Related to Chantarelles, and supposedly very tasty. (I have not tried it myself -- I am afraid of wild mushrooms!)
Little puffball fungi in our lawn. Here they are a week later, after having puffed: www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/1177188971/in/photostream/
Mmm, ribs! Now where's my bbq sauce?
The front of a Monarch caterpillar looks very much like the back. That gives the caterpillar a 50-50 chance of decoying a predator into attacking the wrong end -- if any are foolhardy enough to ignore the bold black & yellow pattern which advertises the fact that it is poisonous. It concentrates noxious compounds from the milkweed -- the milkweed makes these compounds to discourage things from munching on it, & the caterpillar has evolved the ability to not only evade the milkweed's defenses, but turn them to its own advantage.
This is a big guy (maybe ~3", or ~8 cm), probably about to pupate soon.
Rick gets credit for spotting these caterpillars. I checked that milkweed patch every time I visited, & just when I had finally given up...
The fall migrants at Garret Mtn seem to have been enjoying these, tanking up during their long flight south. I love the different colors as the grapes ripen. I thought it was the native Riverbank Grape, but turns out it's an invasive, nonnative species that has a similar leaf shape but differently colored fruits.
When I saw this guy I said "Oh, what a cool little micro!" It's really a striking little critter. But I had no idea how cool it actually was. Turns out to be a species that's new to North America, 1st sighted in 2004. More info here: bugguide.net/node/view/56605/bgimage. I first encountered the species when martytdx photographed one in Haddonfield, NJ (south of where I am) www.flickr.com/photos/martytdx/182341208/ & submitted it to the Field Guide group -- credit goes to Marty for tracking down the ID.
8.5 mm long. Only 1 individual seen. Side view here www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/251980794 gives a good look at the fluffy tail & very unusual mouthparts.
