Plathemis lydia: Chalky Blue White of Male Common Whitetail Dragonfly

Summary: Plathemis lydia is a New World dragonfly native to Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. The males display startling coloring, with chalky blue-white abdomen.

female Common Whitetail, Town of Skaneateles, Onondaga County, upstate New York; Thursday, July 20, 2006, 17:23: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Plathemis lydia is a New World dragonfly native to North America from southern Canada southward across the United States and into Mexico.

In Canada, Plathemis lydia enjoys a coast-to-coast range across southern Canada’s ten provinces.

In the United States, Plathemis lydia claims homelands throughout the continental, or Lower 48, United States.

Plathemis lydia, which has a scientific synonym of Libellula lydia, is known commonly in English as Common Whitetail.

Common Whitetail dragonflies favor the moist environment of slow-moving or standing water bodies, such as creeks, lakes, marshes, ponds, and streams. They accept other still water ecosystems such as ditches and wetland meadows.

As members of the world’s largest dragonfly family, the skimmers or perchers (Libellulidae), Common Whitetail dragonflies hover over water and perch in nearby, open habitats. Their favorite ground sites are on logs and rocks, as well as at muddy locales. Branches are favored for aboveground sites.

Robber fly (Trioria interrupta) preys upon hapless Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia); Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 15:25: Thomas Shahan: Thomas Shahan, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Membership in the carnivorous order of insects, the Odonata (Ancient Greek: οδόντoς, odontos, “tooth”) signals the diet of Common Whitetails as insectivores (Latin: insectum, “animal with divided or notched body” + vorare, “devour, swallow”).

As adults, Common Whitetails adeptly tackle their prey, such flying insects as gnats and mosquitoes, in mid-air offensives.

The threat of predation is not restricted to Common Whitetail young'uns, known as naiads or nymphs. Young'uns are favored by birds, fish and frogs, as well as by aquatic insects, including other dragonflies.

A particularly fearsome predator of adult Common Whitetails is the robber fly (Trioria interrupta). The aggressive insectivore specializes in fatal and swift aerial ambushes.

Through their differing appearances and sizes, smaller females and larger males exhibit sexual dimorphism (Ancient Greek: δίς, dís, “twice” + μορφή, morphḗ, “form, shape” + -ισμός, -ismós, suffix forming abstract nouns).

The short, stout abdomen in males presents a chalky blue-white coloring.

In females, brown predominates across the short, stout abdomen. Creamy white diagonal spots create a sawtooth pattern along the side.

Immature males resemble females in abdominal coloring and pattern.

Wing patterns distinguish females and males.

Males have two sets of brown-black bands on each translucent-tipped wing. A swath of white triangulates beneath the smaller, inner bands on either side of the abdomen.

Immature males resemble adult males in their wing pattern.

Females have three sets of dark bands on each wing. All wingtips are darkened with the third band.

On a walk this year (2015) on Sunday, June 14, along a nature trail about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) south of my home, I was gently buzzed by a male Common Whitetail as he flew from a muddy patch in the gravel parking lot to his perch in a stand of deciduous trees generously lining the trail’s stream.

The chalky blue whiteness of his abdomen was startlingly unusual and set off his dark-banded, translucent wings with aesthetic perfection.

adult male Common Whitetail, with characteristic white waxy coating on abdomen and wings: Bruce Marlin, CC BY SA 2.5 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

female Common Whitetail, Town of Skaneateles, Onondaga County, upstate New York; Thursday, July 20, 2006, 17:23: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dragonfly_ran-579_Whitetail_f.jpg

Robber fly (Trioria interrupta) preys upon hapless Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia); Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 15:25: Thomas Shahan, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robber_Fly_(Triorla_interrupta)_with_Dragonfly_(Plathemis_lydia).jpg

adult male Common Whitetail, with characteristic white waxy coating on abdomen and wings: Bruce Marlin, CC BY SA 2.5 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_whitetail.jpg;
via North American Insects & Spiders, @ https://www.cirrusimage.com/dragonfly_common_whitetail/

male Common Whitetail: Bruce Marlin, CC BY SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_whitetail.jpg

For further information:

“Common whitetail (Plathemis lydia).” Arkive > Species > Invertebrates – terrestrial and freshwater. Last updated 8/13/2014.
Available @ http://www.arkive.org/common-whitetail/plathemis-lydia/

“Common Whitetail Skimmer – (Libellula lydia).” InsectIdentification.org > Dragonflies & Damselflies.
Available @ http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Common-Whitetail-Skimmer

“Plathemis lydia – Common Whitetail.” BugGuide > Guide > Arthropods (Arthropoda) > Hexapods (Hexapoda) > Insects (Insecta) > Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) > Dragonflies (Anisoptera) > Skimmers (Libellulidae) > Whitetails (Plathemis).
Available @ http://bugguide.net/node/view/603

Van Dokkum, Pieter. Dragonflies: Magnificent Creatures of Water, Air, and Land. New Haven CT and London UK: Yale University Press, 2015.

