One of my more spectacular finds this last summer was finding a goatweed leafwing (Anaea andria) chrysalis tucked up under some croton (Croton lindheimeri) that had come up in our front right-of-way over the summer. I had noticed some leaves curled up on the croton but could barely make out the caterpillars, only knowing by feel that they were inside. And then I found the chrysalis! I looked for more and found an empty one and never did find any other chrysalides later on in the summer so either the caterpillars I later found never pupated or they crawled off elsewhere to pupate. And then a few days later I…

Catching up on the last bits of our trip to east Texas last month as I am going to have more photos again soon because we trekked back over there today to see snowy orchids in bloom and to walk around a tupelo swamp. I still have photos from a trip to San Bernard NWR a few weekends ago to process as well, so more is coming! New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus – This is a plant I’ve heard a lot about from gardeners in the northeast but I had never come across it before. Lovely little plant—I wonder if deer like it? Swamp Titi, Cyrilla racemiflora – The flowers…