Pine Barrens Gentians

 

If it's September, it's time to visit the New Jersey Pine Barrens to look for the rare and lovely pine barrens gentian flower, Gentiana autumnalis. Behold a beauty from last year.

I went for a long walk in the fine fall like weather this week and I found some. They were just beginning to open.

Not a problem because I am also a big fan of the buds. They remind me of Tiffany vases. Here is a rare pink one. Click to enlarge.

This one is on the verge of opening.

Opening even more.

And here is the most open gentian I found. Very promising, right?

Before long they will be open in all their glory like this one that I photographed in a past year. I hope to get out there again in time to witness it.

Meanwhile, here is a quote that I see myself in from Given Poems, Sabbath II, Wendell Berry. You could too.

"I dream of a quiet man

who explains nothing and defends 

nothing, but only knows 

where the rarest wildflowers 

are blooming, and who goes, 

and finds that he is smiling 

not of his own will."

Spicebush Swallowtail Dance

One of the best butterfly moments of my nature-watching season this year started with this spicebush swallowtail on a buddleia flower. Click to enlarge.

A male flew into the picture.

Note the jauntily curled proboscis on this guy.

He immediately broke into a beautiful courtship flight around her, fluttering and flashing his wings. I'm sure that butterfly pheromones were flying through the air, too.

She fluttered in place, and after a few minutes, they flew out of my view together. I wish them a family of healthy caterpillars. Spicebush swallowtails are not long-distance migrators. In places with cold winters, like here, they overwinter as pupae and emerge as beautiful butterflies in spring.

Clearwing Moths

I've seen a lot of hummingbird moths around southern New Jersey lately. Buzzing. Flying fast. Hovering at flowers. Click to enlarge.

You might think it is a tiny hummingbird at first, but on closer inspection you'll see the antennae. Also note that you can see right through its fast-moving wings. This is the hummingbird clearwing moth, Hemaris thysbe.

Also note the long probing proboscis it uses for collecting nectar from flowers.

Check out the cute curly proboscis on this one.

In southern New Jersey, I often see another kind. This one is sometimes called a bumblebee moth. It's the snowberry clearwing moth, Hemaris difinis. It's black and yellow and has a stripe on its face.

See the difference? It looks like a huge fuzzy bumblebee.

For comparison, here is an actual hummingbird. A female ruby-throated hummingbird.

Never mistaken for a moth.