August ‘26

With August just behind us it is late summer here in central Vermont. Many changes will occur as we move toward autumn (and the season not to be named at this time). But for now I’ll share a look back at the photographic highlights of my naturalist wanderings this August. Although I spend less time trying to photograph birds than in past years I’m glad to report that some such efforts in August were fruitful. Along with those birds I will feature some favorite native plants and put a spotlight on a tiny sampling of the huge biological class of animals that is the insects.

Striped Sweat Bee, Agapostemon species, on Blue Vervain, Verbena hastata.
If "the bees" means honeybees to you then you're really missing out. There are 352 wild bee species in Vermont alone, four of which are Agapostemon species.

Primrose Moth, Schinia florida, on Common Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis.

Primrose Moths were new to me in mid July, when I found one on a clients' property. Shortly thereafter I found one during a walk-through with other clients. As fun as this was for me and them, I was a little disappointed that none of the Evening Primrose at my place had them. I kept checking though and a few days later three showed up. One is pictured here. Evening Primrose is the larval host plant for these pink moths, and sixteen other species of moths and butterflies in Vermont. Evening Primrose is famously pollinated by moths from dusk through dawn as well. Primrose Moths are one of their pollinators, as are the awesome Sphinx Moths and Hawk Moths.

American Groundnut, Apios americana. This leguminous vine is named for the edible tubers it produces. It also makes edible beans. I haven’t harvested or sampled either, but this has been a favorite native plant since I first saw it. Just look at those exquisite flowers.

Female Ebony Jewelwing, Calopteryx maculata, on River Grape, Vitis riparia. Jewelwings are broad-winged damselflies who feed on Tiger Mosquitos and many other insects. They in turn are eaten by many birds, reptiles and fish.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, drinking the nectar of Orange Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis. Jewelweed is an annual of moist woodlands. Judging by the frequent visits for several weeks by bumblebees and hummingbirds is a prodigious nectar producer. I covered some hummingbird biology in my last post, including their pollination of species of plants with which they coevolved. https://www.geraldlisi.net/blog/2026/7/31/july-26

The white pollen of Jewelweed can be seen on the feathers at the base of this hummingbird’s bill.

A first-year male Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas, searches a meadow of Milkweed and Goldenrod for insects and spiders. He was born here just a few months ago. Like his parents he will return to Central America or the West Indies for the winter. Then he’ll be back here in spring, with a full black mask having his first go at making and raising chicks of his own.

Speaking of black masks, this young Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum, already has his or hers. But, the lack of red waxy tips on his secondary wing feathers reveal him as a bird in their first summer.

A female Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula, briefly watches me watch her before returning to her birdy business (most likely hunting insects).

Band-winged Grasshoppers, subfamily Oedipondinae, are conspicuous during their short flights because of their bright hindwings. But, when they land their forewings, which are camouflaged like the rest of their body cover their hindwings.

Barred Owl, Strix varia, in Paper BIrch, Betula papyrifera. While they are mostly nocturnal it is not uncommon to see Barred Owls hunt during the day. I have seen and photographed this species much more than any other owls, but this Paper Birch easily made for my favorites of my Barred Owl photos.

Searching the ground, where she can hear the tiniest footsteps.

Here the calls of Tufted Titmice have grabbed her attention. If they spot her their loud alarm calls will ruin her hunting prospects. Shortly after this she flew into deeper cover.

That’s all for now, folks. I hope you found some inspiration here, as I did in the moments that I captured with these photographs. The fate of wildlife, including wild plants, is in our hands. If everyone who cares about them helps to preserve and restore their habitats we can save thousands of species from extinction, and prevent ecosystem collapse in the process.

