The colorful red Bee Balm is now in bloom throughout our parks and trails. Usually by early July the flower makes its annual showy appearance. This is a popular flower with Hummingbirds who probe the long flower petals with their beaks.
June 2015 has been a rainy month, not so enjoyable for humans but if you are a Wehrle's Salamander the rain is a good thing. Note the small snail attached to its head. We often find salamanders that have snails attached to them.
Monotropa uniflora, known as the ghost plant, Indian pipe, or corpse plant, is a perennial plant native to temperate regions of Asia, North America and northern South America. Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating energy from sunlight, it is parasitic. Its hosts are certain fungi that are with trees; it gets its energy from photosynthetic trees. Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments of a dense forest. It is often associated with beech trees.[
