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.

An Often Seen Skipper

July 8, 2025

The largest Skipper in North America, the Silver Spotted Skipper (Eparcyeus clarus), with a wingspan of 1.75 to 2.5 inches. This one is enjoying the nectar of Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris subsp. lanceolata).

Skippers are butterflies placed into their own skipper family, Hesperiidae, which is included in the order Lepidoptera, with moths and other butterflies. They share qualities with both butterflies and moths, and are more closely linked to butterflies. Skippers have clubbed and hooked antennae, and they often have hairy, chunky bodies.

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Dancing In The Sunlight

July 7, 2025

Dancing with glee in the dappled sunlight, a Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). One of many in bloom up here right now. Native to central and eastern North America. An herbaceous perennial in the Aster (Asteraceae) family that can grow 5 to 7 feet tall. As you can see in my photo, it has sessile, opposite leaves.

This Sunflower attracts a wide variety of pollinators with its pollen and nectar, and is a host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis), Gorgon Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone), and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui). And the seeds are enjoyed by many birds, small mammals, and even a few insects.

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Tall White Spires

July 6, 2025

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa), sending up tall spires, 30 to 98 inches, each holding a single raceme that can be up to 20 inches in length.

Numerous snow white flowers with no petals, tightly and neatly arranged on each of the spires. Tiny flowers with long stamens surrounding a single stigma. Flowers with a fetid yet somehow sweet scent that entices flies, beetles, gnats, bees, butterflies, and wasps, providing them with both pollen and nectar.

An herbaceous perennial, from which sizable compound leaves emerge from an underground rhizome. Those leaves reach a height of 2 feet as the tall flower spire begins to emerge from that same rhizome.

These flower spires emerging from the forest floor make me think of spirits of early inhabitants of these mountains from thousands of years ago.

Beautiful Blue!

July 5, 2025

I saw him this morning preparing to take a dip in the birdbath. A bath to clean those striking blue feathers of this male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea).

Bathing allows birds to freshen and sustain their feathers. Bathing helps birds in their ability to fly, assisting with insulation, and in waterproofing those feathers. And of course it helps to eliminate any soil, and parasites.

This care of their feathers helps but doesn’t keep them from wearing out. Indigo Buntings molt twice a year. Males go from their vibrant blue coloring during mating season to brown for their winter garb in autumn, and back to their mating season blue in the spring. Females wear their brown plumage year round, but also molt in autumn and spring.

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New York Ironweed

July 4, 2025

A native plant that I adore. But that’s a silly thing to say given that I adore most all of them. This is New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), having the look of fireworks bursting across the sky. Like the fireworks that you’ll be seeing this evening.

A clump-forming plant that is tall, growing from 4 to 8 feet, with a stem that is quite rigid. Flowers contain only tubular disk flowers, no petals.

Just beginning to bloom up here on my mountain.

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Narrow-leaved Cryptantha

July 3, 2025

Narrow-leaved Cryptantha (Cryptantha angustifolia), a plant that grows in the woodlands and desert scrub of northern Mexico and southwestern United States, where it is native.

An annual herb with abundant long hairs and bristles, usually not more than 12 inches tall. Its tiny flowers have a yellow throat surrounded by 5 white petals.

This Narrow-leaved Cryptantha was photographed at Bandelier National Monument, 12 miles south of Los Alamos, New Mexico.

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A Harvestman

July 2, 2025

Not a spider, but like spiders, they are arachnids. This is a Harvestman (Opiliones). It is in the order Opiliones. Spiders are in the order Araneae.

There is a spider with the common name of Daddy Longlegs, or Cellar Spider (Pholcidae), which looks to me like a miniature version of a Harvestman. It’s that spider that spins a cobweb. These spiders have 8 eyes in 2 groups of 3 eyes on either side of the head with 2 additional eyes in the center. A Harvestman usually has 2 eyes on a turret-like mound on the front of its body.

Another difference to look for, a Harvestman appears to have a single body part. But it is actually two body parts which are fused together, just the look of one. The spider, Daddy Longlegs or Cellar Spider (Pholcidae) has two obvious body parts which are connected with a thin waist.

The Harvestman in the picture above has just captured its dinner. Harvestmen are omnivores and will eat invertebrates including insects and their larvae, decaying organic things, and fungi.

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A Gentle Bee

July 1, 2025

A Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens). A bee that is considered friendly and gentle. Unless they have the feeling of being threatened, or if they feel their nest is being attacked, they are not aggressive. Yes, they’re able to sting, but it is generally only done in self-defense.

This Bumble Bee is enjoying the nectar and the pollen that this Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) provides. They use the nectar for energy and the pollen is a source of protein and nourishment for themselves and for their growing larvae.

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NO They Won’t Give You Warts

June 30, 2025

This an American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) blending in with its surroundings. This common toad is quite variable in its coloring, which can be brown, gray, olive or brick red. I was lucky to stumple upon this one since they are mainly noctural. During the day they seek hiding places such as under rocks, boards, woodpiles, or porches.

This apparently is a small American Toad since they range in size from 2 to 3.5 inches with a few reaching 4.25 inches. It’s making its way through a clump of Rose Campion (Silene coronaria) fuzzy silver-gray leaves. If you know this plant, you know that their leaves are not very large.

Though they won’t actually give you warts, toads secrete toxins through their skin which can cause irritation or sometimes illness if those chemicals come in contact with one’s eyes or mouth. It’s important to wash your hands after touching a toad.

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State Insect Of Virginia

June 29, 2025

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), the state insect of Virginia, and one of our largest butterflies, with a wingspan ranging from 3.1 to 5.5 inches. Quite familiar in its native range of eastern US, extending north into southern Ontario.

Along with many other pollinators, it’s visiting Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which provides both nectar and pollen.

These Milkweed plants are volunteers here and I’m delighted to have them since they are so popular with so many of the pollinators!

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