Himalayan Salt Candle Holder and Lamp: Warm Amber Glow of Salt Crystal

Summary: Himalayan salt, a rock salt mined in Pakistan's Khewra Salt Mine, the world's second largest salt mine, casts a warm amber glow as candle holders and lamps.

salt lamp with tea light: Neitram, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

The salt marketed as Himalayan salt is a rock salt with crystals ranging in color from off-white to transparent or even pink or red, due to the presence of iron oxide. Himalayan salt is mined in Khewra Salt Mine, the world's second largest salt mine. Khewra is located in the Salt Range hill system in the Punjab Region of eastern Pakistan.

Halite, or rock salt, references the natural form of salt as a crystalline mineral with a regular three-dimensional molecular structure represented by a chemical formula, NaCl (sodium chloride). Sodium chloride, known commonly in English as salt, comprises around 98 percent of the composition of Himalayan rock salt.

The special cachet of Himalayan salt is its association with one of the ancient world’s greatest military explorers, Alexander III of Macedon (July 21, 356 BCE–June 11, 323 BCE), commonly known as Alexander the Great. Alexander’s horses are credited with the actual discovery of the Khewra Salt Mine.

Himalayan salt enjoys a range of uses: culinary products such as table salt; household products such as bath salts; industrial applications such as brine (a solution of sodium chloride in water) for de-icing and refrigeration.

The appreciation of artistic and decorative aspects of Himalayan salt dates back to the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) tradition of crafting statues and tableware, such as lamps and vases, from rock salt crystals.

Creating candle holders and lamps from the irregular, colorful surface of Himalayan salt crystals, tinged pink with iron oxide impurities, showcases the mineral’s natural beauty. Candles and low-watt light bulbs emit a warm amber glow through the rough-hewn, sculptured shapes of Himalayan salt candle holders and lamps.

Opinions are divided over other health benefits that purport to purify the air by way of natural attributes activated by heated salt crystals. For example, the heated crystals are credited with dissipation of allergens and other air pollutants as well as with dilution of odors that trouble breathing. Heated Himalayan salt crystals also are believed to emit negative ions that counteract sluggishness conveyed by positively charged particles in the air.

Health benefits aside, Himalayan salt crystals rock as candle holders and lamps.

Crystal Deposits Exhibit, seventh floor (one floor below entrance level), in Khewra Salt Mine, the source mine for Himalayan salt; Sunday, May 22, 2011, 12:23: Shikari7, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

salt lamp with tea light: Neitram, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salzlampe.jpg

Crystal Deposits Exhibit, seventh floor (one floor below entrance level), in Khewra Salt Mine, the source mine for Himalayan salt; Sunday, May 22, 2011, 12:23: Shikari7, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khewra_Salt_Mine_-_Crystal_Deposits_on_the_mine_walls.jpg

For further information:

Schimmel, Annemarie. The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. London UK: Reaktion Books Ltd., 2004.

Tree Friendly Urban Soil Management: Assemble, Assess, Assist, Astound

Summary: Tree friendly urban soil management assesses soil density, microbes, moisture, nutrients, organic matter, pH, salinity, structure and texture by site.

Healthy Soil Is a Heavyweight; soil density and porosity are indicators of soil health; urban soil compaction is a common problem that interferes with root penetration, soil aeration and water infiltration: via USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

The article Managing Soils That Support Urban Trees (Part One) in Arborist News for June 2015 analyzes sites and soils for microbial activity, moisture, nutrients, organic matter, pH, salinity, structure and texture.

Tree friendly urban soil management begins with soil assessment to "determine soil characteristics and conditions that may limit tree or shrub development" and may require mitigation. Both field-based and laboratory-analyzed site and soil assessment information also can communicate such resource- and time-saving guidelines as matching tree species particularly suited to site conditions. The conditions being assessed, site size, soil variability and tree size determine the depth, location and number of samples for biological, chemical and physical property analysis.

