Nope, I’m not talking about deadheading spearmint flowers. I was picking some leaves for no other reason than to crush them between my thumb and index finger and hold them to my nose. If you were passing by you might have thought I was picking my nose but I assure you I was only enjoying the spearmint fragrance.

Of course I had my camera with me so when I spotted the crab spider on a leaf I took yet another photo. I didn’t expect to use it but it turned out to have an unusual marking on its abdomen. I think it looks like a skeleton face.

The spearmint is a major hassle in the garden. It is way too aggressive and a pain to keep under control. It can sneak underground 3 feet in a season in rich, moist and loose garden soil. On the plus side, mints of all sorts are welcome to encroach into the ‘lawn’. I love the aroma as I mow it down to size.

Holy Moley! I Googled dried spearmint leaves for sale and the cheapest I found went for $8 a pound. Too bad it’s too late for harvesting quality leaves. The spearmint is in full bloom and it should be cut before blooming. Now I’m thinking of roto-tilling the garden next year and letting the spearmint and peppermint have their way.

It’s hard to believe I haven’t seen this yellow jacket wasp nest sooner. I’ve been parking my truck next to it all summer. I’ve been no further away than 5 feet getting in and out of the truck. I’m surprised (and more than lucky) I haven’t disturbed the nest banging around the truck.

Yellow jacket wasps are born with an attitude problem. Individuals are aggressive and easily aggravated and anyone who offends one is usually rewarded with a sting. But that’s nothing compared to having 100s of them peeved at you for disturbing their nest. I know. I once disturbed an underground yellow jacket nest and was stung at least 50 times before I even knew I was in trouble. Before I managed to get away I had well over 100 stings.

Living dangerously: Taking a macro photo of a yellow jacket nest entrance.

Do not disturb

No one ever accused me of being overly intelligent.

I photographed this native plant south of the high peaks in the Adirondacks near Newcomb, NY. I found these growing in dry, rocky soil. Light conditions varied from nearly full sun to plenty of shade. Although the common name includes ‘northern’ the plant can be found as far south as Alabama and Georgia.

Northern Bush-honeysuckle – Diervilla lonicera

The plant’s species name lonicera (Latin for ‘honeysuckle’) refers to its similarity in appearance to the genus Lonicera – the true honeysuckles.

The toothed leaves are a good clue to the identity, this is the only ‘honeysuckle’ with teeth. The plant ranges from 1 to 4 foot tall and grows in a shrub like form. The flowers are small, less than an inch long and usually yellow and occasionally reddish.

I know photographing northern bush honeysuckle isn’t much to write home about but it’s been a long time since I have identified a new wildflower (for me) and adding a new species to my ‘collection’ makes it good enough for my blog.

…and now for a completely different wildflower

I’m positive I’ve already overdone posting pics of orange hawkweed but here’s another one.

Orange Hawkweed - Hieracium aurantiacum

My lawn is full of these and other alien hawkweeds that are typically yellow. Hawkweed flowers look a lot like dandelions from a distance and the yellow ones don’t really turn me on. But the orange is pretty to my eyes and I often stop to take a closer look at the colors on the Devil’s Paintbrush.

Generally, the leaves are a good way to tell the difference between native and alien hawkweed species. Natives generally have leaves that ascend the stems whereas aliens generally form a basal rosette.

While I might not fully appreciate the beauty of yellow hawkweed flowers I do like some of their names. King Devil (a yellow version of the Devil’s Paintbrush), Rattlesnake-weed and Mouse Ear Hawkweed all sound cool to me.