Author Archives: Brenda Clements Jones

About Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

Black And White

May 3, 2026

A Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus), enjoying the nectar of Wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris), which is an herbaceous biennial plant in the mustard family. It’s native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

The Zebra Swallowtail relies on Pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) exclusively as its host plant. That makes me happy since there are oodles of Pawpaw trees up here and I see Zebra Swallowtails frequently.

The more the merrier!

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Lucky Blue

May 2, 2026

A lucky catch. A glimpse of the dorsal side (top or upper side) of a wing of a male Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas). The male has this eye-catching blue on the dorsal side of his wings, while the female’s dorsal side is a lighter blue, brown, or charcoal.

A very small butterfly, with a wingspan of about an inch or a little less.

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Rosa Multiflora An Aggressive Invasive

May 1, 2026

Pink bushes will rarely show up, either pink tinged or a more solid pale pink. And from one year to the next, there is no telling whether that pink bush will again bloom pink. Totally unpredictable.

This plant is native to Japan, Korea, and eastern China, and here in North America it is extremely invasive. It forms a dense impassable tangle that will prevent native plants from growing. Many states have outlawed the sale, propagation and distribution of this plant because of its extreme invasiveness.

I wish I could wave my magic wand and have them all go back to their homeland.

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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 yellow Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), both native to Virginia.

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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 it is not tall. Leaves grow to 3 – 6 inches tall while the flowers only get to 4 – 6 inches, and with perfect conditions it might grow to 9 inches.

My Mom’s favorite flower was the Iris, but I doubt she ever saw a Dwarf Crested Iris. She would be surprised.

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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 those berries look very much like the Blueberries (Vaccinium) that we put on our cereal at breakfast, add to muffins, and bake in pies. The berries of Blue Cohosh though are poisonous to humans. Birds can safely eat them though, and they thoroughly enjoy them.

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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 colonies. The flowers are white, pink or lavender. The ones I see are always snow white.

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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 pine cones, are usually on the higher branches of the tree. These pollen cones produce large amounts of pollen, carried by the wind to fertilize female pine cones. This pollen falls in clouds of “dust” that coats everything from March to May.

Both Pine and Oak pollen, a big problem for allergy sufferers. But when it rains the pollen settles for a bit. I’m hoping for more rain. Things are much too dry.

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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 1860. It spread rapidly and now is found in almost all of North America.

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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 is in the aster (Asteraceae) family. Unlike true asters and daisies, this flower has more numerous and much thinner ray flowers.

Blooming along trails up here now, at the end of April.

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