Sampling "locations and depth(s) within the soil profile that provide information necessary to make recommendations" emphasizes drip-line, fertilizer-friendly, fine-root, 6- to 8-inch (15.24- to 20.32-centimeter) depths.

Collections at random or in grid-like patterns within defined areas and from subdivisions with similar management, slope or species characteristics facilitate large sites and multiple samples.

Comparative sampling governs sampling "areas where trees have a problem and comparing the result to those from nearby areas where trees are non-symptomatic, unaffected, or undisturbed." Site conditions and soil properties hamper or hasten the timing for steel, tubular soil sampling probes 0.75 to 1.75 inches (1.90 to 4.44 centimeters) in diameter. In contrast is the feel method of kneading moistened soil into ribbons for ascertaining textural composition and size of soil particles by grittiness, length and smoothness.

Tree friendly urban soil management juxtaposes particles structurally arranged into air-, organism-, root- and water-supportive aggregates, judged by excavating soil from large holes, and soil textures.

Construction, pedestrians and vehicles keep otherwise friendly soils from knowing proper root penetration, soil aeration and water infiltration through compaction's decreased pore space and increased density. Bulk density, as "weight of soil (mass) per a unit volume" in kilograms per cubic meter or pounds per cubic foot, lends resistance to root growth. Porosity manages inverse relationships to density and moves air, organisms, root and water effectively and rapidly in "well-aggregated soils with large continuous pores in the surface." Site irrigation rates necessitate noting water infiltration rates, as time for 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) of water to move into a 6-inch (15.24-centimeter) hole or ring.

Water as measuring tool in deionized mixtures with soil offers tree friendly urban soil management 5.5 to 6.5 power of hydrogen (pH), optimal for temperate treescapes.

Proper irrigation and pH promote access to macronutrients nitrogen and potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur and micronutrients boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and zinc. Evaporation in arid regions, groundwater and spray along coasts and salt-heavy amendments, de-icers and fertilizers in temperate zones quicken high soil salinity, moisture and pH stresses.

Soil organic matter, as currently or previously living animals and plants, remediates many soil-related problems and responds best of all soil quality indicators to management practices. It sequesters contaminants and serves soil aeration, aggregation, infiltration, microbes, nutrients, percolation and resistance and stabilizes pH best at 3 to 10 percent of topsoil weight.

Tree friendly urban soil management teams density, infiltration, nutrients, pH, porosity, structure and texture, according to co-authors Wes Kocher, Bryant C. Scharenbroch and E. Thomas Smiley.

Healthy Soil Is Active Soil; air and water are present in good soil structures: via USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to:
talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet;
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for superior on-campus and on-line resources.

Image credits:

Healthy Soil Is a Heavyweight; soil density and porosity are indicators of soil health; urban soil compaction is a common problem that interferes with root penetration, soil aeration and water infiltration: via USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service @ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/soils/health/?cid=stelprdb1143204

Healthy Soil Is Active Soil; air and water are present in good soil structures: via USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service @ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/soils/health/?cid=stelprdb1143204

For further information:

Gilman, Ed. 2011. An Illustrated Guide to Pruning. Third Edition. Boston MA: Cengage.

Hayes, Ed. 2001. Evaluating Tree Defects. Revised, Special Edition. Rochester MN: Safe Trees.

