Bumblebee at obedient plant, 23 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

27 June 2026

This week I was in Blair and Allegheny Counties where I found late June flowers, busy insects and urban deer.

Beauty

Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), at top, attracts many pollinators. It’s called obedient plant because if you move an individual flower to the side it stays in place.

Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea sp.) started blooming at the summer solstice in Schenley Park.

Enchanter’s nightshade, Schenley, 26 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

American germander (Teucrium canadense) is blooming at the Herrs Island back channel.

American germander, near Herr’s Island, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

On 21 June we had a beautiful morning birding the Lower Trail at Mt. Etna Station in Blair County. Before the day heated up, mist rose from the damp wooden railing on the pedestrian bridge over Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River.

Mist rises from a damp railing on the Lower Trail at Mt. Etna, 21 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Bugs

Also on the Lower Trail a bug floated down from the trees. We caught and examined it, only to find it was the exoskeleton of a mayfly.

Mayfly exoskeleton, Lower Trail in Blair County, 20 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

On that same day back in Pittsburgh John English saw his first spotted lanternfly. 3rd instar.

Spotted lanternfly, Homestead, 20 June 2026 (photo by John English)

In 24 June I visited the Herrs Island back channel where I reliably find spotted lanternflies in the summer. There weren’t many but at least one was already in the final instar … the red one.

Two instars of spotted lanternfly, Herrs Island back channel, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Spotted lanternfly 3rd instar, Herrs Island back channel, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Spotted lanternfly 4th instar, Herrs Island back channel, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

The 4th instar will transform into a winged adult. This is only a matter of days away …

Spotted lanternfly stages, from nymph to adult (image from Wikimedia Commons)

Urban Deer

The deer in my urban neighborhood don’t care about people and cars. On 20 June my husband photographed a limping doe.

Limping deer in Shadyside, 19 June 2026 (photo by Rick St. John)

Limping deer in Shadyside, 19 June 2026 (photo by Rick St. John)

And on 24 June my neighbor pointed out a doe and buck resting behind the retaining wall at Neville House. The buck is well hidden from my location. You can see the doe’s resting legs, her body and the back of her head.

Doe and buck sleeping behind the wall at Neville House, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Click here to see them wider photo for context.