July, ‘26

We’re not too far into a Vermont summer at the beginning of July, but before the end of the month we realize it’s already midsummer. Fireflies’ namesake activity drops off, but is replaced with the sounds of crickets, grasshoppers and katydids. Many flowering plants are forming fruits, our have already gone to seed. But there are plenty of July wildflowers to be seen, and those that brighten August are beginning their show by the last week of July. Birds are busy as always, but they get a lot quieter overall since the business of mating and nesting is done. The fledglings of most species are now juveniles, honing the foraging skills their parent or parents taught them as they wrapped up their paternal feeding duties for the year. The young of many small mammals are fully grown already, although with some species there’s a second or third batch in the works. Larger mammals are busy raising their young, and does are seen leading their spotted fawns through the forest and fields. In this edition we’ll look at some flowering plants, some Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), and some birds, with special emphasis on two juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird siblings.

Here we see a cluster of Bunchberry plants, Cornus canadensis, with one bearing red berries. Moving to the left in the middle of the frame are Goldthread, Coptis trifolia, and Canada Mayflower, Maianthemum canadense, both with fruits as well.

Great Rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum, is one of several species in the Rhododendron genus that is native to New England, but the only one that's clearly a part of the group that includes garden Rhododendrons, or “rhodies.” While it's common further down the Appalachian Mountain chain Great Rhododendron is rare in New England, especially here in the north. Where it is found it can be abundant though. I came across a nice population (already well known to others) in the summer of '24, but it was past flowering time. Last year I missed their flowering again, so I'm glad to say that I got there on time, barely, this month. You can get Rhododendron maximum (best scientific name in the genus) at some nurseries, although not so many here in Vermont as I would like to see. This species has several other common names that I don't like, since they're taxonomic misnomers, such as great laurel and rosebay.

When I photographed this damselfly on what I guess is Water Smartweed, Polygonum amphibium, I didn’t notice that on the opposite side of the flower stalk is a skin shed. Based on the size it may have even been a damselfly of the same species that left it there. Larval damselflies and dragonflies are aquatic predators that eventually crawl out of the water onto a plant stem where they metamorphose into the familiar and beautiful winged hunters. I think this damselfly may be a species of Bluet, genus Coenagrion, but I am not at all familiar with Vermont’s 46 species of damselflies.

Here’s another species of damselfly perched on a flower of White Water Lily, Nymphaea odorata. Damselflies are distinguished from Dragonflies by their smaller size, especially their narrow abdomens, and their habit of folding their wings over said abdomens when they are perched. Their six legs are concentrated at the front of their thorax, enabling them to easily grab other flying insects on the wing.

Here another damselfly eats a very small fly they just caught while it was flying to or from the White Water Lily. The Honey Bee foraging in the flower gives you a sense of how petit this damselfly is, and how large the flower is. Unfortunately I can’t share the blossom’s fragrance here.

I was lucky to have this dragonfly hover briefly in the midst of their zipping about. Too bad this was taken with my 300mm rather than my long lens, but I’m still happy to have captured my first decent dragonfly in flight shot. I am somewhat more familiar with dragonflies than damselflies, but still am incredibly ignorant of Vermont’s 101 species. Please do reply to this email, or comment at the bottom of the post on my website, if you can identify any of the Odonata in this post.

Pickerelweed, Pontedaria cordata, is in full flower by late July in Vermont. This aquatic wildflower is found in various kinds of freshwater wetlands throughout much of eastern North America, and is present on the west coast as well.

Last month I shared an Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe, with a fat caterpillar it had gleaned from the leaves of a forest tree. Here’s one with a grasshopper it caught in the tall grass and forbs of my yard. These migratory songbirds are familiar denizens of yards where adequate foraging habitat is provided, and they regularly nest in man-made structures such as my garage.

Here’s a male Black-throated Green Warbler, Setophag virens, who also makes his breeding home next to mine (non-breeding in my case.) I’ve not seen his mate or any of their young. But, I have seen him gathering caterpillars for the latter, and his songs were still regular in first couple weeks of this month. This species utilizes various forest types, so they are common throughout much of the Appalachians, New England, the Great Lakes region and a wide swath of Canada.