Marriner, Derdriu. 18 April 2015. “Tree Wound Responses: Healthy Wound Closures by Callus and Woundwood.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/04/tree-wound-responses-healthy-wound.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 February 2015. “Urban Forest Maintenance and Non-Maintenance Costs and Benefits.” Earth and Space News. Sunday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/02/urban-forest-maintenance-and-non.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 December 2014. “Tree Dwelling Symbionts: Dodder, Lichen, Mistletoe, Moss and Woe-Vine.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/12/tree-dwelling-symbionts-dodder-lichen.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 18 October 2014. “Tree Cable Installation Systems Lessen Target Impact From Tree Failure.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/10/tree-cable-installation-systems-lessen.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 August 2014. “Flood Tolerant Trees in Worst-Case Floodplain and Urbanized Scenarios.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/08/flood-tolerant-trees-in-worst-case.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 14 June 2014. “Integrated Vegetation Management of Plants in Utility Rights-of-Way.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/06/integrated-vegetation-management-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 12 April 2014. “Tree Twig Identification: Buds, Bundle Scars, Leaf Drops, Leaf Scars.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/04/tree-twig-identification-buds-bundle.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 February 2014. “Tree Twig Anatomy: Ecosystem Stress, Growth Rates, Winter Identification.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/02/tree-twig-anatomy-ecosystem-stress.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 14 December 2013. “Community and Tree Safety Awareness During Line- and Road-Clearances.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/12/community-and-tree-safety-awareness.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 October 2013. “Chain-Saw Gear and Tree Work Related Personal Protective Equipment.” Earth and Space News. Sunday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/10/chain-saw-gear-and-tree-work-related.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 12 October 2013. “Storm Damaged Tree Clearances: Matched Teamwork of People to Equipment.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/10/storm-damaged-tree-clearances-matched.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 17 August 2013. “Storm Induced Tree Damage Assessments: Pre-Storm Planned Preparedness.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/08/storm-induced-tree-damage-assessments.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 June 2013. “Storm Induced Tree Failures From Heavy Tree Weights and Weather Loads.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/06/storm-induced-tree-failures-from-heavy.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 April 2013. “Urban Tree Root Management Concerns: Defects, Digs, Dirt, Disturbance.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/04/urban-tree-root-management-concerns.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 February 2013. “Tree Friendly Beneficial Soil Microbes: Inoculations and Occurrences.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/02/tree-friendly-beneficial-soil-microbes.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 December 2012. “Healthy Urban Tree Root Crown Balances: Soil Properties, Soil Volumes.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/12/healthy-urban-tree-root-crown-balances.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 October 2012. “Tree Adaptive Growth: Tree Risk Assessment of Tree Failure, Tree Strength.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/10/tree-adaptive-growth-tree-risk.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 11 August 2012. “Tree Risk Assessment Mitigation Reports: Tree Removal, Tree Retention?” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/08/tree-risk-assessment-mitigation-reports.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 June 2012. “Internally Stressed, Response Growing, Wind Loaded Tree Strength.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/06/internally-stressed-response-growing.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 14 April 2012. “Three Tree Risk Assessment Levels: Limited Visual, Basic and Advanced.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/04/three-tree-risk-assessment-levels.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 19 February 2012. “Qualitative Tree Risk Assessment: Risk Ratings for Targets and Trees.” Earth and Space News. Sunday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/02/qualitative-tree-risk-assessment-risk.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 18 February 2012. “Qualitative Tree Risk Assessment: Falling Trees Impacting Targets.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/02/qualitative-tree-risk-assessment.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 10 December 2011. “Tree Risk Assessment: Tree Failures From Defects and From Wind Loads.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/12/tree-risk-assessment-tree-failures-from.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 October 2011. “Five Tree Felling Plan Steps for Successful Removals and Worker Safety.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/10/five-tree-felling-plan-steps-for.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 August 2011. “Natives and Non-Natives as Successfully Urbanized Plant Species.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/08/natives-and-non-natives-as-successfully.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 11 June 2011. “Tree Ring Patterns for Ecosystem Ages, Dates, Health and Stress.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/06/tree-ring-patterns-for-ecosystem-ages.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 9 April 2011. “Benignly Ugly Tree Disorders: Oak Galls, Powdery Mildew, Sooty Mold, Tar Spot.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/benignly-ugly-tree-disorders-oak-galls.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 12 February 2011. “Tree Load Can Turn Tree Health Into Tree Failure or Tree Fatigue.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/02/tree-load-can-turn-tree-health-into.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 11 December 2010. “Tree Electrical Safety Knowledge, Precautions, Risks and Standards.” Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2010/12/tree-electrical-safety-knowledge.html

Scharenbroch, Bryant C.; Smiley, E. Thomas; and Kocher, Wes. June 2015. "Managing Soils That Support Urban Trees (Part One)." Arborist News 24(3): 12-17.
Available @ http://html5.epaperflip.com/Viewer.aspx?docid=12d9beb0-a0a3-46ad-af92-a4a000f756ea#page=24

Celastrina ladon: Blue Brilliance of Spring Azure Butterfly

Summary: Celastrina ladon, a small New World butterfly known in English as Spring Azure, bedazzles gardeners with the brilliant blue of its tiny open wings.

wing undersides of Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon), Ballfield Meadow, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, King County, northwestern Washington: Walter Siegmund, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Celastrina ladon is a New World butterfly native to North America and northwestern South America.

In North America, Celastrina ladon ranges from eastern Alaska eastward and southward across southern Canada and the continental, or Lower 48, United States to northwestern and north central Mexico.

In northwestern South America, Celastrina ladon claims homelands in the mountains of Colombia.

