Chatham county

Tag

By Bedazzled

Jordan Lake. I had never seen a spider web which had anchor lines that looked like they were perforated to tear the line apart. I sent my photo over to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Ask a Naturalist tab. The entomologist told me that the web was built by an orb weaver and, get this, those thickened areas along the anchor lines – those dashes are spider silk tufts placed there by the spider as bird flags! So that birds will see the web and not fly through and destroy it. Who would’ve thought! Nature bedazzles me again.

By Reflection

Jordan Lake. I was working my way through the trees on the shoreline when I came upon this great egret. I asked myself: is the egret interested in his own reflection or more than likely is there a fish on the other side of that reflection.

By Oh Something VERY Different

Jordan Lake. No, that is not tangled up twine left by a careless person. Those yellow orange strands belong to the dodder plant. Dodders are parasitic plants. They start off with roots in the ground but soon lose those roots because along those thin strands are developed sucking roots. Those sucking roots actually penetrate their host plant and draw out the nutrients that the dodder needs. Sometimes dodder is a problem as in blueberry fields. Sometimes it is not. But it is a curiosity and I thought y’all might like to see another kind of wildflower … a parasitic plant that happens to be in the morning glory family. Very interesting isn’t it.

By Lapis Lazuli

Jordan Lake. I am glad that Lapis Lazuli, my Chevy truck, sees so clearly our paths as we wander the Jordan Lake Neighborhood. She makes the paths easy and full of wonderment about what we will next see. Lapis is a steady sturdy companion!