Author Archives: John Valo

Armyworm moth (Mythimna unipuncta)

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armyworm moth
Photo by Alfredo Colon

Armyworm moth (Mythimna unipuncta), also called true armyworm and the white speck. is a migratory wainscot moth. It is medium-sized for a moth, large for a wainscot moth. It occurs in Europe, northern Africa, Iceland, North America, Central America, and northern South America. It is common throughout the United States and Canada, common and sometimes abundant in Minnesota. It does not survive cold winters. Adults migrate south in the fall and a later generation disperses north in the spring. Adults are found in Minnesota from March to November. Caterpillars feed on leaves and sometimes seed heads of mostly grains and other grasses, but also many broadleaf plants close to their infestations. After defoliating a stand of plants, they will move as a group to a nearby stand and resume feeding. They are often a serious agricultural pest, especially on wheat and corn.

Armyworm moths are ¾″ to 1″ long. Their forewings are tan with dark peppering and a small but conspicuous white spot. The caterpillar is up to 2″ long.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/armyworm_moth.html

Mid-winter boreus (Boreus brumalis)

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mid-winter boreus
Photo by Luciearl

There are fifteen species of snow scorpionflies (Family Boreidae) worldwide, thirteen species in North America, two in eastern United States including Minnesota. The two species in our state are both in the genus Boreus and are easily told apart by their color.

Mid-winter boreus (Boreus brumalis) is a small snow scorpionfly. It is common in the United States from Maine to Michigan, south to Tennessee, and in Canada in Nova Scotia and Ontario. There are isolated populations in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. They are found in deciduous woodlands that have moss on the ground. Larvae live in moss and prey on small insects and other animals found in the moss, and possibly also on the moss. Adults prey on small insects and other animals found hibernating under stones and moss. They are seen on the surface of the snow on winter days when the temperature is above freezing feeding on other winter insects.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/mid-winter_boreus.html

Lewis flax (Linum lewisii var. lewisii)

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Lewis flax

Lewis flax (Linum lewisii var. lewisii) is an uncommon, non-native, prairie wildflower. It is native to western North America as far east as North Dakota. It is uncommon in Minnesota where it is considered adventive—it is not fully established and the populations in the state may not be self-sustaining. The first recorded observation in Minnesota was in 1959. It continues to spread as it is often included in seed mixes used on prairie restorations.

Lewis flax is semi-evergreen, with at least some foliage remaining green throughout the winter. Flowers are not produced until the third year or, if conditions are favorable, the end of the second year. Bright blue flowers appear from May to July. The petals open at sunrise and fall off by late afternoon.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/Lewis_flax.html

Dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)

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dwarf raspberry

Dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens) is a perennial, low-growing, non-woody subshrub. In the United States it occurs in the northern tier of states south to New Jersey, Colorado, and Oregon. In Minnesota it is common throughout most of the state but absent in the west-central, southwest, and south-central counties. It is found in moist to wet woodlands and meadows and in various wetlands including shrubby swamps, bogs, and fens.

Short, erect, leafy stems rise from a creeping runner that can be up to 80″ long. The 2 to 5 leaves are each divided into three leaflets. In mid-May to late June 1 to 4 small white flowers appear at the end of the stem. In early to mid-summer, each flower is replaced by a small, bright red to dark red fruit. The fruit is tasty but small, and it does not easily separate from its core.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/dwarf_raspberry.html

Narrow-leaved vervain (Verbena simplex)

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narrow-leaved vervain

Narrow-leaved vervain (Verbena simplex) is a 4″ to 27½″ tall, erect, perennial forb. It grows in full sun in moderately dry to dry soil in upland prairies, hill prairies and old fields; on roadsides and railroad rights-of-way; and in other open, disturbed areas. It occurs in the United States from New Hampshire to Minnesota south to Texas and Florida, and in adjacent Canadian provinces. In Minnesota, where it is at the northwestern extent of its range, it has been recorded in only five counties. In two of those counties, the records are historical, and it is now presumed to be locally extinct (extirpated). It is listed as a special concern species in both Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Narrow-leaved vervain has one or more stems, narrow leaves, and a spiked inflorescence. The flowers are lavender or purple to white, or white tinged with blue, rarely white. Compared with the other three species of vervain found in Minnesota, narrow-leaved vervain is much rarer, is a much smaller plant, and has much narrower leaves.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/narrow-leaved_vervain.html

Tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum)

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tall thistle

Tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum) is a robust native plant. It can be 4′ to 10′ tall but in Minnesota it is usually no more than 7′ in height. It is found in prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, and disturbed sites. It has a patchy distribution in the lower two-thirds of Minnesota and is never common. It is absent from the far north and the Arrowhead region.

