The Caterpillar Days of Summer

September can be a final push for many critters around here to finish the job of growing up and getting ready for colder weather. It's no big surprise that we're seeing a lot of butterflies in the garden this time of year. They started as tiny eggs on a leaf of some plant in the garden. When they hatched, they ate the leaves on that plant in the garden. When they got big enough, they formed a chrysalis around their bodies and pupated into their adult form: a butterfly. Now it's late summer and most of the plants and flowers are done with their growing for the year. Their flowers have now formed seed heads and they will either go dormant for the winter or be killed by the coming frosts. So we were surprised to see so much caterpillar activity so late in the season.


Some like these Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars will finish their larval stage, form a chrysalis and overwinter in the garden. When Spring warms the ground, they will finish pupating and emerge as butterflies to feed on the early blooms.

These Monarch caterpillars however, will have to complete their larval growth, pupate, emerge as butterflies AND THEN fly all the way to Central America! Before the first frost. Which for our area happens in mid to late October. They still have time.

Early Spring Flora of Little River Park

	Blueberry Vaccinium spp. White, sometimes pink flowers are bell shaped and often droop downward. Produces small, dark purple berries. Found in acidic soils along forest edges or open woodland. Blooms from March to May.
	Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis White flowers appear on individual stalks among the dark green, lobed leaves. Toxic - do not ingest. Blooms from March to April.
	Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia Clusters of small, white flowers with 5 petals which produce a tart fruit in late summer. Grows on forest edges, meadows, and open woodlands. Blooms from February to May.
	Cranefly Orchid Tipularia discolor Produces a single leaf in the fall which is green with a purple underside. Leaf stays green throughout winter then disappears. There are no leaves when the orchid blooms. A flowering stem 15-20 inches long originates from the corm below ground. Moths are attracted to the blooms. Grows in pine-oak forests with rich acidic soil. Blooms from July through September.
	Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides The leaflets have a lobe that has the appearance of a toe of a Christmas stocking. The fiddleheads are also distinctive, with silvery, white scales. Prefers forests, rocky slopes.
	Ebony Spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron Sterile fronds are only 2-6 in. long, have short, blunt, alternate leaflets, and are evergreen. Fertile fronds are 1-2 ft. long, erect-arching, and bear short, alternate leaflets below and longer, opposite leaflets above. Fronds occur in loose clusters, arising from the clumping rootstock.
	Greenbriar Smilax spp. Tough, woody, high-climbing vine in the Lily family. It spreads from long, slender rhizomes. Along the stems are stout, flattened prickles. The smooth leaves have short stems and are bright green on both sides, with rounded to heart-shaped bases. The flowers are greenish to bronze, and the berries are green when young and blue-black at maturity.
	Heartleaf Ginger Hexastylis virginica Large evergreen, heart-shaped leaves mottled with lighter green. Flowers are dark red-brown to green-brown growing at ground level. Occurs in rich deciduous forests. Flowers from April - May.
	Liverleaf Hepatica americana A member of the buttercup family, it is native to the eastern United States and to central and eastern Canada. The leaves have three rounded lobes and grows to 4 inches tall and broad. It blooms in early spring, March - June with blue or blue-purple flowers on several hairy stalks.
	Pennywort Obolaria virginica Low growing perennial with thick, rounded, purplish-green leaves. Flowers are white to lavender in color, growing in clusters of 3 in the axils of the upper leaves. Prefers rich, deciduous forest. Blooms March through May.
	Pipsissewa Chimaphila maculata Evergreen leaves veined with white, grows from rhizome. Nodding white flowers in cluster of 2-3. Found in upland pine and deciduous forests.
	Running Cedar Lycopodium spp. Also known as clubmoss or ground pines, they are related to ferns and reproduce through spores. Prefers rich, moist soils. Provides habitat for amphibians and reptiles.
	Spicebush Lindera benzoin Aromatic shrub grows 3-9 feet tall with thin, oval leaves. Clusters of yellow flowers appear before leaves. Brilliant yellow leaves and red berries in fall. Food source for Spicebush swallowtail caterpillar, birds such as Thrushes and Veerys eat berries.
	Spring Beauty Claytonia virginica Distinct pink lines on white petals. Corms produce several stems which can produce up to a dozen flowers. Found in low, rich forests. Blooms from March to April.
	Cutleaf Toothwort Dentaria laciniata Leaves deeply divided in group of three grow from fleshy tuber. Small cluster of white to pink flowers on single stem. Blooms March through July.
	Trout Lily Erythronium americanum Trout lilies are easy to recognize by their wide, spotted leaves and nodding yellow flower. They grow in colonies along the wooded slopes of the river. Blooms from late February to May.
	Rue Anemone Thalictrum thalictroides White to pinkish flowers with 5-10 petals. Flowers in loose clusters above whorls of three -lobed leaves. Grows on wooded slopes and ridges. Blooms from March to May.
	Atamasco Lily Zephyranthes atamasco Found in wet meadows and low woods. Long, narrow leaves and funnel shaped flowers which turn from white to pink after being pollinated. Blooms from March to April.