Black Velvet Bolete

Fungi > Boletes

The Black Velvet Bolete (Tylopilus alboater) is one of the most visually mesmerizing wild mushrooms of eastern North American hardwood forests. Characterized by a luxurious, pitch-black to deep grayish-black velvety cap that feels uncannily like suede, this prized...

Silver Dollar Plant

Plants > Flowering Plants

The Silver Dollar Plant (Lunaria annua), also globally known as Honesty, Money Plant, or Moonwort, is an enchanting biennial flowering herb in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). While adorned in spring with attractive clusters of fragrant violet-purple blooms, it...

Water Hawthorn

Plants > Aquatic Plants

The Water Hawthorn (Aponogeton distachyos), known in Afrikaans as Waterblommetjie (‘little water flower’), is a cherished aquatic perennial endemic to the winter-rainfall vernal pools and sluggish streams of South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region....

Japanese Giant Hornet

Invertebrates > Wasps

The Japanese Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica), known locally as the ōsuzumebachi (‘giant sparrow wasp’), is an apex predatory insect renowned for its imposing physical size, ruthless hunting prowess, and formidable sting. Endemic to the forested...

Hickory Horned Devil

Invertebrates > Moths

The Hickory Horned Devil is the sensational, monstrous-looking larval form of the Regal Moth (Citheronia regalis). Ranking among the largest, heaviest caterpillars in North America, this gentle giant commands immediate awe with its vibrant turquoise-green body and...