Tag Archives: Arachnids

Beautyberry 2025-06-15

Beautyberry fruits are setting: the flower petals are falling off and revealing the berries.

Not only are the flowers and berries pleasing violet colors, the leaves repel insects and ticks, and you can make jelly and wine from beautyberries.

Beautyberry fruit setting, 2025:06:15 10:36:03

Once the berries get some color, you’ll see why it’s called beautyberry. They’re a pleasing violet color. The flowers are an even lighter violet. Also, the whole plant smells good. Continue reading →

Garden spider pupa 2025-05-23

One of the two adult yellow garden spiders is visible to the left in this picture of a pupa of an Agiope Aurantia.

Pupa of yellow garden spider

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Scorpion 2024-09-04

This may be the first time I’ve seen one before it stung me.

Scorpion

This Striped Bark Scorpion, Centruroides vittatus, did not sting me at all.

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Dogs, dog fennel, longleaf, beggarticks, chiggers 2022-09-18

Ah, fall flowers, dogs frolicking in the dog fennel, and mysterious molds, all on a morning walk.

And chiggers. Most likely Trombicula alfreddugesi, aka Eutrombicula alfreddugesi, in the genus Trombicula, family Trombiculidae.

Whichever species of arachnids, cousins of ticks and spiders, these ones will make you itch for days. They can raise red welts and send you to the doctor seeking steroids. You don’t want to see pictures of that.

Common sneezeweed, Helenium autumnale