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.

Bear Signs

I see signs of Black Bear, Ursus americanus, up here in the mountains very often, though I don’t see the bears themselves frequently.

An often seen sign of bear, is a pile of bear poop, or bear scat, a term used in more sophisticated company. Bear scat can weigh typically, one half pound, to one pound. That should make you realize that these are large animals! What you find in bear scat is, of course, a direct reflection of what the bear has been eating. Ninety percent of a Black Bear’s diet is fruits and berries, and other vegetation, while the other ten percent is other animals, including insects and insect larvae.

Another sign that shows up here on the mountain, is the overturned grill. Care is taken to clean the grill, but I suppose one can never remove the scent of a freshly cooked meal. After all, Black Bears have extremely sensitive noses. It basically happens like this: the afternoon after the grilled dinner has been eaten, at a quiet moment, when no one is expecting it, least of all the visiting bear, there is a sudden, very loud crash! I look out my studio windows and see a very startled bear running up the mountain, away from the overturned grill. The grill is a hefty, propane grill and is a good sized piece of cooking equipment. It surprises me how often it is turned over. It also is surprising how durable the grill is, coming through with hardly any damage. Surely it is not the same bear every time. It is very apparent that it truly frightens the bear!

Another sign that is encountered is the telltale paw print. On storm doors, on car hoods, on grills. Paw prints many places. And mind you, no trash is left outside up here to attract the bears. No trash to draw the Black Bear, but he figures this is his territory to explore at will. To leave tracks in mud. Tracks that say, Black Bear was here!

In the photo of the bear track above, the round object on the far right is a quarter for scale. If you look carefully, you can also see marks left by his claws.

This fellow is quite a climber. He’s gotten himself high into the apple tree, breaking branches along the way. I’ve also got a Montmorency Cherry tree. Cherries from that tree make such scrumptious pies, but I’ve given up trying to get cherries from the tree. Not only do the bears beat me to the cherries, but the tree is also half the size it should be, because of broken branches.

My husband grows Christmas trees. Bears and Christmas trees are not a good combination. Bears have a habit of chomping off the leader of a beautiful Christmas tree, or they may do more damage, breaking the tree further down.

But look at that sweet face! I would not trade my cabin in the mountains, my cabin surrounded by woods for anything in the world. I love living in Black Bear country!

I’ve just posted more photographs and information on how Black Bears mark their territory. You can find that post by clicking here.

Sign Of Bears

Several times a year I see a Black Bear,Ursus americanus, in my yard. Black Bears are around nearly all the time. I know that they’ve been around, even when I don’t see them, due to signs that they leave me. Last night I wrote a blog about how I can tell that Black Bears, Ursus americanus, have been in my yard. You can read that blog and see my photographs, by clicking here. Black Bears let other animals know that they are around. Read on, and find out how!

Black Bears are solitary animals, generally, except in the case of a mother and cubs, breeding pairs during the summer, and bears gathering at a food source.

Bears have ways of letting other bears and other animals know that they have been in the area. Ways of marking their territory through scents.

This utility pole is within sight of my cabin, and is a favorite spot for bears to mark with their scent. They rub their back, shoulders, neck, and the top of their head on the tree or pole. It’s not at all unusual to see them marking utility poles as well as trees. They will also claw the tree, or bite into the tree or pole to leave their scent. My husband grows Christmas trees, and bears really enjoy chomping off the tops of those trees. Frustrating, but not much we can do about it. Just life in the mountains!

Here’s another Black Bear, marking his territory by rubbing against a pine tree. He’s got a beautiful blaze (the white fur that looks like a necklace), which makes him easy to identify. I don’t see white blazes like this very often.

So many wonderful animals around here to enjoy. Black Bears are just a small portion of the wealth of fauna to enjoy in the mountains.

Just An Inch

Wednesday night, into Thursday morning, the weather forecast was for some rain, and maybe in the mountains a little snow. Hooray for elevation! It was beginning to stick when I hit the sack and Thursday morning I was greeted with an inch of snow on the grass. Given all the talk of the rain/snow line and where I am located, I am happy to settle for an inch of snow.

