Ernestine's Moth (Phytometra ernestinana - 8480)

Ernestine's Moth 

(Phytometra ernestinana - 8480)

Links:

Moth Photographers Group

BugGuide

iNaturalist

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Ernestine's Moth (Phytometra ernestinana - 8480)

Antlion (Glenurus gratus)

Antlion 

(Glenurus gratus)

While most antlion larvae live in soil and construct the familiar funnel-shaped ant traps, Glenurus gratus larvae live in tree holes among the wood dust and other organic detritus.  They feed on assorted insects such as termites, beetle larvae, and ants.  (University of Florida)

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Antlion (Glenurus gratus)

Porch Rat

Yes, squirrels are pests, and the speed at which they empty bird feeders can be infuriating, but how can you hate such a cute little critter?

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Porch Rat

Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) 

One of the more common early spring wildflowers in the Ozarks.

More information:

Illinois Wildflowers

Ozark Edge Wildflowers

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Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) in our yard.

Detailed information from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

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White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Smoky Sky

Our neighbor was burning off some of his land, filling the afternoon sky with heavy smoke.

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Smoky Sky

Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)

Last week Jo, Rusty and I made our annual trek down the creek to where Ozark Witch Hazel grows.

The text below originally appeared in a post published on January 24, 2008. 

The more common species of witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) grows throughout eastern North America. It blooms in the late fall. Hamamelis vernalis is native to the Ozarks region. It blooms during the late winter and continues until early spring and is usually found in gravel or rocky stream beds or at the base of rocky slopes along streams. The flowers tend to be more reddish and have a spicy aroma.

Witch-hazel has many traditional uses. It was the wood of choice for "dowsing" -- finding underground water (or sometimes other valuable objects) using a Y-shaped branch. Extracts from the leaves, twigs, and bark were used to reduce inflammation, stop bleeding, and check secretions of the mucous membranes. Astringent skin care products made from American witch-hazel are still available from Dickinson's.

Although I will probably never be at the right place at the right time, I'd really like to witness witch-hazel seed dispersal. Over the next year after blooming, two shiny black seeds develop in a woody capsule. The capsules mature at about the time the following year's flowers open. Then, the capsules split so explosively that they eject the seeds up to twenty-five feet away from the mother plant.

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Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)

A Different View

The view from our neighbors house.  Our road as it heads on up toward the main county 

road.  Neighbor's house is on top of hill.  His view of the surrounding countryside is 

much better than ours.  Still, when the weather is nasty and the wind is blowing,

I'm glad we're sheltered down in a hollow.

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A Different View

Clouds Across the Valley

Clouds across the valley on our afternoon walk.

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Clouds Across the Valley

Frozen Fog

Sunshine after a couple of days of freezing fog.  (Photo by Jo.)

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Frozen Fog