Author: 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 Eastern White Pine Cone

The cone of an Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus), which usually grows to between 6 and 8 inches. The seeds from the cone are eaten by nuthatches, chickadees, grosbeaks, blue jays, juncos, woodpeckers, brown thrashers as well as black bears, rabbits, and squirrels.

The needles of the Eastern White Pine grow in bundles (fascicles) of 5. They reach a length of 3 to 5 inches and are very soft, with a pretty blue-green color.

The tree can grow to between 80 and 150 feet in height with some growing to over 180 feet. It has a pretty impressive life span of perhaps 200 years, but also has the possibility of living for 450 years if all goes well.

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Happy Christmas Merry New Year

My road coming up the mountain, in marvelous shape. This during the winter of 2009 – 2010. My very favorite winter. Why? Because 72 inches of snow fell on my cabin during that winter. Pure bliss!

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Tree Bark

Tree bark fascinates me. Each tree has its own way of letting me know which species it is. That’s particularly important now that nearly all the leaves are gone. The only hints left of its identity are the bark and branches.

This bark is of the Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). A medium sized tree, with a bark that makes me think of a topographic map.

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A Distinctive Bark

A distinctive bark. One that easily gets my attention. Of trees that love to follow streams, lining the woods with white trunks meandering as the stream does, here and there.

This is the bark of American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis).

A gorgeous bark that sometimes gives the appearance of being pure white. Like a tree trunk sculpted of marble.

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And Now, Winter Officially Begins!

Snowflakes caught in the needles of a Blue Spruce (Picea pungens).

Today astronomical winter begins which pleases me greatly. Bring on the winter weather. I’m totally ready for it.

Two mornings in a row now there has been a slight dusting of snow. Perhaps a glimpse of things to come?

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Snowbird

Fluffed up against the cold, this is a Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). A little bird with the nickname of Snowbird. It spends its winters here in the southern United States.

They eat grains and seeds, including the seeds of spent flowers that filled your gardens during the summer, that is if you’ve left the seedheads for them!

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Gardening With Nature In Mind

Here’s a Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) enjoying my gardens which have not been cleaned up. All the seedheads are still out there, making those seeds available to birds that are searching for a meal.

Another thing that doesn’t happen in my yard – I never rake leaves. Butterflies, moths, lightning bugs, bees, salamanders, frogs, and even some bats are in the leaves, seeking shelter until spring arrives. Leaving those leaves undisturbed will give those creatures a chance to live through the winter to emerge in the spring.

So much to consider for the sake of Mother Nature. It is my pleasure to help her.

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A Different Mistletoe

This time of year American Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) sometimes comes to mind. It is often seen around here, in a Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) in our tiny town, or up here in the mountains in our native trees. Many places. There’s another one that I’m familiar with.

This one a Juniper Mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum) found at Zion National Park in Utah. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. And like American Mistletoe it is a parasite, living on their host plants taking water and nutrients from them to survive.

And there are oodles of species (1300) known worldwide.

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