Celastrina ladon is known commonly in English as Spring Azure butterfly.

Spring Azure butterflies prefer old fields, marshes, and swamps as well as openings and edges of deciduous woodlands.

Favorite host plants for Celastrina ladon's larval, or caterpillar, stage include flowering dogwood trees and New Jersey tea shrubs.

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a New World tree native to eastern North America from Canada southeastward to northern Florida and southwestward to Texas. Disjunct, or separate, communities occur in Mexico's eastern states of Nuevo León and Vera Cruz.

New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americana) is a New World shrub native to eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf Coast states.

In addition to sharing larval stage's partiality for New Jersey tea, Spring Azure butterflies favor nectar from blackberries and common milkweed.

Blackberry (Rubus spp.) is an Old World deciduous (Latin: deciduus, "that which falls off") shrub claiming naturalized homelands globally, including in the United States.

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a New World flowering plant native from western Canada's prairie province of Saskatchewan eastward across Canada and southward to the Gulf Coast states, excluding Florida.

As a member of the Lycaenidae, or gossamer-winged, family, Spring Azure butterfly present brilliant, delicate wings.

Black edging of outer forewings distinguishes females from males, both of which exhibit brilliant blue uppersides.

Undersides, as revealed by closed wings, appear as light, dark or brownish grey, dotted with black blotches and spots.

As small butterflies, Spring Azures maximize wingspans at 7/8 to 1 3/8 inches (2.2 to 3.5 centimeters).

As mud puddlers, male Spring Azure butterflies seek damp ground and mud, from which they extract nutrients such as salts from fluids in the wet soil.

Spring Azure males haunt the bare patch of muddy ground at the shady western foot of the backyard retaining wall extending from my house’s northwest corner.

The brilliant blue of their wings flash captivatingly as my Spring Azure guests enjoy their muddy repast.

male Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon), Mer Bleue Conservation Area, east of Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, east central Canada; Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10:18: D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

wing undersides of Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon), as viewed from Ballfield Meadow, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, King County, northwestern Washington: Walter Siegmund, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Celastrina_ladon_03722.JPG

male Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon), Mer Bleue Conservation Area, east of Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, east central Canada; Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10:18: D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spring_Azure-male.jpg

For further information:

“Cyclicity.” Encyclopedia of Life > Celastrina ladon Spring Azure > Details.
Available @ http://www.eol.org/data_objects/28825320

Marriner, Derdriu. “Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): Bon Appétit! For Azure, Blue, Marblewing, and Sulphur Butterflies.” Wizzley > Plants & Gardening > Plants > Herb Plants.
Available @ http://wizzley.com/chives-allium-schoenoprasum/

Mitchell, John Hanson. A Field Guide to Your Own Back Yard. Woodstock VT: The Countryman Press, 2014.

“Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon).” Gardens with Wings.
Available @ http://www.gardenswithwings.com/butterfly/Spring%20Azure/index.html

"Spring Azure Celastrina ladon (Cramer, 1780)." Butterflies and Moths of North America > Species. Butterfly and Moth Information Network: Kelly Lotts and Thomas Naberhaus. Web. www.butterfliesandmoths.org.
Available @ http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Celastrina-ladon

Dryas iulia: Flame Orange Color of Tear Sipping Julia Butterfly

Summary: Dryas iulia is a large New World butterfly with flame orange coloring and a passion for lachryphagous, or tear sipping, behavior, especially with reptiles.

Julia butterfly (Dryas iulia), Butterflies Alive!, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Mission Canyon suburb, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, Southern California; Saturday, June 21, 2014, 10:29:52: Dawn Beattie (Pets4Dawn), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Dryas iulia is a New World butterfly native to North, Central, and South America. Dryas iulia claims homelands from Brazil northward into Guyana and Suriname and northwestward across South and Central America into Mexico and South Texas as well as across the West Indies into the Florida Keys and peninsular Florida.

Migratory Dryas iulia sometimes stray beyond Texas as far north as Nebraska.

Dryas iulia is known commonly in English as Flambeau, the Flame, Julia, Julia Heliconian or Julia Longwing.

The common names of Julia Heliconian and of Julia Longwing reflect Dryas iulia's membership in the Heliconiinae, a butterfly subfamily characterized by tipward elongation of forewings.

As a fast flier with a preference for clearings, edges, and openings, Julia butterflies especially seek fields, hardwood hammocks, and riversides.

Dryas iulia favors passion vines (Passiflora spp.) as host plants for their caterpillars. Nine of the world's 500 species of Passiflora are native to the United States.

