Bouncing Bet
or Soapwort
Saponaria
officinalis
|
This European
plant has been
here since the
1600's and is
considered a
naturalized
species.
The summertime
flowers are
phlox-like and
not fragrant.
The only insect
that really
likes to feed on
Bouncing Bet are
hawk moths,
which can be
observed near
dusk, with their
long proboscis,
feeding mouth
parts, long
enough to feed
deep into the
nectar tube.
If you crush
any/all of the
plant parts in
your hand and
mix with water,
you can produce
foamy, slippery,
suds, hence the
name soapwort.
I found this
plant along a
sunny section of
bottomland.
|
Purple
Loosestrife
Lythrum
salicaria |
Although not
very
problematic
in Maryland,
this alien
plant can
dominate and
take-over
wetlands.
It grows 4
to 10-feet
tall and
flowers much
of the
summer.
I found this
plant
growing in a
sunny
wetland
meadow along
with
cattail,
soft
rush and
rice-cut
grass.
|
 |
Walking in a
section of
stream I found
several bluegill
beds. The
bluegill have
paired up for a
second-round of
attempting to
lay eggs.
Each time I
approached a
nest I was able
to push off a
smaller male and
much larger
female that
would hightail
it to underwater
roots, bank
undercuts and
large woody
debris.
The bluegill fan
the substrate
with their tails
and crate a
clean, gravel
crater to lay
eggs into. |
Butterfly
Weed
Asclepias
tuberosa |
This is the
best native,
orange-colored
flower that
I've seen.
Butterfly
Weed
produces
large
amounts of
nectar and
really
brings in
the
butterflies.
The plant
grows best
in dry,
sunny, sandy
conditions
and is
drought
tolerant.
It has a
deep
tap-root and
takes 2 to
3-years to
become
established
from seed.
|
Meadow
Beauty
Rhexia
virginica
|
This is a
native
southern
species,
found along
damp, sunny
shorelines
of
freshwater.
Deer loves
to eat the
plant, so
some of my
best finds
have been
from a boat
looking back
into the
shorelines
where deer
may not
frequent.
|
 |
Mark and I got in
some sunset fishing
from between 7:00
and 9:00 PM.
Fishing was hard and
the bite was off.
Maybe because of the
beautiful,
low-humidity cool
front? Anyway,
I was able to take
this bass with a
5-inch, Senko,
watermelon-colored
worm. |
 |
Mark got this
fish with a
Yamamoto
green-pumpkin
Kreature bait.
Happy birthday
Mark! He's
now 15 and will
have a
'learners'
driving permit
in several
months. |
 |
Once it got dark
we switched to
topwater lures,
a Pop-R and
Cavitron
buzzbait, with
both baits
catching fish. |
 |
Mark even
got a
bluegill
surface hit
with a
Pop-R.
|
Fishing
& Botanizing
