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.

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher In The Garden

June 22, 2026

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) showing off the length of its extra long tail.

Impressed by the small size of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)? Perhaps the size of this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher will surprise you as well.

Their weights are quite similar, weighing in at a bit lighter than a few pennies. The Gnatcatcher is about an inch longer than the Hummer, but you have to consider its extremely long tail. That tail is about 2 inches in length and the bird’s body length is 4 to 4.5 inches. That is nearly one half of its total length.

The Gnatcatcher’s wingspan at 6.3 inches, is almost 50 percent wider than the Hummingibrd’s 3.1 to 4.3 inches.

All in all, both mighty little birds.

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A Hummingbird At The Beebalm

June 21, 2026

I’m so pleased to have Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma) blooming again. They’re dependable perennials. With brilliant red flowers that call to Hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Blooming with perfect timing. It won’t be long until there will be multitudes of these birds flying, as the nestlings fledge. Beebalm petals have a long, tubular shape, perfect for the Hummingbird’s beak and tongue.

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Great Spangled Fritillary On Common Milkweed

June 20, 2026

Yesterday Great Spangled Fritillaries (Speyeria cybele) and several species of bees were found on a patch of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) up here.

Oh, what a fragrance those flowers have! That scent must be an invitation to pollinators all around, a plea perhaps, to come drink the nectar and help spread the pollen to other plants here in the patch.

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An Indigo Bunting On Its Perfect Perch

June 19, 2026

An Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), here for the summer, has found the perfect perch for posing.

I used to often bike along the W&OD Trail, in Northern Virginia, where I’d frequently see these beautiful birds sitting on utility wires, singing their, “what! what! where? where? see it! see it!” song, as I peddled past. I loved seeing them there, and now I get to see them right out my kitchen window.

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Wild Berries

June 18, 2026

Black Raspberries (Rubus occidentalis).

They’re beginning to ripen up here, much to the delight of oodles of animals including many bird species like catbirds, finches, wild turkeys, robins, blue jays, and cardinals. Mammals such as raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, bears, mice, opossums, and foxes also enjoy the berries.

The stems of Black Raspberry bushes have a unique color of bluish-green, with a coating of powdery, waxy whitish-gray, called a glaucous bloom, making it easy to identify during the offseason.

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An American Chestnut On The AT

June 17, 2026

Yes, they still do exist in the wild, though it is a rare sight. This is an American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) on Hightop, along the Appalachian Trail. Notice the ocean wave edging. That is one of the key components in identification of this very special tree.

This is just a bit above me, where my mountain becomes Hightop. I like to describe it as my mountain being a bump on Hightop.

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Green Blackhaw Drupes

June 16, 2026

Green drupes of June. Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium).

What starts out as soft, off-white, flat-topped clusters of flowers, eventually turns into many drupes that are green, becoming pink, then a rich, deep blue-black. Each one, half an inch long. These drupes generally last into winter. A perfect mid-winter much needed food source. A favorite of hungry chipmunks, squirrels and songbirds, as the cold of winter makes food hard to find.

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A Plume Moth On Common Milkweed

June 15, 2026

A Grape Plume Moth (Geina periscelidactylus).

A moth that I often see on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), making me think of a huge creature from the Mesozoic Era along with dinosaurs, though in real life they have a tiny wing span of about .63 inches.

This moth is native to North America and is often seen in the eastern portion of the continent. Larvae will fold and web together edges of tender leaves, creating a home for themselves. Here in this home they will eat the upper portions of Grape (Vitis) and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) leaves.

This adult stage is active in June and July.

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Hungry Nestlings

June 14, 2026

Fun entertainment as we eat our meals. Mom and Dad Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) flying in and out feeding their nestlings. I could only say for sure that there were three little ones. After all that hole in the bird house is mighty small. That went on through last night’s dinner. Today, not a sign of the parents or the nestlings.

Female Carolina Wrens lay from three to seven eggs, but four to five is the most common number. Nestlings stay in the nest for between ten to sixteen days before they’re able to fledge.

I’ve missed them today, but I’m quite relieved for them. They must have been sweltering in that bird house.

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A Favorite: Venus’ Looking Glass

June 13, 2026

Venus’ Looking Glass (Triodanis perfoliata). Five petals of purple. It is said that it grows to 3 feet tall. I don’t ever see the plant reaching that height. Its native range is from Canada to Argentina and is native to all states in the US with the exception of Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii.

Though not overabundant, I see it occasionally in my yard, and along trails up here on my mountain, where I find it blooming in mid-June. Pollinators that are attracted to the flowers are bees, flies, butterflies and moths.

A beautiful, and special flower.

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