Tall thistle will easily pass the Native Thistle Test. Grasp the stem near the base of any native thistle loosely in your fist, then slide your fist upwards to just below the inflorescence. If the plant is a native thistle, you will not get a single prickle – it will be “ouchless”. If the thistle is thought to be an exotic (non-native) species, this test is not recommended.

Tall thistle looks similar to other native thistles. It can be distinguished by the stem that is green and not spiny; and the leaves that are white on the underside and are either unlobed or shallowly lobed.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/tall_thistle.html

Prickly tree clubmoss (Dendrolycopodium dendroideum)

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prickly tree clubmoss

Prickly tree clubmoss (Dendrolycopodium dendroideum) is an erect, evergreen, perennial, low-growing plant that looks like a miniature coniferous tree. It grows in northern forests and in shrubby areas recovering from fire or other disturbance. It often forms large colonies. In Minnesota it is common in the northeast, infrequent in the southeast, and mostly absent from the south and west.

Prickly tree clubmoss is usually no more than 6″ in height and has widely spreading branches. The branches are themselves up to four times branched—most branches have two or more secondary branches (branchlets), those branchlets are usually branched, those branchlets are often branched, and those branchlets are sometimes branched. The stem and branches are densely covered with prickly, needle-like leaves. Each fertile plant has 1 to 7 spore-bearing cones.

Several other Minnesota clubmosses are very similar in appearance. Prickly tree clubmoss is distinguished by lateral branches that are round in cross section, not flattened; stiff, prickly, widely spreading leaves on the lower part of the stem; and leaves on the branches that are all equal in size and arranged in six ranks, 2 above, 2 below, and one on each side.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/prickly_tree_clubmoss.html

Elm leafminer (Fenusa ulmi)

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elm leafminer
Elm leafminer. Sorry for the poor quality of this photo. If a picture should be worth a thousand words, this one is worth a few hundred at most.

Elm leafminer (Fenusa ulmi) is a very small common sawfly. It is native to eastern Europe and Scandinavia. It was brought to North America most likely on imported elms. It now occurs in the United States from New England to the upper Midwest, in the Pacific Northwest, and in southeast Canada. Based on the scarcity of reports, it is still relatively uncommon in Minnesota.

Due to the small size of the adult, elm leafminer is most often identified by the damage the larva causes to its host plant. Mines are seen from mid-May to early June on American elm and slippery elm. The larva feeds between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf. It creates a serpentine mine at first. That soon develops into a small blotch between two lateral veins, later into a large blotch on one side if the midrib. The mines are clear and the flattened, whitish-green or yellowish-white larva can be seen when viewing the upper side of the leaf. The infected part of the leaf turns brown and eventually falls off. A heavy infestation may cause the entire tree to defoliate, but the infected tree flushes again and survives.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/elm_leafminer.html

Running clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum)

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running clubmoss

There are 76 species of Lycopodium worldwide. Only two of them occur in Minnesota. Running clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum) is very widespread and common. It has a worldwide distribution, occurring on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It is common in Minnesota in the Arrowhead region, infrequent in the north-central and central regions as far south as the northern metro, infrequent in the driftless area in the southeast, and absent from the remainder of the state.

Running clubmoss is an evergreen, perennial club moss. It produces a very long, creeping, horizontal stem and clusters of upright, branched stems. The stems are densely covered with narrow leaves that are arranged spirally and have a long hair at the tip.

Running clubmoss looks similar to its close relative, one-cone clubmoss. It can be distinguished by the cones that occur in groups of usually 2 to 5 and are arranged as a straight central axis with spreading to ascending side branches.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/running_clubmoss.html

western rock jasmine (Androsace occidentalis)

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western rock jasmine

Western rock jasmine (Androsace occidentalis) is a small annual forb that occurs in North America between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. In Minnesota it is occasional in the western, southern, and central regions, absent from the northeast. It may be the smallest terrestrial wildflower native to Minnesota. It is usually no more than 3″ tall. It appears as a 1½″ in diameter radiating cluster of leaves and up to 15 leafless flower stalks. The flowers are white and about 1 ⁄16″ wide.

Western rock jasmine is short-lived, flowering from April to May and dying back by mid-summer. It is easily overlooked due to its diminutive size. For these reasons it may be more common than reported.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/western_rock_jasmine.html