The upside of hiking alone
About once a month I hike Billy Goat Trail in Maryland with a group of women, but on Saturday I was the only person who showed up! The group hike usually moves quickly and I have to be careful not to get left behind when I inevitably stop to take pictures, so it was exciting to hike by myself and stop for as long as I wanted.
Hike highlight: slime mold! I searched for them in vain during the global snapshot of biodiversity, but I think this rainy weather we had last week really brought them out. I think I saw at least 3 different kinds of slime mold. All of the slime molds I found were on well-decayed (barkless) fallen logs. Anyone know their slime molds? I'm a new enthusiast as a result of my own challenge issued during the global snapshot (still need to run the numbers on that, but no one has told me they did it).
I found the first slime mold about 50 ft from the trailhead, so I mostly had eyes for those the entire time, but I made a handful of other observations too.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
White Jelly Fungus (Ductifera pululahuana)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
Being eaten by millipedes.
Photos / Sounds
What
Honeycomb Coral Slime Mold (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
I think this was slime mold and not fungus.
Photos / Sounds
What
Red Raspberry Slime Mold (Tubifera ferruginosa)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
Really guessing on this! Slugs were eating it.
Photos / Sounds
What
Round-backed Millipedes (Superorder Juliformia)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
It was eating fungus.
Photos / Sounds
What
Double-toothed Prominent (Nerice bidentata)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
Some kind of swallowtail?
Photos / Sounds
What
Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
Speedy!
Photos / Sounds
What
Family PolygyridaeObserver
carrieseltzerDescription
Tried to pick it up but it was holding on tight to the ground so I did my best to get the important angles anyways.
Photos / Sounds
What
White-lip Globe Snail (Mesodon thyroidus)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
Saw many more crunched on the trail :-(
Photos / Sounds
Observer
carrieseltzerPlace
Montgomery County, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, US-MD, US (Google, OSM)Description
Parasitized dead caterpillar with cocoons on its back. On pawpaw, so I suspect a zebra swallowtail caterpillar.
Photos / Sounds
What
Pond and Box Turtles (Family Emydidae)Observer
carrieseltzerPlace
Montgomery County, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, US-MD, US (Google, OSM)Description
Bad pic of a little baby so I don't think it can be id'd further.
Photos / Sounds
What
Eastern Hop-Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)Observer
carrieseltzerDescription
I should know this but I can't remember what it is.
Comments
Hooray!
Congrats! I know the feeling of finally scoring that ONE specimen.
It's been that way with me and turkeys. After being foiled multiple times in getting a picture of a turkey for the Global Snapshot, I vowed to get one by the end of the summer.
It's not going well. I see turkeys but never with my camera at the ready. So far, Turkeys - 5, Anne - 0.
Hi Carrie,
I recently saw the yellow colored slime moulds along with others in our neighborhood in Apex, NC, while taking my dog for a walk. Unfortunately, I was not carrying my iPhone with which I often take pictures. I often feel like the lone hiker myself and yes, there is definitely advantages to that. I take pictures to my heart's content. My dog has learnt to be very patient on our walks. I wanted to thank you for starting this ( Global snapshot / Biodiversity) project where anyone can post nature /environmental pictures. I am not sure if you have received any message from me as I had tried to reach out to you earlier. I recently started posting pictures on the iNaturalist.org website. I have so many to share and hope to do so more in the future. I would love to work with National Geographic more closely as that has been my longterm dream since childhood. But for now, this is great!
Thanks again, Arunima
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