Author: 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 Birch

Black Birch (Betula lenta). A tree that’s common around my cabin.

It’s a tree that is monoecious, meaning it has male and female flowers on the same plant/tree. The flowers of birch trees are called catkins. The photo, above, is of male catkins, on a branch I found on the ground after some wild winds we had recently. These male catkins emerge as summer turns to autumn and will stay on the tree (unless there are wild winds) during the winter months. They will release their pollen in the spring.

Just in time to catch those pollen grains, the female catkins appear in early spring. Once fertilized, green cones are formed. Then in early autumn the green cones turn brown and burst open dispersing the seeds of the cones.

As those leaves turn golden, more male catkins are formed and the cycle continues.

Not One But Three!

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens). Most often I’ll see one at the suet feeder. Less frequently it will be one at the hulled sunflower seeds or at the shelled peanuts. But only one.

Yesterday, much to my surprise there were three Downy Woodpeckers. Not at any of the feeders. Just hanging out in the woods. Of course they didn’t want to pose for a group photo. Maybe next time.

A Perfect Day For Pie

Happy February 23rd. A very warm day. Like a marvelous summer day. Here in the mountains it got up to 77°. The weather forecast for February 24th, two days from now, sleet, freezing rain and snow has been mentioned. Crazy.

For today, it’s a perfect day for a custard peach pie. But then isn’t every day perfect for a custard peach pie?

Wood Frog Eggs In The Pond

Just a few days ago the noisy Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) arrived at my little pond for their breeding season. Two days ago Granddaughter and I went out to check on the pond and the eggs. Here’s what was out there, and surely today there are many more. Those frogs have really been busy.

Since these eggs have been laid in chilly water, it may take a month for them to hatch. If the eggs had been laid later in the season in warmer water, hatching would take place in 10 to 14 days.

Stay tuned. I’m going to be watching what happens as winter turns to spring.

Looking For Lunch

Yesterday, just after noon a bird came by, surely on the lookout for its lunch. It sat in a Maple Tree which was thinking of bursting forth with red springtime blooms. The bird, a large one, a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus).

As it sat there, the birds at the feeders immediately realized the hawk was on the prowl, and vanished. I’m sure though, at some point it found what is was looking for. Lunch.

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Rock-shield Lichen

Rock-shield Lichen (Xanthoparmelia). A lichen that I commonly see up here growing on rocks. An incredible organism that is a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and an alga.

I’ve become fascinated with lichens, but still I’m struggling to understand them. Not a plant, not an animal but an organism. There are about 3,600 species of lichens in North America, and more are being discovered every year.

Sunshine Yellow Flowers In Winter

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis). Given to me a few years ago by a dear friend. A small patch in the garden glowing with the color of happiness, right now, mid-February. Not a native to North America, but of France, Italy and the Balkans. In my garden it’s well behaved and hasn’t spread at all, so Winter Aconite has earned my seal of approval.