This patch of snow (above), shows off my Aster seed heads. The Asters are a favorite spot for Buckeye Butterflies, Junonia coenia, when they choose to be in the area, in the fall. For some reason this gorgeous butterfly (seen below), with bright pumpkin orange accents and soft lavender eyespots, decided not to come visit my cabin this past autumn. I’ll be planting more natives and hoping that I can entice them this coming butterfly season.

Roaming around I found evidence of other happy creatures enjoying the snow, besides me. These bird tracks (below) look to me as if the little guy took a flying leap off the high dive, hunting for the spot where I left him some sunflower seeds.

Another sign of seasons past, I found snow atop what is left of another butterfly and hummingbird favorite, Bee Balm, Monarda didyma (below). Looking quite different than in the summer when it is a brilliant scarlett. It would hardly get any notice now in mid-winter, except for its rich texture.

And speaking of textures, I found my lane to be a wonderful pattern (below). Of lace? Of letters? I kept looking to see if there were actually any letters formed in the intricate designs, created by the pine needles that had fallen with the wind. I found no messages though.

Another relic of a bygone season, the empty seed pods of Butterfly Weed, Aclepias tuberosa (below). I hope that nearly all the seeds that were in these pods are now in the soil, just waiting for spring and summer to sprout up and bloom again for me, and for the butterflies, such as the Monarch that so greatly depend on the Milkweed family.

And more seed heads. This is what is left of Purple Coneflower, Echinachea purpurea (immediately below). The seeds attract many of the seed eating birds such as the Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis (seen in the second picture below), chowing down on the Black-eyed-Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida, seed heads that I left for them. I’ll wait till spring before I clean up my garden. Leaving food for the birds to enjoy during the winter attracts them to my yard, pleasing the birds and pleasing me.

Still a good bit of winter yet to come. I’m hoping for many more inches of snow!

Dung Beetle

This funny critter has an intriguing way of life. He is a Dung Beetle. I believe his species is Canthon imitator. He hunts for piles of manure using his sensitive sense of smell. I doubt if this sign (below) would be of any use to the Dung Beetle. They probably can’t even read. I suppose the sign is for humans, not Dung Beetles, but that’s what he is looking/sniffing for, manure, poop, dung, feces of herbivores or omnivores, though they prefer omnivores as their source.

The Dung Beetle will roll dung balls up to 10 times their weight. They move quickly – a male and a female – so that their treasured manure does not get stolen by other Dung Beetles. Usually it is the male the does the rolling, occasionally with the female riding atop the ball. The Dung Beetle rolls the ball in a straight line despite things that might get in their way, until the male and female find a spot of soft soil for burying the ball of manure. After mating the female will lay eggs with the manure ball providing provisions for the larvae.

The Dung Beetle is a good critter to have around. They improve soil, by burying and consuming manure. By removing the manure there is less habitat for pests such as flies too. As I was doing research for this blog, I actually came upon a site where Australian farmers can actually order Dung Beetles!

This type of Dung Beetle is called a roller because of the manner in which they remove their treasured find to a location away from other hijacking Dung Beetles, rolling the ball along. Several species of the Dung Beetle were highly regarded in ancient Egypt. You’ll recognize these beetles as the Sacred Scarab.

In Isan, Northeastern Thailand, the local people eat many different kinds of insects, including the Dung Beetle. Ugh! I think I will just continue watching, being amused and intrigued by the rolling of the ball of dung, and while they take food home for the babies!

Gray Fox

Until I moved to my cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, if I had any thoughts of a fox, it was a Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, with a rusty red coat, black legs and white tipped tail. I quickly learned that there is another fox that lives up here at 1800 feet. Slightly smaller than a Red Fox, the Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, generally weighs between 8 and 15 pounds, and in length is between 30 and 44 inches, with about one third of that being its tail. The male Gray Fox is usually larger than the female.

The coloring of the Gray Fox is salt and peppery on his back. His sides, back of his head and legs are rusty red, reminiscent of the Red Fox. His long, lush tail is the same salt and pepper as his back, with a stripe of black on top. Unlike the Red Fox, the Gray Fox has no snow white tip on his tail but a tip of coal black. A new born kit is generally dark brown.

The Gray Fox has an elegant, long, very strong neck. He is equipped with hooked claws, which allows him to easily climb trees, to escape predators or to forage for fruit. To get down from the tree, he will bound from branch to branch, or comes down backward, as a house cat would do.

