Natural Notebook:Young Buck Morning

A white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was observed at the old camp in Northern Maryland,a solitary deer,so I see it as a buck,exploring a short distance away from the doe group it belongs to.It was a young of the year buck,still in his white spots.He must have grown at an incredible pace.Say he was born in May,he is only about two months old and recently weaned.
Yet the habitat on the edge of the city is fairly rich with fields and woodlots.It seems an ideal matrix for the Virginia whitetail,one that could have brought it to its present size,about 2.5 ft /0.762 m high at the shoulder.
The young buck was foraging along the extensive stormwater management system,which is unmowed along its edges.There are some shrubs,tall grass and wildflowers.So he found a good assortment of vegetation for his breakfast.
It's so good to see him.For a long time,I wondered why I didn't see deer in this area,but saw rabbits and foxes,the whitetail's customary neighbours.It didn't make sense.Now in the past year,I have seen many of these treasured game animals around.It shows how fast a herd of deer can come out of nowhere.*

Nature Note:Daisy Fleabane

Beside a driveway,a tall white daisy plant is growing this summer.It is daisy fleabane,a native wildflower once believed to have anti-flea properties.The small flowers on this tall plant close at night.When they open in the morning,small native insects visit them.We used to call them sweat bees-tiny pollinating bees or flies of various types.Growing along roads and in fields and lots of the Northeast and North Central regions,and down through the Southern Appalachians,daisy fleabane blooms from May to October.It lends a striking elegance to the scene,such that you don't want to mow it.It's best to leave this native plant alone if you can possibly spare it a bit of space.It contributes to the landscape as an ecological member,as well as having aesthetic value.The little native pollinators rely on its nectar.