Next we are going to look at the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris, that I mentioned in the introduction. Juvenile hummingbirds of both sexes have the same plumage as adult females. I distinguished these two from their mother by their behavior. They’re much more vocal than her and spend much more time in one place. They chatter at each other extensively, and chase each other away from the Beebalm flowers they both feed from. As with all hummingbirds good nectar sources are essential to this species, but they also need deciduous trees to nest in and other vegetation to provide insects and spiders that are their source of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Scarlet Beebalm, Monarda didyma, is native from Ohio to New Jersey in the north of its range and from Georgia to Tennessee in the south. It is commonly planted in many other eastern states, where it sometimes establishes wild populations. This species is also known as Oswego Tea and Red Bergamot. The closely related Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa, is native to New England. I recommend it as an alternative, or in addition, to Scarlet Beebalm here. The flowers are of the same, distinctly hummingbird-pollinated, shape, but are pink/ lavender. If you are in central/northern Vermont you can get it, and other awesome native wildflowers at Bird and Bee in Jericho, Northwoods Native Nursery in St Albans Town, or Amber Roots Farm in Glover.

Hummingbirds will visit any flower that provides enough sugary nectar, just as they will drink a solution of table sugar from your feeder, but they are particularly attracted to red or orange tubular flowers. Such flowers often actually evolved to be pollinated by hummingbirds. This Scarlet Beebalm is a perfect example, Hummingbirds access the nectar at the base of the flowers with their long bills and longer tongues. In the process the flowers’ anthers brush pollen onto their heads, which sticks to the stigma of flowers they visit subsequently. Here we see the anthers protruding on a filament, and making contact with the back of this hummingbird’s head. Above it is the stigma at the tip of a style. The ovary is at the other end of the style, deep inside the flower. Pollination leads to fertilization, with leads to the development of a seed.

In this image the style has been bent inward by the hummingbird’s forehead. The style may or may not receive pollen from a suitable mate on this particular visit, but these blooms last for weeks, giving them many opportunities. Bumblebees and Butterflies have long proboscises that allow to access Monarda nectar too, but these animals’ different shapes make pollination less likely. I imagine that in the case of bumblebees it does happen sometimes.

Hummingbirds’ unique ability among birds to hover for extended periods of time is accomplished by beating their wings in a figure eight pattern. In the case of Ruby-throated Humming birds these wingbeats have been measured at abut 53 beats per second. Yes, you read that right, and yes it’s incredible.

If it wasn’t for these two chattering away at each other wouldn’t have even known they were there, and none of these photos would exist. They fly so incredibly fast that I had little hope of capturing both of them in one frame, but since one harassed the other while he or she was perched I was luck enough to get this frame. You can see the bill of the perched individual is open, releasing a diatribe at the annoying sibling. I laughed at these delightful dorks quite a bit during this shoot.

One last Ruby-throated Hummingbird photo; I was to delighted to capture this characteristic hummingbird stretch, with their flight feathers and glistening green body feathers on display. The adult male who sired the two juveniles in this post has been quite elusive, which is typical, so I have no photos of his gorget, the namesake of this species. But after my wonderful time with his progeny I really can’t complain.

I close this edition with the inflorescence of a Small Green Wood Orchid, Platanthera clavellata. This was my first encounter with this species, and I’m so happy to have found them with fresh flowers. It would have been very easy to miss this hidden treasure beneath the relatively giant Cinnamon Fern fronds above it. I’ve been in this spot many times over the years, and was oblivious to the presence of this Small Green Wood Orchid. Even those who are always looking can use a reminder to look more carefully.

I want to thank you for your time and attention. These are our most precious resources, so I hope that you feel that yours were well spent here. If you’re a subscriber please consider forwarding this email to someone who might enjoy it. If you’re not a subscriber and would like to be you can sign up at www.geraldlisi.net . Here you will also find the page for my little ecological consulting business, Wild Niche. If you’re a land owner or manager in Vermont or hereabouts and would like guidance on creating and or enhancing habitat please to give it a read and contact me.

May August reveal many wild wonders to you. I’ll share some of my own here around the end of the month.