The Gray Fox is an omnivore, dining on cottontails, mice, voles, shrews, insects, as well as birds. But I became aware of the Gray Fox as he would come to eat the sunflower seeds that I put out for the birds. Yes, like Black Bears, Gray Fox also eat seeds and berries! They also eat roots and tubers. If their food supply is plentiful, they will cache their extras, digging a hole with their forepaws and burying the extras.

The Gray Fox is monogamous and has a gestation period of 53 days with the litter size ranging from 1 to 7 kits. The life span of a Gray Fox is from 6 to 8 years, both in the wild and in captivity. Predators of the Gray Fox are Bobcats, Great Horned Owls, Coyotes and Golden Eagles. Along with escaping by climbing trees, they will hide in brush piles or other cover to avoid capture.

The Gray Fox prefers the isolation of deep woods, while the Red Fox is more adaptable and can deal with changes that humans present to their territory. The Gray Fox sounds like me in that respect. I enjoy my home far from the maddening crowd!

Along with so many other critters that live in these woods around my home, the Gray Fox is a welcome sight, and one that delights me whenever one or two stop by for a visit.

American Mistletoe

The leaves in the forest, for the most part, all have fallen, yet every now and then there is a tree that has an odd, large clump of leaves. At first glance it appears to be a squirrel’s nest. Upon further investigation, small, leathery, emerald green leaves are revealed. This is the stuff of many myths. American Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum.

Druids of northern Europe hung sprigs of Mistletoe over their doorways to protect the occupants against lightning, thunder and evil spirits. The Druids also looked upon Mistletoe as a symbol of peace, something we might want to consider. The custom of kissing under the Mistletoe is also an ancient one, which began more than 2000 years ago. Some believed that a kiss under the mistletoe meant the lovers would marry. Others believed that if a young woman was not kissed under the Mistletoe, she would not marry in the following year.

In our modern times, researchers have discovered compounds in Mistletoe that may have value in helping with smooth muscle problems, hypertension, and cancer.

The Mistletoe plant is a hemi-parasite, meaning it that though it does rely on its host tree for water and minerals, it produces its own food through photosynthesis. Mistletoe grows on many different hardwood trees. Birds such as cedar waxwing, bluebird, and evening grosbeak eat the pearly white berries, and distribute the seeds, which are covered with a gluey substance. The seeds end up sticking to tree branches. Once stuck to the branch, roots will penetrate the tree’s bark and the hi-jacking of water and nutrients begins.

There are three species of butterfly that depend entirely upon the Mistletoe plant for their survival. The Great Purple Hairstreak feeds on the American Mistletoe that I have presented in this blog. The caterpillars of two other butterflies: the Thicket Hairstreak, and the Johnson’s Hairstreak feed on Dwarf Mistletoe, Arceuthobium.

Good luck if you find some Mistletoe and place it over a doorway, hoping for a kiss!

A word of caution though, the plant should be kept out of reach of children and pets, since it is poisonous.

Diamonds Of Ice!

Redosier Dogwood, Cornus sericea, berry stems — **Redosier Dogwood**, *Cornus sericea*, berry stems, on main stem of deep red.

As I snuggled in my bed last night, I was prepared for nothing special in the weather this morning. Yesterday‘s forecast had been for snow, sleet and freezing rain.

Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida — **Flowering Dogwood**, *Cornus florida*, in bud, patiently waiting for spring, in soft green and muted red.

Mother Nature skipped the snow part, and went straight to sleet, and it kept going, all day long. The temperature remained steady at 27 degrees during the whole day, but as bedtime drew nigh, it began to rise quickly and by the time I went to bed it was 32 degrees with no signs of leveling off. So my thoughts of a beautiful morning were of a beautiful rainy, wet morning.

Blue Spruce, Picea pungens, and this year's Christmas tree — **Blue Spruce**, *Picea pungens*, and this year’s Christmas tree, in lovely pale blue-green.

The little girl within me was more than delighted this morning as daylight revealed a thick coating of ice over everything!

Winterberry, and one of my goals accomplished with a wintery photo of this beautiful shrub! — **Winterberry**, and one of my goals accomplished, with a wintery photo of this beautiful shrub. Complete with scarlet berries and white diamond ice!

I very quickly put breakfast on the table for the family, gobbled mine down, and went out into the wonderland of diamonds and ice.

