Is there anything else so beautiful? Yellow Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum). A trek in Shenandoah National Park is pure joy no matter what, but add a sighting of this native orchid and I’m more than elated. But it’s not just in Virginia.
This species of Yellow Lady’s slipper can be found in much of North America from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and Washington, all the way south to Georgia, and Arizona. Even in New Mexico it can occasionally be found in moist conifer forests, at elevations between 5,750 and 11,000 ft. And in the garden? Bad news. A favorite of deer.
A beauty, though small, stirs my curiosity as he flutters by, giving me very little time to capture his image with my camera. A Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. A butterfly that you just might see if you put overripe fruit out on your back porch, since this is a favorite food. Also at the top of the culinary treats they enjoy, are sap flows in trees such as these, pictured below, created by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
The Red Admiral has a wing span of about 2 inches or just a smidgeon more, and appears to have bunches of nervous energy, much like a fidgety little kid.
Here in central Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, there is an abundance of the native plant, Wood Nettle. As larvae, Red Admirals dine on plants of the nettle family, including Wood Nettle,Laportea canadensis. The image below is Wood Nettle, a perennial herbaceous plant with upper leaves that are alternate. The flowers you see in this photo are male flowers.
Female flowers form on the same plant, and bloom at the top of the plant, as shown in the next image.
This is not a plant that you want to brush against, since it causes an instant, unpleasant, burning and itching feeling. Fortunately this irritating sensation lasts for just a short time, but it’s best just to avoid it.
Given the wealth of Wood Nettle along the trails here in the mountains, I do not wonder at all why these beautiful butterflies accompany me as I hike these mountain trails.
Butterflies mostly black, with brilliant red, bright blue, and striking white dots. I welcome their company.
Late April and early May is Trillium time in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Seeing Trillium along the trails in the mountains close to my cabin has inspired me to include them in my gardens. Little by little, as the saying goes. Yes, little by little, I am getting Trillium incorporated into my cabin gardens. The photograph, above is one of my garden Trillium, a White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum, which is easy to find on the trails of the higher elevations of Snow Mountain and Hightop.
And here, another image of White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum, in bud.
There is another form of the White Trillium, pictured in bud above, which blooms in pale pink and white. This is Trillium grandiflorum forma roseum.I don’t have this form in my gardens. This image was taken further up the mountain, very near Shenandoah National Park.
I’m in search of a nursery that has this form of Trillium, but I must be *cautious* to only purchase any of these Trillium from a nursery which grows its plants from seed and does not dig them from the wild. One must be careful too, not to pick any portion of a wild Trillium, since doing this can cause the entire plant to die. Though I have many acres up here, I would not pick or transplant any of the Trillium on my property, since I believe they are happy where Mother Nature has planted them. I must find a reliable source to make my gardens beautiful.
Hiking this time of year provides such breath taking views of Trillium carpeting the forest floor. An experience that makes lugging two heavy cameras and various lenses well worth it. This image above, is another image of Trillium grandiflorum forma roseum.
Yellow Trillium, Trillium luteum, is another of the Trillium that are in my garden. Not many, but I am hoping for these and others to spread as the years go by. And, Oh MY! Does this one have a delightful, lemon scent!
Here, another species of the small population of Trillium that populate my gardens. This one, pictured above, Prairie Trillium, Trillium recurvatum.
Trillium are a family of plants that produce seeds that have an appendage, called an elaiosome, which are attractive to ants, who gather the seeds, and feed them to their larvae. Once the lipid and protein rich elaiosomes are consumed, the ants take the seeds to their “trash room” which is a splendid environment for the seeds to sprout. I’m hoping ants will help *my* Trillium spread.
The showstopper, above, is the Red Trillium, Trillium erectum, which I have only seen in Shenandoah National Park. It is on my mountain, but within park boundaries. One of these days I’ll find this one, at a dependable native plant nursery, and add it to my collection.
And now, my Trillium, at least the White Trillium, are fading, looking like the ghosts of Trillium past. I’m looking forward to seeing what stunning plants will emerge as the season progresses. How about you?
This morning I was greeted by a tiny bit less than an inch of snow here on the mountain. I skipped yoga (!!) and spent the morning walking and enjoying the sounds of snow. Okay, mainly the sounds of birds enjoying the new, white blanket. Many were robins, and cedar waxwings gathering in the tree tops, exchanging stories of how this winter has been mighty wimpy so far. They agreed with me. The winter is still young. There is still hope.
