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Brown Pelican
Nancy, another one for you. This one in Key West. A Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). I have been extremely impressed with the recovery of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The Brown Pelican is another success story. The use of DDT was banned by the EPA in 1972. In part because of that action Brown Pelicans…
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Gathering For MAVEN Launch
They stay on top of the news. They live right there, where the rockets are launched after all. Early that morning they began gathering. Jetty Park. Port Canaveral, Florida. MAVEN. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, to be launched November 18, 2013. Entered orbit around Mars September 21, 2014. These just a few of the…
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Inspiration
WINTER INSPIRATION. Ice and snow. This image, ice on Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). December 9, 2013. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Sometimes
A Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) is a species of bird that I see just sometimes. Yes, winter, but not every winter. Just sometimes. It’s a bird that from one winter to another is totally unpredictable whether it will migrate into one area or another. This is called an irruptive species. They will pay attention to…
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Winter Food For Finches
Leave the seedheads! That’s what this is. Seedheads of Spotted St. Johnswort (Hypericum punctatum). Seeds that finches will enjoy during the winter. A picture from February 25, 2014, when there was snow, lovely SNOW! _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Greenbrier Berries
Greenbrier (Smilax). In Virginia there are 11 species of Greenbrier. Often with a common name that contains the word “brier” because of thorns along the stems of the plant, or sharp points on the leaves. A tough vine. And those thorns can really cause some harm if you grab the vine in the wrong way.…
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Traffic Jam Resolved
A traffic jam on the back porch. All those little footprints. Goodness! How many were out there? This was Valentine’s Day, 2014. It was quickly resolved when someone went out the back door. The only thing left, the tiny prints. I love the patterns that are made by the birds with their little feet in…
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White Oak Leaves Will Fall In Spring
White Oak (Quercus alba), one of the trees that keeps its leaves during the winter. At least some of them. A large tree such as this one will retain the leaves on its lower branches. This is called marcescence, when a deciduous tree retains its leaves through the winter, waiting for its new spring leaves…
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Spring On Its Way
Daffodil (Narcissus) leaves emerging today. Pushing their leaves up through leaf litter. Leaf litter in which there could be many butterflies, moths and other insects waiting for winter to shake off its snow and let spring go on with her warmer weather. Just a few weeks is all that is needed. A few weeks, sunshine…
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Hiding Away During The Winter
Three butterflies that overwinter as adults. Snuggled down in crevices of tree bark or in leaf litter. Perhaps the leaf litter in your gardens. That is IF you’ve left the leaf litter there in your yard as a potential sanctuary from the freezing cold of winter. Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) Mourning Cloak…