Julia butterflies especially enjoy lantanas (Lantana spp.), also known as shrub verbenas, and passion vines as nectar sources. In the United States, purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), native from Texas eastward through Florida, exemplifies the allure of passion vines for Dryas iulia's entire life cycle, from larva to butterfly.

Orange with brown-to-black borders and markings characterize Julia’s uppersides, with males characteristically presenting more vivid shades than females’ subdued oranges.

Undersides display remarkable, albeit subdued, shades of orange and brownish orange.

undersides, or ventral view, of Julia butterfly, Irwin M. Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park, near eastern Cincinnati, southwestern Ohio; Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 13:39: Greg Hume, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

As a large member of the medium-to-large Nymphalidae, or brush-footed, family, Julia butterflies open their wings to spans of 3 ¼ to 3 5/8 inches (8.2 to 9.2 centimeters).

As brush-footed butterflies, Dryas iulia appear to have only four legs because their diminutive pair of forelegs, covered like a hair brush with short bristles, are often not noticeable.

Julia butterflies join other insects, including bees and other butterflies, in engaging in lachryphagy (Latin: lacrima, “tear”; Ancient Greek: δάκρυον, dákruon, “tear”+ -φαγία, -phagía, combining form of φαγεῖν, phageîn, “to eat”). Insects drink, sip or suck tears in order to extract essential nutrients, such as protein and sodium, from the saline, watery fluids released by tear ducts or salt glands around the eyes, mouth or nostrils of mammals or reptiles.

As enthusiastic tear sippers, Julia butterflies engage in the beneficial behavior especially with such basking reptiles as the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) of Mexico and Central and South America and South American river turtles (Podocnemis spp.) of tropical South America. Tear-sipping occurrences between Julia butterflies and their reptilian hosts tend to convey the mesmerizing harmony of Nature's mysterious rhythms to human viewers who observe such fortunate happenstances.

Julia butterflies (Dryas iulia) drink tears of South American river turtles (Podocnemis spp.) in Ecuador; Thursday, Sep. 27, 2012, 13:35: amalavida.tv, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Common

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Julia butterfly (Dryas iulia), Butterflies Alive!, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Mission Canyon suburb, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, Southern California; Saturday, June 21, 2014, 10:29:52: Dawn Beattie (Pets4Dawn), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics4dawn/14327700100/

undersides, or ventral view, of Julia butterfly, Irwin M. Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park, near eastern Cincinnati, southwestern Ohio; Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 13:39: Greg Hume, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DryasJulia-Ventral.jpg

Julia butterflies (Dryas iulia) drink tears of South American river turtles (Podocnemis spp.) in Ecuador; Thursday, Sep. 27, 2012, 13:35: amalavida.tv, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Common @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_butterfly_feeding_on_the_tears_of_a_turtle_in_Ecuador.jpg

For further information:

Beltrán, Margarita, and Andrew V.Z. Brower. “Dryas Huebner 1807, Dryas iulia (Fabricius 1775).”Tree of Life Web Project. Version 04 Sept. 2008.
Available @ http://tolweb.org/Dryas_iulia/70435

Birsa, Tanea. “Discover the tear drinkers – Nature is a wonderful Recycler!” WikiGag > Wiki. May 3, 2014.
Available @ http://wikigag.com/discover-the-tear-drinkers-nature-is-a-wonderful-recycler/

“Julia Heliconian Dryas iulia (Fabricius, 1775).”Butterflies and Moths of North America > Species.
Available @ http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Dryas-iulia

Máca, Jan, and Domenico Otranto. “Drosophilidae feeding on animals and the inherent mystery of their parasitism.” Parasites and Vectors, vol. 7 (Nov. 18, 2014): 516-523.
Available via BioMed Online @ http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/s13071-014-0516-4.pdf
Available via Parasites & Vectors @ http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/516

Raloff, Janet. "These insects thirst for tears." Student Science > Science News for Students > Article. May 1, 2014.
Available @ https://student.societyforscience.org/article/these-insects-thirst-tears?mode=topic&context=91

Sirucek, Stefan. “Why Butterflies, Bees Drink Crocodile Tears.” National Geographic > Voices > Weird & Wild. May 7, 2014.
Available @ http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/07/insects-tears-feed-science-environment-animals/

Colias eurytheme: Black Framed Orange Yellow of Orange Sulphur Butterfly

Summary: Colias eurytheme, known in English as Orange Sulphur, is a New World butterfly with native homelands ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico.

