Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

Out in our first snow of the winter.  Only about an inch of snowfall.

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Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

Buffalo National River

Lane Bend on the Buffalo National River.  Jo and I took a short afternoon hike along the Buffalo River Trail down river from Grinder's Ferry.  Walked a couple of miles then turned around and returned.  Sunshine would have been nice, but just getting out and walking for a while was good.

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Buffalo National River

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)

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

Tree and Clouds

Along the road on our afternoon walk.

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Tree and Clouds

Moon Across the Valley

Taken while on our afternoon walk.  Long shadows these days -- and only the oaks are still holding leaves.

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Moon Across the Valley

American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana)

American Carrion Beetle
 (Necrophila americana)

Life cycle (BugGuide): Eggs laid singly on/near carrion. Larvae hatch in a few days, feed in or under carcass, and pupate in a nearby soil cell. Adults overwinter.

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American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana)

Spiny Oakworm Moth (Anisota stigma - 7716)

Spiny Oakworm Moth 
(Anisota stigma - 7716)

Widespread throughout much of eastern North America. Reported host plants include hazel and basswood in addition to oak. (BugGuide)

A male.

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Spiny Oakworm Moth (Anisota stigma - 7716)

Assassin Bug Nymph (Pselliopus sp)

Assassin Bug Nymph 

(Pselliopus sp)

The softer underside of the lady beetle is easier to pierce.

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Assassin Bug Nymph (Pselliopus sp)

Giant Walkingstick (Megaphasma denticrus)

Giant Walkingstick 

(Megaphasma denticrus)

Gaint Walkingsticks are usually credited with being the LONGEST insect in North America. This female's body is around five inches long, which is about average for a fully-grown female. Femoral spines on their mid and hind legs are diagnostic for this species according to BugGuide.

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Giant Walkingstick (Megaphasma denticrus)

Stink Bug (Menecles insertus)

Stink Bug 

(Menecles insertus)

"Elf Shoe" markings on the anterior of the pronotum are said to be diagnostic.  Hence, common name "Elf Shoe" is sometimes given to this insect.  (BugGuide)

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Stink Bug (Menecles insertus)

Moore's delphinium (Delphinium newtonianum)

Moore's Delphinium 

(Delphinium newtonianum)

An endemic species found in only five counties of Arkansas.

(Wildflower Lense)

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Moore's delphinium (Delphinium newtonianum)

Pink-Shaded Fern Moth (Callopistria mollissima - 9631)

Pink-Shaded Fern Moth 

(Callopistria mollissima - 9631)

Larvae of feed on various ferns.  (American Insect)

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Pink-Shaded Fern Moth (Callopistria mollissima - 9631)