Nature Through the Seasons Near the Towson Y

There are a few changes here in early September.  There were a scattering of funnel spiders on the yews near the front entrance.  You can see the horizontal web easily when highlighted with dew.  The spiders are usually shy but this one posed briefly for a picture. On the south side English ivy is going to seed.   And also on the south fence is the Japanese autumn clematis, or more poetic "virgins's bower".  Comments heard about this are: non-native, invasive in some areas, displacing the native clematis.   In the over-grown flower bed west of the parking lot is a cardinal flower.  How did he get here?  A random act of kindness by human or animal? The ragweed which was one small plant early August is now producing a fine crop. There are still a few bindweed flowers, this one to the west side. The porcelain berry is maturing, growing everywhere.  If the question is " Daddy what's that vine?" it is probably porcelain berry. Along the fence on n...