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Just The Beginning
Yesterday I took a look where the Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) usually come up and sure enough, there they were. Just as I expected. Little purplish-green leaves coming up through the soil. Given 3 or 4 weeks and this is what the plants will look like. They bloom for about 3 weeks. What a splendid…
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Honey Pinkgill Mushroom
Well this morning was quite a surprise. I went out to fill the bird feeder and as I stepped off the back porch there was a sprinkling of tiny mushrooms looking up at me. When I say “tiny” I mean that the largest caps were less than an inch across. Perhaps 20 of them, minus…
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Tiny Pond Lots Of Clacking Day And Night
They have been out there in the little pond since at least February 11th clacking away day and night. They’re having a ball in their breeding season. Meeting up at the neighborhood little pond. Eggs in the water, waiting for the season to move along. Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus). Nature is great entertainment. All one…
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Redbuds Soon To Be Pink
The Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are preparing for their annual PINK spring celebration. Their red buds are coming out soaking up the sunshine in preparation for loads of blossoms. For me, here in the mountains, that will be a wait of 3 or 4 weeks. And during the time when they are in full bloom…
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Yellow Blooms
March 1st. Happy meteorological spring! Right on time, Daffodils (Narcissus) are celebrating. There are years when snow greets the first of the Daffodils. This image is from one of those years. March 3, 2016 to be exact. Makes no difference to the flowers, they just pop back up and shake the snow off. They’re tough.…
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One Of The Woodpeckers
A year round resident, year round in most of the eastern US. A medium sized woodpecker. A female Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). It showed up this morning teasing me with poses that didn’t last very long but I managed to get a few pictures. This makes me think, I’ve got to get into the kitchen…
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Rain This Afternoon
Rain this afternoon. Drops of water hanging on the ends of needles. If you look close enough at those drops of water perhaps you’ll get a glimpse of world around you. These needles capturing the rain are the needles of one of our native trees, Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana). The needles are 1.5 to 3…
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Bluebird Visit Today
Well, that certainly was a pleasant surprise. An Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) dropped by for a visit this morning. It wasn’t alone. I could hear others singing their sweet songs in the woods, though I only saw one. They live in this general location year round, but only occasionally right here. I’ve been putting out…
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Heading For The Bird Bath
An image of a Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) preparing to catapult to the bird bath, taken just a few days ago. Tufted Titmice are birds that are here throughout the year. Fun little ones that know me and will come close to the feeder as I’m filling it, calling to them. Not shy birds! As…