenrod produces a chemical deterrent that makes it difficult for many plants to infiltrate the Goldenrod stands. Many of the native prairie plants are not deterred and actually seem to thrive growing among the Goldenrods. Indian Grass is probably the most aggressive and can eradicate large Goldenrod stands in a matter of five to ten years. There may come a time when I’ll have to take action to save a few remaining Goldenrod blocks.

Goldenrod produces both pollen and nectar that attracts a wide variety of insects. Ctenucha virginica is a common Goldenrod visitor. Its larval food plants are grasses and sedges, but Goldenrod nectar seems to be a favorite of the adults.

Many of these small white moths took flight as I waded through the Goldenrods. At rest they resembled bird droppings.

Of course, there are several species of small bees present. All were filling up on nectar while their bodies collected heavy amounts of pollen.

Flies were by far the most numerous group of insects visiting the flowers. All seemed to be after nectar.

The presence of so many species of flies may be due to an apparent absence of predators hiding in the Goldenrod flowers. I closely examined many flower heads in an attempt to find some spiders or predaceous bugs commonly associated with Goldenrods. I found none. A similar search in September should yield an abundance of predatory species.

There were many of these little Bee Flies visiting the flowers.

This is a small Cylindromyia species of Tachinid fly using a bit of mimicry to look like a wasp. The larvae are parasitic on some type of insect, but the adults are frequent visitors of nectar bearing flowers. I scared it from a flower and thought I wouldn’t be able to use it for a Goldenrod based post until it landed on some Goldenrod leaves.

Some Insect Fliers

Last year I saw an extra abundance of Robber Flies. These large, hairy predators lined the walking paths, waiting to dart out and seize some small flying prey. So far this year, they’ve been rather scarce. This mating pair is working hard to see that the population increases.

Crane flies are beginning to become more abundant. This one was acting even more ungraceful than your average Crane Fly and landed on this leaf after falling off the one above. Judging by the light color, I’m going to attribute its bumbling flight to the possibility that it just recently emerged as an adult.

Giant Swallowtail butterflies are having a super year. I’ve been seeing three or four at a time around the Monarda patch. Unfortunately, I have yet to get a shot of one of these gorgeous creatures that’s in focus. They keep their wings in constant motion and tend to hover rather than settle on the flower. As abundant as they are now, I should have several opportunities to get that elusive focused shot.

Bee Flies are great. They look threatening, but don’t bite or even bother to investigate humans. Many have coloration along the wing veins that makes them more attractive than a lot of the small, brown skippers. In fact, they often resemble butterflies when seen perched on a flower, their primary food source. The larvae are parasitic, but fortunately for us, they parasitize insects.

Well, it’s not flying yet, but it will be before long. This Monarch caterpillar is at rest beneath a milkweed leaf. Signs of feeding were quite evident at the top of the plant. It wasn’t until I got my face almost to the ground that I could see what had been doing the feeding. Despite the abundance of milkweeds at Blue Jay Barrens, I rarely see Monarch caterpillars. It’s always a joy when I do.