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.

The Yucca Flower

Yucca, the state flower of New Mexico and the national flower of El Salvador. I fell in love with Yuccas when I moved to New Mexico, and fell in love with the state too. I remember being captivated by the plants and would frequently go out and sketch them. This picture was taken at White Sands, New Mexico.

We’ve got Yuccas that are native to Virginia too. Two species, Yucca gloriosa, and Yucca filamentosa. These next two images are of Yucca filmentosa.

The birds enjoy having the Yuccas in the yard too. And in this image, you can see why it has the name filamentosa, having those fibers that come off the leaves.

And Yucca gloriosa. Both these Yuccas are up here in my yard, delighting me when they bloom.

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Ghosts?

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa) is in bloom along the trails up here right now. They have always made me think of ghosts of the people who lived here for thousands of years before now. Reminders of the past.

Black Cohosh is a herbaceous perennial that grows quite tall, between three and seven feet tall, one of the largest woodland wildflowers.

Tall stems are covered with many flowers. Each of those flowers is 2/3 inch across and snow white, with 24 stamens and a one pistil.

Each little flower is replaced by a fruit, called a follicle, which is about 1/3 inch long. As the follicle dries it splits open releasing several seeds.

Black Cohosh is the only known host plant for Appalachian Azure butterflies. The butterflies lay their eggs on the flower buds and once hatched the larvae eat the flowers.

Black Cohosh, right up there along with many favorites here on my mountain.

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Member Of The Mint Family

It’s blooming right now up here. It’s a member of the mint family, which you can tell by checking out its stems. They’re square. And like other mint family members, Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare) has a subtle, sweet and earthy aroma.

It grows to a height of 8 to 24 inches. It’s blooms seem to be shy, just coming out a couple at a time, but so pretty in bright pink, lavender or a soft white.

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Flowers Of Blue?

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)

In bloom right now, beautiful flowers that are native to the continental United States and much of southern Canada. Growing to 5 feet tall and branching about half way up, with spikes, in a candelabra-like way.

The spikes become panicles of buds opening from the bottom up. The flowers attract many pollinators including birds, butterflies, moths, and bees. The blooms look as though they should have a lovely fragrance but I don’t detect any scent at all.

I think that I see color in a quite different way than other people see color. That this plant would be called Blue Vervain baffles and entertains me.

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One Reason

One reason that I am so interested in nature is my Dad. Here he is in 1991 stretched out on the driveway, having a heart to heart talk with a Gopher Tortoise about the state of the world. As always, I’m thinking of you Dad!

Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) live in a small area, from southern South Carolina west through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and south through the peninsula of Florida, including the islands along the Gulf coast of Florida. They have an expected life span of 50 to 80 years in the wild.

These tortoises dig burrows which provide them an escape from predators and protection from extreme weather. Burrows which are 15 feet long and 7 feet deep or more. The burrows also provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species, because of this Gopher Tortoises are considered a keystone species meaning extinction would result in big changes in the natural world around them. Their conservation status: threatened to endangered.

Gopher Tortoises, are just one aspect of the wondrous world of nature.

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Orange On Orange

I captured this Orange On Orange this afternoon. A Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) thoroughly enjoying the nectar of Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa). This creature was dining on the nectar for at least 45 minutes. Quite satisfied with its discovery.

Female Great Spangled Fritillaries lay their eggs near violets in August or September. The newly hatched caterpillars burrow down into the soil where they will sleep during the winter. As spring arrives the caterpillars emerge and eat the nearby, newly developing violet leaves. These violet leaves are the only leaves that the Great Spangled Fritillary caterpillars can eat. Its sole host plant.

As adults Great Spangled Fritillaries dine on the nectar of many species of flowers such as Milkweed, Purple Coneflower, and Red Clover. Many species of butterflies live just two to four weeks, but Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies often will live from mid-spring until early autumn.

Wonderful to have them around so long enjoying the flowers in the woods.

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Berries

There are Black Raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) ripening up here. Tempting me as I am out on my hikes. Though Black Raspberries look quite similar to Blackberries, when you look at the berry, where it was picked from the stem, it is hollow. A Blackberry is solid.

I enjoy seeing the Black Raspberry bushes with their pale blue-green stems. That makes them really easy to identify.

These berries make hiking for photographs even more fun!

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Delightful Orange

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is in bloom right now on my mountain, creating bright orange patches scattered here and there. It’s a flower that attracts bees, wasps, and butterflies. This bunch of orange attracted a Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) creating a scrumptious color combination of black, white, and orange.

Butterfly Weed has a wider native range than I would have expected, including eastern and southwestern North America. It is a larval food plant of Queen and Monarch butterflies.

This is one of so many native plants to enjoy!

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Sentimentality

Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria), a beautiful flower native to Europe, naturalized in North America.

I tend to want all natives, except the ones that aren’t. The ones that I have a sentimental attachment to. Like the Lavender in this photo. It’s native to the Middle East and India. Oh but it’s a wonderful plant.

The Deptford Pink shows up in random places up here on the mountain. I don’t discourage it. It’s most welcome and the pollinators, like this Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe) appreciate it too.

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