Today a few leaves of Spiderwort (Tradescantia) were spotted emerging from the soil. It’s native to eastern North America.
Come May, blooms will be gracing the garden, to the delight of bees.
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Or, in English, FINALLY! Freezing rain during the night, ending with nearly an inch of snow over everything. Here, an image from this afternoon.
I am pleased as Punch!
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Lichens, such beautiful and intriguing things. Not a plant, not an animal. A combination of two organisms, a fungus, and a alga or cyanobacterium.
This particular one, Salted Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema crinitum), found growing on a tree branch.
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Northern Cardinals
Haircap Moss (Polytrichum).
A Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) surprised me this morning. A bird I seldom see, it was at the birdbath quenching its thirst.
This Catbird eats insects and invertebrates when they’re available, also eats fruits and berries.
I’m particularly bewildered because when I do see a Gray Catbird, it is normally during the summer. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one during the winter. Well, in any event, I’m glad I saw it and was able to get pictures.
Early April. Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) begins to emerge, ready to tackle another year.
Buds that become flowers, arrive soon after the leaves. Flowers that become berries in April will delight hungry birds come winter.
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Seems mighty strange but Poison Ivy berries are quite popular with birds. Here, a Chickadee (Paridae) enjoys a snack of what else, Poison Ivy berries.
Chickadees, here at my location are just Chickadees. This area is where the range of two species of Chickadees overlap. Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) and Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). They are not only extremely similar in appearance but they also interbreed, so trying to decide which species one actually belongs to is useless. Whichever species, they’re often seen at the Poison Ivy vines.
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Lawyer’s Wig (Coprinus comadtus). A fungus found in Europe, Asia and North America and commonly found in areas that suit its needs, in grassy areas, along gravel roads (which is where I found these), and waste areas.
A fungus with an odd method of spore dispersal. As it matures it will slowly turn to a black ink, dripping as it melts. Dripping with those spores. Eventually leaving only its stem. This strange spore dripping is called deliquescence and assures that the fungus lives on, generation after generation.
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It always surprises me when I discover a mushroom growing in late autumn, but as you can see by my photos, it does happen. This one is Nitrous Bonnet (Mycena leptocephala). A fungus with a conical cap that can get to be just a bit over an inch in diameter. That cap has a raised center which in the mushroom world is called an umbo.
This species of fungus is sabrobic which means it feeds on dead or decaying organic matter, and in this particular case it feeds on conifer needles, cones and sticks on the forest floor. And indeed, if you look very carefully, you’ll see that these mushrooms have emerged among pine needles.
This look at the gills pleased me with its gray color. Not a color that I would have expected.
This blog gives no information about the edibility or toxicity of any of the mushrooms that are written about.