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Treasures In The Woods
A Special Corner This is a special bend in the road on my hike up the mountain. Here I find fun mushrooms and cool little lichens that could be the center of an elf village. But the real treasure for me, is the sprouts of American Chestnuts that are just up the slope at this…
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Waiting on Virginia Creeper
A Common Plant Here Virginia Creeper is a very common plant here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I enjoy seeing it, with its five leaflets radiating out in its palmate fashion. Five Leaflets Those five leaflets create one leaf. They are so precise with their sawtoothed edges, like a seamstress has taken her pinking shears…
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Nothing But Blue Skies
Perfection! The days recently have been absolutely yummy. Blue skies, low humidity – perfect for hiking during the day and wonderful for sleeping at night. It’s been a dream, being able to hike up my mountain and watch as the leaves change from their summer blue-greens to their autumn tones of chartreuse, lemon, lime, golds,…
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Apple Pie Heritage
Mom’s Family I grew up with apple pies. Lots of other pies too, but the standout memory is apple pies. My Mom is Pennsylvania Dutch, which, in my mind, means she is a terrific cook, but most of all a terrific pie baker. She tells me of falling asleep in her grandparent’s dining room, while…
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Oh Deer
Oh Deer! What To Do? There is nothing more heart warming than seeing a white-tailed deer in your yard. Unless of course you see too many deer, night after night, eating the vegetables in your garden. For those of us who do not have gardens and enjoy seeing the deer, we must remember that feeding…
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Chestnuts And Success
A Harvest Better Than Expected My day was off to an excellent start. This spring, using pollen that had been collected from trees at the American Chestnut Foundation‘s research farm in Meadowview, Virginia, a tree that we call VA0333, The Rosebrook Tree, was for the third year in the row pollinated. This was at the…
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Cicadas And American Chestnuts
We Won’t Soon Forget Those of us who just came through the summer, with Brood II of the Periodical Cicadas, are still seeing flagged trees. Tomorrow I will find out the results of pollinating American Chestnuts this spring. A friend and I did the pollination at the height of the Cicada invasion. Slits in some…
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Sumac For Autumn Color
Pollinator Pleasing In mid-summer there is quite a draw at my wood’s edge. The Sumac is in bloom and pollinators are buzzing all over the flowers. I have two types of Sumac — Winged Sumac and Smooth Sumac, supplied by Mother Nature. For The Birds From blooms to fruit, pleasing different critters. The fruit of…
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Welcome Autumn!
Let The Season Begin! Autumn started this afternoon! Yay! I love to experience the seasons — each and every one — all four, to their fullest potential! As always, autumn is starting slowly. Yes, we’ve had cooler weather, but the leaves are slow to respond and are waiting for the days to get shorter and…
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Happy Yellow!
Happiness! Yellow is such a happy color! I had a dear friend, Pat Gallagher, whose favorite color was yellow, I think for that very reason. She was a truly happy person. She made a point of doing watercolor paintings, and making quilts with the warm color in it, even in the day when yellow was…