Great Garden Gall

Fran Robinson (Class of 2018) sent this photo of a gall on her white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica) plant.  This gall likely is the handiwork of a gall midge (Neolasioptera verbesinae).  Its species name, verbesinae, speaks to its fidelity to the genus Verbesina.…

Long-tailed skipper

On our walk on 10-25-2015 at the Toni Robinson Waterfront Trail, Nancy Soucy (Class of 2010) pointed out lots of butterflies and wildflowers. One of the most abundant & evident sign-of-fall wildflowers was the large, pollinator-attracting white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica).…