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.

Little Wren In Big Yucca

This afternoon I spied it as it looked all around. Maybe looking for the rest of its family. Yesterday there were 3 of them talking to each other and hopping here and there. A Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) in a Yucca filamentosa.

The little Carolina Wren has a surprising average life span of 6 years. That’s impressive. Not necessarily a dependable feeder visitor, but it loves a bird bath even during the winter if you can provide a water warmer.

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Snow Just Before Halloween

Yep. On October 29th 2011 it snowed on my pumpkin. Sitting right there on the front porch. Not much snow. In the middle of winter it would have been a disappointment. But on October 29th? Pure GLEE!

The ultimate way to decorate a pumpkin!

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Carolina Wren, Preening

This is a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), preening its feathers after taking a dip in the bird bath. Preening is an activity that all birds take part in, to keep their feathers in tip-top shape.

The act of preening enables birds to eliminate dirt and parasites from their feathers. It helps in repairing splits in feathers by reconnecting the individual strands or barbs of the feathers together again.

Most birds also have a preen glad at the base of their tail which they rub their bills against and then rub the bills against their feathers. This helps to keep their feathers in good shape and also helps to keep their feathers waterproof.

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Watermelon Radishes

Thanks to Pedro of Saint Isidore Homestead & Permaculture at the Greene Farmers Market for these incredibly beautiful Watermelon Radishes (Raphanus sativus).

This morning Bill sliced them up and with lots of other ingredients created a delicious soup.

We had the soup with slices of another purchase from the Greene Farmers Market. Thanks to Cedar Fox Mercantile and Bakery for oh so yummy pumpkin sage artisan sourdough bread.

Oh what a super lunch!

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Drupes Of Maple-leaf Viburnum

Maple-leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). Native to eastern and central North America. Growing to 3 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet in width. A colony forming bush.

The berry-like drupe of Maple-leaf Viburnum is red when unripe. As it ripens it becomes a blackish purple. Those ripe drupes mean autumn, with leaves of red, pink, purple or some combination of those colors.

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Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). Native to eastern Canada and eastern United States. It is a tree that prefers the higher, and cooler, elevations here in central Virginia, further up than here where I live. We did plant a few Sugar Maple trees several years ago though, and they seem to be quite happy. It is their seeds that need that extra boost of cold.

This is a tree that is sensitive to pollution, more so that other species of maple. Maple decline can be blamed on acid rain and soil acidification.

A tree that puts on a great color show late in the autumn. This picture was taken yesterday.

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Strappy Blooms

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), is in bloom right now. Providing nectar and pollen to fruit flies, blow flies, wasps, bees, and beetles this late in the year when there is very little otherwise available to them.

The flowers make me think of yellow shredded coconut. Each blossom is made up of 4 petals and 4 sepals. Both petals and sepals are yellow.

A bush or small tree. Witch Hazel is native to eastern North America.

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White Oak

While I was out this morning, the sun hitting these rich red leaves caught my eye. They’re White Oak (Quercus alba). A tree that is native to eastern and central North America. A tree that grows to 50-80 feet occasionally to 100 feet. And a diameter of 36-48 inches. An incredible lifespan of 350-500 years.

And what I love about the tree, between the leaves and the bark, it is so easy to identify.

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Clematis Virginiana

Clematis virginiana

So many marvelous things to see up in The Park yesterday, including large puffs of white, scattered here and there. The seeds of Clematis virginiana. In this picture I’ve really zeroed in on the seeds these puffs contain, making the color seem more pale orange-tan than the white I was seeing from a distance.

This is a perennial vine which blooms in mid to late summer and the white blooms last for about a month. The flowers can develop in three different forms, either male, female, or perfect flowers which are flowers that have both male and female parts. Individual flowers are about 3/4 inches across, growing into a panicle or cluster of flowers.

Pollinated by butterfies, bees, flies and hummingbirds. And then you get large puffs of white.

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Up In The Park

Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

Trekking in Shenandoah National Park today. A short distance from my cabin’s front door. A location that calls to me, no matter the season. Perhaps the most spectacular, autumn. Breathtaking colors. All the warm colors that exist were on display among the trees.

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