Orange Sulphur’s undersides: Kathy (rittyrats), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Colias eurytheme is a New World butterfly native to North America. The bicoastal butterfly ranges across native homelands from southern Canada to central Mexico.

Spotty absences occur in the eastern United States, such as northwestern Alabama; central Florida; most of Georgia; northeastern to north central Illinois; most of Indiana; central western to southern Minnesota.

Colias eurytheme is known commonly in English as Alfalfa Butterfly or Orange Sulphur.

Orange Sulphur butterflies are attracted to open habitats, such as alfalfa and clover fields, meadows, prairie grasslands, roadsides and woodlands.

As sun lovers, Orange Sulphur butterflies avoid closed-canopy forests, in which tree crowns shadow most of the ground.

As a pierid butterfly, i.e., member of the Pieridae family, Orange Sulphurs display the family’s typical orange, white, or yellow coloration.

Orange Sulphur butterflies exhibit sexual dimorphism, or differences of appearance between females and males, as well as polymorphism, or myriad variations, of each gender’s color patterns. Males display rich orange-to-yellow uppersides with wide black borders and dotted with a black cell spot in each forewing and an orange cell spot in each hindwing. Females display yellow-to-white uppersides with light spots and irregular black borders.

Undersides present a muted palette of orange, yellow-green and yellow. The undersides sport a silver cell spot in each wing, with reddish tones and a satellite spot framing the hindwings and thick black rings in the forewing.

As a mid-size butterfly, Orange Sulphurs exhibit wingspans of 1/38 to 2 3/4 inches (3.5 to 7 centimeters).

Blackberry is a bramble attractive to Orange Sulphur butterflies (Colias eurytheme); Black Butte variety released by ARS scientists in Corvallis, Oregon, weighs almost twice as much as other fresh blackberry varieties: Scott Bauer/USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

As May transitioned into June in 2015, a male Orange Sulphur flitted near me among blades of grass in the strip of my yard between the south retaining wall and the southern half of my front porch. The preoccupied butterfly visited a few blades before flying over to the expansive meadow along my yard’s southern border.

The meadow’s immediate attraction appeared to center in the huge wild brier patch of wild, flowering blackberry bushes (Rubus fruticosus). White Clover (Trifolium repens) and White Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba), which number among hosts in the Fabaceae family favored by Orange Sulphur caterpillars, fragrantly frame the eastern fringes of the blackberry patch.

Orange Sulphur butterflies always bring cheery colorfulness into the faunal and floral landscapes of my outdoor world.

Orange Sulphur, Wildwood Preserve Metropark, Metroparks Toledo district, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio; Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, 14:13:45: Benny Mazur (Benimoto), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Orange Sulphur’s undersides: Kathy (rittyrats), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/rittysdigiez/1444378704/

Blackberry is a bramble attractive to Orange Sulphur butterflies (Colias eurytheme); Black Butte variety released by ARS scientists in Corvallis, Oregon, weighs almost twice as much as other fresh blackberry varieties: Scott Bauer/USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Butte_blackberry.jpg;
Public Domain, via USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) @ https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/images/photos/k7774-1/

Orange Sulphur, Wildwood Preserve Metropark, Metroparks Toledo district, Lucas County, northwestern Ohio; Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, 14:13:45: Benny Mazur (Benimoto), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/1519079685/

For further information:

Barton, B. “Colias eurytheme.” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. 2004.
Available @ http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Colias_eurytheme/

Holm, Heather. Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minnetonka MN: Hillcrest Media Group, 2014.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): Bon Appétit! for Azure, Blue, Marblewing, and Sulphur Butterflies." Wizzley > Plants & Gardening > Plants > Herb Plants.
Available @ http://wizzley.com/chives-allium-schoenoprasum/

Marriner, Derdriu. “Marigolds (Tagetes): Flavorous, Floriferous, and Fragrant to Skipper, Sulphur, and White Butterflies.” Wizzley > Plants & Gardening > Plants > Garden Plants.
Available @ http://wizzley.com/marigolds-genus-tagetes/

“Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme).” Gardens with Wings > Identify Butterflies.
Available @ http://www.gardenswithwings.com/butterfly/Orange%20Sulphur/index.html

“Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme Boisduval, 1852.” Butterflies and Moths > Species.
Available @ http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Colias-eurytheme

Strawberry Moon: Full Moon in June Signals Strawberry Harvest

Summary: The Iroquois and the Sioux of North America know a full moon in June as a strawberry moon, so-called for signaling the wild strawberry harvest.

