Flora & Fauna

Mystery solved …. maybe….        

Acres of rhodos dying off …..    

VIDEO: ant swarm and a giant hornet with prey …..   Winged ants prepare to take to the skies to mate and start new colonies of their own. (Video: Nick)   European hornets (Vespa crabro) prey on large insects. (Video: … Continued

Rattlesnakes, late summer wildflowers, and a spotted newt …..                        

VIDEO: Slithering snake and a peak inside a yellowjacket nest …..   Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) crosses a yard on the edge of Linville Gorge Wilderness. (Video: James McGimsey)        

Tea party bear and chinkapins ….    

Annual cicada …..      

VIDEO: A tidy prophet ….       A praying mantis cleaning itself. “Mantis” is derived from the Greek word for “prophet”. (Video: Nick)  

Buckeye moth ….  

Mushroom shapes and green insects …..