June ‘26 (and one more from May)

June is an eventful month in the woods of central Vermont. So much happens that an attempt to sum it up makes me accutely aware of how little of the story the fifteen photos below tell. As a naturalist and photographer I am particularly focused on birds and plants, but I am increasingly drawn into the vast world of insects. “The little things that run the world” (E.O. Wilson) are a vast subject, or conglomeration of subjects really. Here I touch on my increasing fascination with lepidopterans, moths and butterflies, and have thrown in a bee for diversity’s sake. I have also included a couple familiar mammals, who I photograph whenever the opportunity arises. That’s plenty of introduction, I think. Let’s look at some pictures!

Nessus Sphinx, Amphion floridensis, drinking apple blossom nectar. These diurnal moths are quite a sight, somewhere between a giant bumblebee and an extra small hummingbird. Their larval host plants are Wild Grapes and Virginia Creepers, so stop hating on the native vines and enjoy more of these spring fairies in your yard.

Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis Phoebe) are flycatchers, and thus adept at swooping out from a perch to catch flying insects. But they’ll happily pluck caterpillars off of leaves too, especially when there’s chicks to feed.

Speaking of chicks to feed, here’s two fledgling Eastern Phoebes waiting for their next food delivery. Both parents hunt all day for weeks to raise their young. Then they start over! Arriving early on their breeding grounds, and flying back south late, enables these flycatchers to raise two broods.

The Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus, is the smallest species of the smallest genus of flycatchers, making them the cutest of course. The “che-beck!” (Kenn Kaufman) from above alerted me to this guy’s presence. I followed him from perch to perch taking crappy photos in the deep shade of the forest for at least twenty minutes, until he finally performed in a little sunbeam for this photo.

Cinnamon Ferns, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, are in their full glory in central Vermont by early June. The orange stems in the middle of these plants are the fertile fronds, covered with spore-bearing structures.

Delaware Skipper, Anatrytone logan, on Sensitive Fern, Onoclea senibilis. Skippers are small butterflies, easily recognized by their habit of resting with their front wings closed onto their hind wings, or held slightly above them. The larval hosts of this species are grasses, as with many other skippers, so you can help them out by letting some grass grow tall.

The songs of Chestnut-sided Warblers, Dendroica pensylvanica, are familiar to birders in much of the northeast. They are also more often seen than many other warblers, but getting a good look at one singing is still a treat.

The blue of a male Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, is exquisite. I’ve not managed to get a close up of one yet, but this photo from about thirty feet away is twice as close as I got before.

Narrow Beech Fern, Phegopteris connectilis, hold their single frond horizontally, making its distinct shape clear from above. Here we also see Foam Flower, featured in my previous post, forming green seed pods.

Whilst botanizing one day I flushed this Veery, Catharus fuscescens, from the undergrowth. I was pleasantly surprised when she alighted just twenty feet away and proceeded to call from her perch.

Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe, at Spreading Dogbane, Apocynum androsaemifolium. This is another large, diurnal moth that’s always fun to encounter. Their primary larval host plants are Viburnums, of which we have several native species.

This Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus, has the look of a young adult, which would make him the progeny of the early spring mating of this species.

I believe this White-tailed Deer doe, was one of the yearlings I saw in late winter and early spring with here mother. If so she’s on her own now, with her mother busy raising tissues year’s fawns.

I’m way out of my element when trying to identify bees, but I believe this is a kind of mining bee, Andrena species. Whichever species she is, it is one of 352 documented in Vermont. She is foraging on an Oxeye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare, a naturalized species of open ground.

Showy Lady’ Slipper, Cypripedium reginae, is an early-summer blooming orchid of calcareous fens and swamps. I’m glad to report that this individual is part of a population of at least several dozen. Next year I will try to return for better photos, not in the full sun of midday like this one.

That’s a wrap for this edition, folks. Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you found it well spent, and that it inspires you to spend more of it experiencing the more than human world in person. If you’re reading this in an email please consider forwarding it to someone else that might enjoy it. If you’re not a subscriber but would like to be you can sign up here: www.geraldlisi.net Cheers.