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.

Owling

Perhaps if you are into children’s books or you’re a birder, you know the word “owling.” I’m familiar with the word thanks to Jane Yolen’s lovely 1987 book, Owl Moon. It’s about a little girl and her father who love to go out as the sun is setting, looking for owls. Or as they call it, owling. Some dictionaries suggest that owling also involves calling to attract the owls in their own owl language but if you already know where they are that certainly isn’t necessary.

We were up in Arlington attending a much deserved celebration and there was after dinner entertainment. Owling. Two adults and two juvenile Barred Owls (Strix varia) hanging out in the woods of a nearby park, just waiting to be admired and photographed as daylight was beginning to diminish.

One of the adult owls was off on some task so we only got to see three of the family but it was quite the treat watching them. And to hear their chatting back and forth was impressive. The juveniles with their high pitched but not very loud squeal being answered back by the adult, with a soft two noted, “hoot hoot” as if to say, “Yes, I’m here.”

As it got darker we left the owls to their nighttime activities and headed south and back to our cabin in the woods.

Juvenile Barred Owls stay with their parents longer than other owls, at least four months. That will give me plenty of time to come back to visit these charming feathered creatures again as spring turns to summer. More owling!

2022 Hummingbird Arrival

It’s happened! It seems like magic that it is exactly one year after the date when the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) arrived in 2021. Amazing!

This first arrival is a male (though these images are of females at the height of Hummingbird season 2016). That’s usually the case. Males are the first to leave their wintering site, heading back to their summer homes. They arrive first to get things in order, finding the perfect territory for enchanting the females, and begin to defend it. Those females generally arrive a week to a week and a half later. Soon, fun time!

Soft Magenta

Just beginning, along trails in the mountains, along the edge of the dirt road that climbs my mountain. Like a soft fabric made just for a little girl’s twirly-swirly dress of emerald green with soft magenta dots. Dancing in the wind, just like that little girl does. Blooms of Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) are just beginning to do their dancing for this season.

The Wild Geranium is native to eastern North America, and is most often found in deciduous forests. They grow to be 1 to 2 feet tall. The blossoms have 5 petals, 5 sepals, are 1 to 1.5 inches across, and are in clusters of 2 to 5 blossoms.

Both the nectar and pollen of these flowers attract bees, flies, butterflies and skippers. Occasionally a Wild Geranium will volunteer in one of my gardens and I must say, they are most welcome.

Star Chickweed

A sweet little well behaved native plant that has the burden of a common name which makes me think of an invasive non-native. This is Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) which is native to the eastern United States.

Though it looks like the flower has ten petals, each of the five petals is deeply cleft creating the illusion of ten petals. The width of these flowers are twice the size of Common Chickweed, measuring 1/2 inch across. I find the stamens that are tipped with dark anthers particularly attractive against the white petals.The leaves of Star Chickweed are lanceolate and opposite. You won’t find these plants growing in dense clumps but in airy groupings.

Common Chickweed (Stellaria media), in the picture above, grows in very dense clumps or mats. The leaves are egg-shaped with a point at the end, and they are opposite. The flowers are just 1/4 inch across. And like Star Chickweed flowers, there are five petals that are deeply cleft creating the impression of ten petals. The Common Chickweed plant is native to Europe and Asia and naturalized throughout the world.

The Journey

Imagine you are a winged, feathered creature, just 3 inches long, weighing in at 0.1 to 0.2 ounces. Imagine too that you spend the summer months in Canada and other parts of eastern North America, and you spend the winter months from southern Mexico southward across Central America to Panama. That’s what Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) do every year. Traveling Hummingbirds flying back and forth alone.

They have no maps or GPS help. They somehow know where they are going and manage to rejoin other Ruby-throated Hummingbirds after a trip of 1,000 to 1,600 miles. And if the Hummingbird should choose to cross the Gulf of Mexico (some do, some don’t) they fly that 500 miles over 18 to 24 hours (weather dependent) non-stop.

Incredible. Just thinking about it makes me feel very worn out. I think I’ll sit down.

Raspberry Awakening

So many native perennials sprouting their leaves as if little alarm clocks have gone off telling the plants to wake up. One of them, Purple-flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), sending out its maple-like, very crinkled, serrated leaves. It is native to the eastern United States

By late May bristly buds appear. The stems and branches of the plant are also hairy/bristly but have no thorns.

Blooms arrive by mid-June in the woods in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Often singly, sometimes two or three blossoms together. The drupes or berries are edible but it is debatable whether they have a good flavor. I chose to leave the drupes for the birds and animals that enjoy them.

It’s a great kick to find these flowers in the woods. A lovely bright color for a native plant.

A Transformation

In trying to come up with words to describe the intermediate stage of an American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) transforming from winter to summer garb, I immediately think of “patchwork quilt” but that is not quite right. After all quilts are beautiful pieces of art. This intermediate stage is an unfinished work, still in progress.

The first image is that transformative time, that intermediate stage, changing to a different outfit. Going from winter to summer garb. Goldfinches molt two times during the year, once in late winter and again in late summer. This photo, above, is of a male Goldfinch in his winter outfit. Trying to blend in as best he can.

And of course this is the outfit we all know to be the male Goldfinch in his summer suit. All set to knock our socks off with that smashing color.

Falcate Orangetip

This afternoon the butterfly gods, or maybe it was the butterfly fairies, were taking care of me. I was out refiling the bird feeders when I spotted a small white butterfly nectaring at a Confederate Violet (Viola sororia priceana). Normally this butterfly, a Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea), flutters by occasionally but rarely do I see it stop to take in some nectar. When I first spotted it, my camera was not with me and I figured my chances were nonexistent that it would still be there when I got back with it. BUT much to my surprise the Orangetip was waiting for me and its chance to have a portrait created.

Orangetip caterpillars live on blooms, developing fruit and leaves of plants in the mustard family such as Rock Cress, Bitter Cress, Shepherd’s Purse and Toothwort. Adults nectar at Toothwort, Mustards, Violets and Spring Beauty.

In its name, the “orangetip” is obvious. The first portion of the name, “falcate” means bent like a scythe or sickle, as the crescent moon, and certain leaves; hooked; curved and tapering to a point. Now keep that in mind as you look at the outer edge of a forewing. See that very subtle hook?

It is the male that has the orange spot on the upper, or dorsal, side of its wings. The female is totally white and black. Both male and female have a black spot in the middle of their forewings. These butterflies vary in size from 1.3 to 1.75 inches. The female is usually the larger of the two sexes.

It’s one of the early butterflies. Spring is upon us!  

Spring Azure

Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon). With a wingspan of just 1 inch, it’s a tiny white butterfly that flutters through the woods as an adult beginning in mid-March but in that stage only lives a few days.

The larval host plant of the Spring Azure is Flowering Dogwood, Blueberry, Viburnum and there may be others.

The upper or dorsal side of the Spring Azure is a pretty blue which can be seen in flight, or if you’re very fortunate you might get a glimpse of the upper side of the wings as it lands and opens its wings. Most often though it has its wings closed trying to blend in with its surroundings as it attempts to send you the message, “You can’t see me!”