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Blue Vervain
June 29, 2026 Blue vervain (Verbena hastata). Native to the contiguous United States and stretches up into southern and eastern Canada. Host plant of the Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) Enjoys moist locations. Though this was photographed at Bluemont Park in Arlington, Virginia, I have it in my garden here at the cabin where is…
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Fly Poison In The Park
June 28, 2026 Further up the mountain, into Shenandoah National Park, an interesting plant, one I had never seen or heard of before. The picture above is of Fly Poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum) just before its flowers open. And here, above, many of the flowers are now open. It’s a plant that is native to the…
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Often Heard
June 27, 2026 A bird I rarely see but often hear, with its mnemonic of, “Wheat-a wheat-a wheat-EE-oh”. A Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citron), here during the breeding season, and also in other parts of the eastern US and the most southern part of Canada. Wintering in Central America and the West Indies. They eat insects…
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An American Lady
June 26, 2026 American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) enjoying the nectar of a Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). As adults these butterflies have a short lifespan of approximately 2 to 4 weeks. There are some though, the ones that hatch late in autumn and live in regions with mild, warm winters, that can overwinter as adults. This…
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Soon To Be Queen Anne’s Lace
June 25, 2026 Delicate looking pink feet clutching the fuzzy stem of what will become a beautiful flower. A year round resident, a male Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), has about reached its peak breeding season plumage. Captured here clinging to what will become the bloom of Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus Carota). This flower is an herbaceous…
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Redbud Seedpods
June 24, 2026 The Redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) up here on my mountain in April, reach out with their branches, painting the still black and white landscape with a striking pink hue everywhere one looks. Now it’s June and those pink blooms have become seedpods, waiting to fall to the ground to become more Redbud…
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Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Raising Little Hummingbirds
June 23, 2026 Here, a Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Archilochusus colubrid) seeming to dance as she approaches a Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma). These Hummingbirds are here for their breeding season and soon we’ll be seeing a population explosion thanks to all the fledglings that will be arriving at the flowers that seem to call to them.…
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A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher In The Garden
June 22, 2026 A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) showing off the length of its extra long tail. Impressed by the small size of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)? Perhaps the size of this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher will surprise you as well. Their weights are quite similar, weighing in at a bit lighter than a few pennies.…
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A Hummingbird At The Beebalm
June 21, 2026 I’m so pleased to have Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma) blooming again. They’re dependable perennials. With brilliant red flowers that call to Hummingbirds and other pollinators. Blooming with perfect timing. It won’t be long until there will be multitudes of these birds flying, as the nestlings fledge. Beebalm petals have a long, tubular…
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Great Spangled Fritillary On Common Milkweed
June 20, 2026 Yesterday Great Spangled Fritillaries (Speyeria cybele) and several species of bees were found on a patch of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) up here. Oh, what a fragrance those flowers have! That scent must be an invitation to pollinators all around, a plea perhaps, to come drink the nectar and help spread the…