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.

Plastered With Snow

It wasn’t the same as snowcrete coming down, like nearly a month ago, but yesterday was quite a day. Snow falling all day long. Some of that time the temperature was fluttering between 33° and 34° so the snow didn’t stick very well, that is until the temperature dropped below freezing.

And was the wind ever blowing. This picture is while snowflakes were being plastered on absolutely everything, including small branches of trees, the windows in my cabin, the cedar siding on my cabin, the sides of trees, leaves that were still hanging from trees, and here tiny stems of Purple Coneflower seedheads (Echinacea purpurea).

This is when I really adore snow. When Mother Nature’s artistic tendencies go wild, decorating everything.

A Year Ago Tomorrow

February 22, 2026

Late this afternoon snow was coming down at a good pace and the wind was whipping it up. I was looking out at the crazy weather when I got quite a surprise, a Bobcat (Lynx rufus).

This is only the fourth Bobcat that I’ve seen here at the cabin. And the third one was sighted here a year ago tomorrow. That one was seen late in the afternoon like this one. They are crepuscular so that makes sense.

What a strange feeling to realize this seems to be an annual event. I’ll have to watch for it next year.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

How Did They Bloom So Quickly?

February 21, 2026

Just a couple days ago, they were buried under heavy, rock solid snowcrete. A short bit of time with some warm weather, nearly an inch of rain, and they are blooming as if they can survive anything.

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis).

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Wood Frogs, A Late Winter Joy

February 20, 2026

It’s late winter, and right on time, even before the Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) begin their chirping calls, Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) have arrived. Their noisy clacking calls can be heard through my closed windows, as they call, hoping to attract a mate.

Out of the water, it’s a bit easier to see how a Wood Frog looks, complete with a robber’s mask.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

A Few Words From A Robin

February 19, 2026

An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) wants you to know that its species is not a sign of spring. They are year-round residents of the lower 48 states. They just change their behavior during the winter. Switching from their warm weather diet of worms, grubs, and insects that they find in your lawn. Their winter behavior is flocking together moving from one tree to another eating fruits and berries. They are still around, just not always in your yard, but nearby finding Crabapples, Holly berries, Sumac berries, Hawthorn berries, Eastern Red Cedar berries, Dogwood berries, and Wild Grapes.

The Robin wants you to know that whether you see them, or not, spring is coming!

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Song Sparrow On A Garden Post

February 18, 2026

Not totally a loner, but one that will choose solitude over dealing with a crowd of other birds. That helps me identify a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), a bird that without the help of binoculars or a camera looks very much like a winter resident here, the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). A bird that gathers with all its friends to hunt for seeds. A very sociable bird. But if I don’t get a good look, that camera, or a pair of binoculars will help me solve the mystery.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Not All Winter Landscapes Are Black and White

February 17, 2026

Several years ago, Valentine’s Day, there was a stunning ice storm. Here, a small glimpse of the beauty that was created. Ice on Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Deep, yummy, emerald green. Not a black and white image. Though in my heart, winter here is black and white, this is an example that shows, that idea is not necessarily correct.

So, prehaps I’ll modify my thoughts to: winter here is almost always a black and white landscape.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Half Way Up

February 16, 2026

Half way up the mountain to our cabin, at the side of the road, a stately White Oak tree (Quercus alba). It sits there as an example of something I love about winter, the black and white landscape. With a quick glance this picture actually does look like it’s black and white. But there are brown leaves that are hanging on the tree, an example of marcescence, the leaves not dropping until spring. And there is a pine on the right that is a very dark green. So technically, not the landscape I think of.

That’s okay. I can pretend that it is a black and white landscape. Something that I will have to sketch with pen and ink, one of these days.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Blooming Air Plant

February 15, 2026

There are four Air Plants (Tillandsia) in my kitchen window. A spot where they can enjoy the bright light. The window faces northeast so they get a good amount of direct sun in the morning. They get a soaking in a bowl of water every week or so, a soaking that lasts about an hour.

I never really expected that I would get any blooms, but one day, lo and behold, I could see a bud starting. I thoroughly enjoyed the unusual occasion, and once an Air Plant blooms, it will die. But before that happens it will create one to three pups, or offsets, that grow at the base of the plant. This plant is still working on creating one pup. And it’s been a while. Nice.

Totally enjoying the adventure with Air Plants.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Snow Buddies

February 14, 2026

Well, probably not really buddies, but in the same neighborhood anyway. A Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is obvious. Look in the distance above and behind it and you will see a Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

Two birds nearly the same size, with the Blue Jay being just a tiny bit larger. The Blue Jay has a length of 9.8 to 11.8 inches, the Red-bellied Woodpecker has a length of 9 to 10.5 inches.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!