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Punctuation In The Natural World
An Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma). One of the species of butterfly that overwinters as an adult. Imagine a warm winter day, you’re hiking along a mountain trail and there in front of you is an orange butterfly. This might be what you are seeing. This one has seen many miles. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like…
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Just A Number
Overnight, one of the digits that represent my age changed. Funny how that happens. Here I am, celebrating with a bow in my hair, on the left (my right). Today, being a special day, I was on alert for something unusual to show up in the world of nature. That seems to happen on holidays,…
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Spring Yucca Blooms
I went out on the back hillside this afternoon to get photographs of the Yucca filamentosa with its spears emerging, soon to be blossoms. Those spears resemble the asparagus that is growing in the vegetable garden, several feet away. Much to my surprise, as I was searching the Internet for information on Yuccas, I discovered…
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Tawny Emperor
A Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton), one of my hiking buddies that keeps me company as I trek up the mountain. Native to the eastern half of North America from Canada to northern Mexico. Their sole host plant is the Hackberry tree (Celtis occidentalis). Plenty of those trees around here. As adults, these butterflies don’t go…
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Red Columbine
Hike with no expectations. No timeline. Just go. Let nature surprise you. There is so much out there. Take it all in. Up the mountain, in a spot with perfect conditions, a rocky slope. Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Native to eastern North America. A favorite of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but of course. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would…
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A Summer Resident Has Returned
Yesterday afternoon, a look out at one of the birdbaths revealed a delightful surprise, a Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). A summer resident getting settled in. This, a photo from that sighting, is a male with his beautiful black and orange feathers. This, a female Redstart. Subtle colors, a medium gray and, soft yellow. The Redstarts come…
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Finally A Bear Has Returned
Until early this morning, or late last night there hadn’t been a Black Bear (Ursus americanus) in my yard for 3 years. I wasn’t sure what had actually happened. Bird feeders scattered. The pole where several of them had been hanging was bent to nearly flat on the ground. A feeder which had been hanging…
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Mom And The Tulip Poplar
This is my Mom, many years ago when we lived in Cheverly, Maryland. Mom created a great love of nature in my heart. A love that will always be with me. I was introduced to many trees in that yard, including the young Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) that is behind her right shoulder (on the…
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Zebra Swallowtail On Wintercress
A Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) on an exotic invasive, Wintercress (Barbarea vulgarism). The host plant of the Zebra Swallowtail is the Pawpaw Tree (Asimina triloba). _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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A Legume
The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a legume! Yes, it’s a member of the legume (Fabaceae) family. Unlike most members of the legume family, which are able to fix nitrogen through their roots into the soil, the Eastern Redbud doesn’t have this ability. The seeds in the legume pods are a great source of food…