The very sharp end to a Yucca leaf, complete with ice — The very sharp end to a bluish green **Yucca** leaf, edged in golden yellow, complete with ice.

Thank goodness I have trekking poles! The ice was thick and not forgiving for a false move, and to further complicate things, I’m on the side of a mountain! Every surface is on a slant. With the poles though, I didn’t take a spill.

Virginia Pine, Pinus virginiana — **Virginia Pine**, *Pinus virginiana, like green flowers.*

When I left the cabin, the temperature was 32 degrees and it was very cloudy.

Grape Vine Tendrils — **Grape** Vine Tendrils. showing a bronzy glow.

There was no dripping. Everything in a frozen, fairlyland.

Blueberry Bushes, with their buds all set for spring — **Blueberry Bushes,** with a blush of Christmas red, with their buds all set for spring.

As I returned to my cabin, the sun was just beginning to break through the clouds, and like magic, it seemed to begin raining. Of course it wasn’t rain, but melting ice, dripping down on me.

Seed Head of Queen Anne's Lace — A tan Seed Head of **Queen Anne’s Lace.**

Now this afternoon most of the diamonds and ice are gone from the trees and bushes.

Smooth Sumac, Rhus glabra — Crimson, **Smooth Sumac** Berries, *Rhus glabra.*

But no worries! There is snow in tomorrow’s forecast!

Like A Pinecone Dipped In Molten Glass — Like A Maroon **Pinecone** Dipped In Molten Glass.

How cool is that?

Seed Head Of Echinachea purpurea — A Toast-brown Seed Head Of **Echinachea purpurea.**

Stay tuned! I may be in my element tomorrow again, wandering with my hiking companions, my two cameras, taking snow pictures!

Seed Head Of Tall Anemone, Anemone virginiana — Soft Butter-yellow and Toast-Brown Seed Head Of **Tall Anemone**, *Anemone virginiana.*

At The Watering Hole

Yellow-shafted Flicker, *Colaptes auratus*

It was surprising to me, the popularity of the old watering hole, just outside my kitchen window, when the temperatures dropped. I’ve had a cool little dripper device hooked up there, for years, which has brought a nice population of birds to entertain me, wet their whistles and satisfy their thirst.

White-throated Sparrow, *Zonotrichia leucophyrys*

We had a impressive cold snap last week, which brought to my yard, temperatures in the teens and a dusting of snow. Made me so happy. It did have me scurrying around though. Where in the world did I put the water warmer? Of course, right where it should be in the outside storage.

Eastern Bluebird (female), *Sialia sialis*

An easy switch from the dripper to the water warmer. Now, I just need to remember to keep the water level high. A simple task, since I’m constantly looking out there to see who my customers are! This Eastern Bluebird and several others showed up on Thanksgiving morning, making it an extra special holiday.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, *Sphyrapicus varius*

The surprise though, was the sharp increase in visitors to the bird bath. It was like I had the only saloon open in all the wild west! That was during the coldest of the cold temperatures.

Now that the temperatures have warmed back up, just a tiny bit, the visitors to the bird bath have dropped to their normal numbers many a day rather than herds and herds of critters, quenching their thirst.

I’ll keep the water warmer out there, rather than having to switch back and forth. They know where the water is!

I’ve added to the temptations. I’ve put out black oil sunflower seeds, and smeared some peanut butter onto the top of one of the fence posts. I don’t have a formal feeder.

Crow—we have both American Crows and Fish Crows, not sure which this is!

I live in Black Bear country. Black Bears are very curious creatures. Having a bird feeder out invites a bear to come in and dismantle it, just because they are such curious animals.

This guy, walking out my lane, is dripping wet, after taking a dip in my little pond. He can search and search, but he won’t find any bird feeders to devour here at my cabin!

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, *Regulus calendula*

From huge Woodpeckers, to tiny Kinglets, these are the visitors to my yard and my old watering hole.

Robins, Cardinals, Crows, Thrushes, Chickadees, Titmice, Sparrows, Wrens, all are welcome.

Northern Cardinal (male), *Cardinalis cardinalis*

I’ll even put up with an occasional Squirrel, since he’s a great one for helping to regenerate the forest, as he goes about gathering acorns, nuts and seeds, promptly forgetting where he buried them, becoming a tree farmer. Plant those trees, Mr. Squirrel!

