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.

Broad-banded Hoverfly

September 16, 2025

A Broad-banded Hoverfly (Epistrophe grossulariae) feeding on the nectar and pollen of Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium). These Hoverflies have a widespread native range including Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America.

They closely resemble a bee, but they don’t sting, though they do enjoy landing on a sweaty arm to lap up our salts. So be patient, they are gentle creatures. Their size ranges between .4 and .5 inches in length. Broad-banded Hoverfly larvae eat aphids and other small soft bodied insects.

A good one to have around.

_______________________

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

Butterfly In The Leaves

September 15, 2025

A Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) showing off its colors in the sunlight. Red? Orange? My vote is for orange spots. And purple? I’d vote for blue on this one. But perhaps I see colors in a different way than other people do. I think that’s quite likely.

As adults these butterflies live only 6 to 14 days, feeding on sap from trees, overripe fruits, and animal scat. They’ll also get moisture and nutrients drinking at mud puddles. They’re not very dependent on nectar from flowers but on rare occasions you might see one checking out the nectar.

It’s not the adult butterflies, but their caterpillars that survive through the winter in the rolled up leaf of one of their host plants. A few of the host plants of Red-spotted Purples include Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), Willows (Salix), Poplars and Aspen (Populus), Birches (Betula), Oaks (Quercus), Hawthorn (Crataegus), and Serviceberry (Amelanchier).

_______________________

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


Brilliant Leaves One By One

September 14, 2025

A tree with leaves that have an independent streak, not changing all at once, but just here and there, one at a time. A medium sized tree native to eastern North America from the coast of Northeastern United States and southern Ontario to central Florida and eastern Texas on to Mexico. Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica).

The here and there change starts in late summer and culminates as the autumn leaves of many trees reach their peak, in late October.

During all this time of change, this is a tree that I count on to have spectacular autumn color. Knock your socks off scarlet!

_______________________

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

.

Changing Colors

September 13, 2025

What a marvelous jigsaw puzzle this would make. Light shining through the changing leaves of a Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida).

Every year I notice as summer is just beginning, in late June, that the Dogwoods are just starting little by little to lose the green of their leaves. Ever so slowly getting a hint of red.

That slow change, green to red, happens as the chlorophyll which is used to convert sunlight to energy during photosynthesis, begins to break down. The loss of chlorophyll reveals the yellow and orange pigments that were already in the leaves.

Most of the year, these leaves are green because of the chlorophyll they use to absorb energy from sunlight during photosynthesis. The leaves convert the energy into sugars to feed the tree. Deep, rich red colors that are seen in Dogwoods and Oaks happen due to the sugars that can become trapped in the leaves. Those trapped sugars cause a chemical change which creates new pigments, anthocyanins, which produce red, purple, and blue colors.

Ah, nature. So complicated and so amazing.

_______________________

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

What Are Drupes?

September 12, 2025

A drupe is defined as, “in botany, simple fleshy fruit that usually contains a single seed, such as the cherry, peach, and olive.” Thanks to Britannica.com. 

These drupes are on the deciduous shrub/small tree, Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium). They are red right now, and they’ll soon be turning to a blue-black color. There is a very long list of birds that find these fruits a valuable food source.

_______________________

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

Western Honey Bee

September 11, 2025

A Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on Goldenrod (Solidago). A bee that is native to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. This bee can now be found on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, where it has been introduced for honey production and pollination services.

Notice one of the corbiculae, or pollen baskets, that looks like it is stuffed full of pollen, on the bee’s rear leg.

_______________________

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

And They’re OFF!

September 10, 2025

A juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) sipping nectar from Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma), with rich emerald green Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum) in the background.

During the second week of August, the last of the hummingbird nestlings fledged. Since that time I’ve been putting out two quarts of hummingbird syrup daily without fail. That won’t happen today. Not even one quart has been consumed. That’s the signal. My clowns of summer have packed their tiny suitcases and are now on their way to their wintering grounds, southern Mexico, across Central America and Panama.

They’re gone, but there will be many others migrating through. I’ll keep watch as they come to my feeder until I don’t see any stragglers coming through. Two weeks and I don’t see any more and the feeder will be put away till next spring.

I’ll be so delighted to see them again.

_______________________

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

Now For Seekers Of Nectar

September 9, 2025

My Obedient Plants (Physostegia virginiana) are just beginning to bloom. An attractive plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that’s native to North America from Quebec to Manitoba south to Florida and New Mexico.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) on their way to their winter homes are stopping by to enjoy the nectar.

And the seldom seen Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is attracted to its nectar as well.

Come and get it. There are many plants with pollen and nectar for you guys to relish.

_______________________

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

Male White-banded Crab Spider

September 8, 2025

Last night I sent you a post about a female White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes). This is the male of the species, which is quite a bit smaller than the female. Her body length is between 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and his body length is 1/10 inch. Though she is able to change color, he doesn’t have that ability.

Both the male and females are ambush predators, eating bees, flies, butterflies, and other small arthropods. The male will also supplement his diet with pollen and nectar.

This male is sitting on Asters.

_______________________

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

 

Color Changing Spider

September 7, 2025

A spider with what seems a bit of magic up its sleeve. This, the female White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes), is able to change color, white to yellow, or yellow to white, depending upon what color flower she is sitting on.

This happens by way of secretion of yellow pigment into the outer cell layer of her body. That process can take from ten to twenty-six days. OR going from yellow to white, a simpler process which involves excreting the yellow pigment, taking perhaps just six days.

This power helps her to ambush her prey. She doesn’t spin a web, but instead chooses to lie in wait, for her dinner to approach. Blending in as she bides her time. This ability also provides protection from predators.

The smaller, male White-banded Crab Spider doesn’t have this color changing ability.

_______________________

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