Supermoon rising behind Washington Monument, Washington DC, Sunday, June 23, 2013; credit Bill Ingalls/NASA: "Supermoon in Washington," NASA image article, June 24, 2013, Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA

June’s full moon is known as the full rose moon in Europe and as the strawberry moon in North America.

Strawberry moon is an Algonquian descriptor, not for the moon’s color, but as a signal of time to harvest ripening strawberries (Fragaria spp.). As one of the most widespread Native American tribes in North America, the Algonquian claim homelands across Canada and the United States, from the western interior’s Rocky Mountains to the east coast, with prominent populations around the Great Lakes and along the Mid-Atlantic and North Atlantic coasts.

The full moon is recognized as the fifth phase in the eight-phase monthly lunar cycle traced by the moon’s rotation around the Earth. The fully illuminated lunar surface that characterizes the full moon signals another of the phase’s main characteristics, the occurrence of the straight-line configuration of sun and moon on opposite sides of Earth known in astronomy as syzygy (Ancient Greek: σύζυγος, suzugos, “yoked together”).

In 2015, the moon becomes fully illuminated for Earthlings at around midday Tuesday, June 2, over eastern North America and western South America. Full illumination happens at midnight Wednesday, June 3, over eastern Asia and western Australia.

Although not visible in North America at the exact instant of turning full at 16:19 Coordinated Universal Time (12:19 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time), the strawberry moon is visible in the nighttime sky, in the company of reddish Antares, brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, and golden gas giant Saturn, as the trio climbs from the eastern horizon at dusk on June 2 to the western horizon at dawn on June 3. Although the actual fullness of illumination only occurs on June 2, the moon appears fully lit at 99 percent illumination in the waxing gibbous phase Monday, June 1, and the waning gibbous phase of Wednesday, June 3.

Because of cloud cover over northern states and both coasts, the best viewing sites for 2015’s strawberry moon are located around the Great Lakes and in the Southwest. Although thick, off-white cloud cover may generally hamper visibility, the full moon should manage occasional peeks through stray wisps at nightfall Tuesday, June 2, and Wednesday, June 3.

sky cover forecast for Tuesday, June 02 2015 at 8PM EDT; graphic by National Digital Forecast Database: Public Domain, via NOAA National Weather Service

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Supermoon rising behind Washington Monument, Washington DC, Sunday, June 23, 2013; credit Bill Ingalls/NASA: "Supermoon in Washington," NASA image article, June 24, 2013, Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2537.html

sky cover forecast for Tuesday, June 02 2015 at 8PM EDT; graphic by National Digital Forecast Database: Public Domain, via NOAA National Weather Service @ http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/conus.php?element=Sky

For further information:

"American Indian Moons." Western Washington University Skywise Unlimited.
Available @ http://www.wwu.edu/skywise/indianmoons.html

Hazen, Shelley. “’Strawberry’ And Moon’s Other Aliases Speak To Time We Paid Much More Attention To Nature.” Inquisitr > BuzzWorthy. June 3, 2015.
Available @ http://www.inquisitr.com/2141966/strawberry-and-moons-other-aliases-speak-to-time-we-paid-much-more-attention-to-nature/

Lindelof, Bill. “Strawberry moon in season tonight in Sacramento.” The Sacramento Bee >  News > Local. June 2, 2015.
Available @ http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article22855974.html

McClure, Bruce. “Full Strawberry Moon on June 2.” EarthSky > Tonight > June 2, 2015.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/tonight/this-years-full-strawberry-moon-comes-on-june-2-2015

“Moon Phases and Lunar Calendar for Roanoke, Virginia.” Old Farmer’s Almanac >  Moon > Moon Phase Calendar. June 2015.
Available @ http://www.almanac.com/moon/calendar/VA/Roanoke/2015-06

Morgan, Leigh. “Strawberry moon 2015: It was at near peak fullness June 2.” AL.com Alabama > News. June 2, 2015; updated June 3, 2015.
Available @ http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/strawberry_moon_2015_see_it_at.html

“Strawberry Moon: June Full Moon Phases 2015.” Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Available @ http://www.almanac.com/content/strawberry-moon-june-full-moon-phases-2015

“Supermoon Shines Over Washington Monument / Space Wallpaper.” Space.com > Wallpapers.
Available @ http://www.space.com/21696-supermoon-over-washington-monument-space-wallpaper.html