Eastern Gray Squirrel, *Sciurus carolinensis*

In the meantime, I will be waiting for more cold temperatures and snow!

Snow!

I’m easily entertained. Give me a little snowfall and I’ll be elated for hours. I’ll become the little girl from so long ago. The little girl who grew up on the best sledding hill in Prince George’s Co., Maryland. Other things take me back to my childhood. Bicycling does it too. But snow provides the best trip back in the time machine!

Today I got snow. Today I’m thrilled! Today I’m a little kid again! Take a walk with this little kid, as I check out the beauty of the snow .. .. ..

This is Blue Spruce. It’s my favorite species of tree for Christmas. It’s got sturdy branches for all those heavy ornaments, a gorgeous color, wonderful shape. Unfortunately it is not user friendly. Its needles are very painful to work with. Yes, painful to work with, but its beauty is well worth it. My husband and I grow Blue Spruce trees here on the mountain so that we can cut our own tree each year. And they are spectacular when they have snow on their branches!

Look at those snowflakes! Aren’t they wonderful! How could anyone not want snow? And no, I do not have my Christmas lights up already. Tonight these lights will be Thanksgiving lights. Just a few weeks ago they were Halloween lights. During the summer they were 4th of July lights and when I am expecting someone special to arrive at my cabin, on any evening, they become Welcome Home lights!

Continuing on our walk through the winter wonderland, we come upon brilliant, crimson berries of the Smooth Sumac bush. These berries are saved as an emergency food supply by many birds and will be consumed when there is much more snow cover and very little else to eat.

Providing a cup to capture the snow, the fused leaves of Coral Honeysuckle create a Christmas palette of scarlet, rich holly green and snow white. These berries attract Robin, Hermit Thrush, Goldfinch, Purple Finch and Quail.

This plant is a Yucca. Its flower is the state flower of New Mexico and the national emblem of El Salvador. The Yucca is also a native plant here in Virginia. The little kid in me loves to see this plant totally covered with snow, looking like a big igloo.

This plant is one that Thomas Jefferson grew in his gardens at Monticello. The berries often form a cluster that looks much like a blackberry, which is how it got its name, Blackberry Lily.

The snow I got today was enough to let me time travel back to my childhood, but certainly not enough to go snowshoeing or sledding. I got less than 1/2 inch. Tonight I’ll be dreaming of the winter of 2009-10, the best winter ever, when I got 72 inches of snow up here on Snow Mountain. Something dreams are made of!

P.S. The bare branch, with fire engine red berries at the top of this post is Winterberry, another native to Virginia.

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A Whole New World

Life At A Different Level

I was greeted by a whole new world yesterday, as I hiked up the mountain. I’d been down in Florida and not able to check on things up here for more than a week. When I left, autumn was on the downswing. Now, I am greeted by what looks like a winter landscape. Just browns, blacks, whites, grays and a stray bit of evergreen. This is good! I love to have the seasons change around me, welcoming each one as it approaches.

Bark! Bark!

As winter creeps into our area, it’s time for me to change my focus. From butterflies and insects, to bark and buds.

Hey Bud!

These are the buds of Spicebush, Lindera benzoin. They are out there in the forest, right now, just waiting for spring, to burst into a soft wash of lemon yellow.

Not Chinese Chestnut

The bark of Spicebush puts me in mind of the young branches of Chinese Chestnut, Castanea mollissima, a tree that is often confused with American Chestnut, Castenea dentata. The Chinese Chestnut has lenticels (breathing pores on the bark of trees) that are pronounced and feel like course salt on a pretzel. I think this bark looks like a salted pretzel, like the Chinese Chestnut. This is the bark of Spicebush.

Another Shade Of Gray

Another small tree bark that I am working to get to know is Witch Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana. Both Witch Hazel and Spicebush are small trees or large shrubs that grow in look-alike groupings. I can count on the bark of each, to let me know which I am looking at, during the winter when there are few other clues. Witch Hazel (above) also has visible lenticels, but they are elongated, fewer, and the bark in general has a rosey-gray appearance, while the coloring of the Spicebush bark is more a green-gray.

Subtle Coloring

I look forward to a season of gentle coloring. Almost monotone, like a black and white pen sketch, beautiful in its simplicity.