This first picture, above, is of greenbrier. There’s loads of it up here. It is a native, and though many people don’t like it, it has numerous benefits. Greenbrier provides good cover for small animals, and some animals eat the leaves and stems. Deer, beaver, and rabbits are three of the animals. That they eat this plant, impresses me. Those stems, complete with thorns, must be mighty tough. There is an impressive number of birds that enjoy the berries during the winter, along with squirrel, raccoon and possum.
These red fruits, are rose hips, from a plant that I really wish would just go away. It is a non-native, invasive. Rosa multiflora produces white flowers with yellow centers during its short blooming period. It forms an impenetrable mass, spreads rapidly and has very unfriendly thorns that are hooked backward, making being snagged an unpleasant experience. I’m waiting and hoping. There is a virus that is attacking these walls of thorns, slowly decreasing its population here in the Blue Ridge. I’m sorry that the same virus may be putting your garden rose bushes in jeopardy, but I am cheering it on, in the case of rosa multiflora.
Another plant that I captured in pixels on my walk this morning, smooth sumac. Among the plants that grow up here, I have many favorites. This is one. My favorite time for this sumac is winter, when birds enjoy its brilliant red berries. Cardinals, and many types of woodpeckers are among the visitors to the small trees.
Snow still covers my dirt, twisty turny, steep mountain road, but tomorrow morning I’ll be heading down to go back to yoga class. My “snow day” was a total pleasure. Yoga will be tomorrow’s total pleasure!
The White-Tailed Deer Is Thriving In Large Part Because Of Human Activity In Both Suburban And Agricultural Areas
Oh Deer! What To Do?
There is nothing more heart warming than seeing a white-tailed deer in your yard. Unless of course you see too many deer, night after night, eating the vegetables in your garden. For those of us who do not have gardens and enjoy seeing the deer, we must remember that feeding deer puts them at risk of developing disease due to attracting larger numbers to a small area. These diseases include bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and chronic wasting disease — AND feeding deer is illegal.
Female deer normally have their first fawn when they are just a bit over a year old. Sometimes though, if food is plentiful, they can have a fawn, when they are as young as six-months-old. Young does typically have one fawn, while older does have twins and occasionally triplets. With favorable circumstances, does can produce two or three fawns every year, and populations can increase quickly.
As the human population has increased, so too has the deer population. At the turn of the twentieth century the deer population was low due to over harvesting for food and hides, and loss of habitat. Over time, we have instituted hunting regulations, changed our agricultural practices and have begun to conserve woodland. These changes have allowed the deer population to increase.
Along with an increase in deer population there is a corresponding increase in human/deer conflicts. Those vegetables that are eaten by white-tailed deer in your garden are only a very small part of the problem. Deer can cause large economic losses for farmers. A USDA survey conducted in 1992 sites 40 percent of farmers reporting substantial deer damage.
Our forests suffer with an overabundance of deer. Many of us have seen deer browse lines, where everything is eaten within reach. This can create a forest in which only trees that deer dislike are surviving, with no understory of bushes, herbs, and tree seedlings. The result could be a forest that may not be able to replace itself naturally. Deer over-browsing also makes way for alien invasive plants to be more easily established. Deer prefer native species and will avoid alien plants such as kudzu, oriental bittersweet, Japanese honey suckle, mile-a-minute vine, garlic mustard and Japanese stilt grass, giving them an easy way to establishment.
With a forest understory having no native herbs, bushes and desirable tree seedlings, there is very little for other animals including birds, reptiles and insects to eat, and their ability to find shelter is challenged.
A larger deer population means more deer on area roads. Consequently that means more collisions with vehicles. These collisions can mean costly repairs, human injuries, and at times can even take human life.
As I mentioned earlier, a more dense deer population also threatens the health of the herd. Bovine tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that has the potential to infect other animals including humans, has recently been found in deer. Chronic wasting disease and brucellosis are also a concern. Another health risk for humans, white-tailed deer are a host for the tick that carries the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Control of deer populations is a difficult social and political question. Aside from other aspects of the issue, they need our help regarding overcrowding, which means more serious, more quickly spreading disease. Overcrowding can also result in a shortage of food, leading to starvation. Of course with control, agriculture will benefit with less crop damage. Roads will be safer.
An already established method of control is hunting. There is great advantage to hunting for states’ economies. The value of license fees, meat, and purchases made by hunters, of equipment, food and transportation brings in hundreds of millions of dollars throughout our country.
This pastime is a highly valued tradition to a large portion of our population. Aside from just being a form of recreation, many of my neighbors use deer hunting as a way to put food on their tables. This is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. Hunting is a part of our heritage and those deer with their burgeoning population need our help.
