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A Colorful Spring
April 30, 2026 Oh, the colors of spring! Mostly green. Green everywhere with dots of rich pinks and yellows. Quite a difference from just a few months ago when going on a hike meant hiking in a black and white landscape. Captured colors of spring, pink Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) with background hints of bright…
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A Tiny Native Iris
April 29, 2026 Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata), native to the eastern, midwestern, and southeastern United States. Their preferred locations seem to be the Appalachian Mountains, and the Ozark Mountains, preferring conditions of rocky soil or stream banks. I think of Irises as being tall and elegant flowers, this one may certainly be elegant but…
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Blue Cohosh
April 28, 2026 Small, pale yellow, blooming in the woods in late April. The blossoms of Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). A perennial that grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet tall. Its “berries” turn blue-black in mid-August. Not actually berries at all, but seeds with a covering which creates a berry appearance. And…
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Waterleaf
April 27, 2026 Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum), in bloom right now. Part of the common name, waterleaf, refers to the lighter green spots on some of its leaves which resemble spots of water. Native to Eastern North America. Here in Virginia, it’s often found in the Piedmont, and mountain regions, where it can form large…
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Rain On Virginia Pine
April 26, 2026 Oh precious rain. A little bit came down yesterday. Almost a third of an inch. Almost. Not nearly enough but . . . These are male pollen cones of Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana). Usually on the lower branches of the tree, while the female cones, the ones that you think of as…
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Cabbage White On Green And Gold
April 25, 2026 A Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) on a wonderful ground cover, Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum). A plant that is native to the eastern United States, mainly in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern US. The Cabbage White is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and was accidentally brought to North America in about…
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Fleabane In Bloom
April 24, 2026 Like a tiny daisy, waiting to be picked and placed into a tiny vase. Perfect for a doll house. Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadlephicus). Philadelphia Fleabane, like daisies, have disk flowers (they are the yellow at the center of the flower) and ray flowers (the white “petals” surrounding the yellow center). This Fleabane…
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Wild Strawberries In Bloom
April 22, 2026 Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), pollinated by many native bees, including Small Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) and Sweat Bees (Halictidae), which often visit these blooms. These native strawberry plants are host plants to over 60 to 80 species of butterflies, moths, and skippers, including the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). _______________________ If you would like…
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Hummingbird Clearwing
April 21, 2026 A Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe), enjoying the nectar of apple blossoms on a cool spring day. Though the Hummingbird Clearwing is a moth, it is diurnal, or active during the day — not nocturnal. They feed on flower nectar as adults, and have a long proboscis which they use to drink that…