What to See This Week

One of the coolest azaleas in the Azalea Glen is the flame azalea, and that’s because it is native to Appalachia! Its range reaches into southern Ohio. The flower shape and color are attractive to hummingbirds, who have just recently returned, as well as being popular with swallowtail butterflies and native bees.

Don’t hurt your neck while looking for the flowers of the tulip tree. Tulip trees have large, tulip-like flowers but they are often positioned extremely high up in the tree. Tulip trees are considered the tallest hardwood trees in North America, and in ideal conditions can reach over 160 feet tall! 

Watch where you’re walking in forested areas around The Arboretum. Wood nettle has grown in, and the fuzzy looking stems can cause some serious pain. The hairs that are especially apparent on the stems of the plant are hollow and when brushed up against release irritants (histamine, acetylcholine, formic acid, and more) from their base. While they may cause a painful rash for humans, they are still a valuable native host plant for several types of caterpillars.

Mushrooms are slow to start growing in the spring. May is usually when we see a big increase in mushroom species in the Woodland Garden. Pictured here is a cluster of orange mycena just starting to pop up. Orange mycena always grows in clusters from wood and can be seen from May all the way through October!

Eastern tiger swallowtails are likely the most common swallowtail in Ohio. They have been out and about flying for several weeks now, with adult butterflies emerging after spending the winter in the chrysalis stage. If you look closely, you will notice this butterfly has lost its tails on the hind wings. This is just what those tails are for; they serve as a target for birds or other predators, steering them away from the butterfly’s head and body and giving the butterfly a chance to escape.

A layer of duckweed is beginning to appear on the Red Barn Wetland and sometimes you can find insects like dragonflies and damselflies resting on it. Pictured here is a damselfly, often smaller and daintier than related dragonflies. While they aren’t always the most noticeable insect, when you do notice them you may see them in a huge range of colors. Just like dragonflies, damselflies begin their life underwater.

A couple weeks ago a male goldfinch was featured, this week we have a female! While the female goldfinch does become a little brighter during the breeding season, the difference between male and female goldfinch is much more obvious now than in the winter. Female goldfinches remain a more muted yellow throughout the summer.

Have you noticed a particularly noisy bird near the back of the Visitors Center? This is a house wren, a tiny bird that recently returned from Mexico and the southern United States where they spend the winter. They are known for their very loud song and the male’s near continuous singing throughout the day during the breeding season. They are secondary cavity nesters, meaning they don’t excavate their own cavity for nesting but use an already existing one. This house wren found a suitable hole right on the side of the building!