-
Eating Poison Ivy Berries
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…
-
Lawyer’s Wig
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…
-
Cardinal Catching The Sun
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Soaking up the sun to chase away the chill. A few flakes of snow are a maybe in the forecast for up here. Birds are mobbing the feeders. __________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts, sign up here!
-
Evasive Agaric
Evasive Agaric (Crepidotus versutus). A very small mushroom with a cap that is kidney shaped, fan shaped or circular. The color is white to gray, with an edge that is scalloped. Small or very small. Its cap grows to be one inch wide. These fungi are saprobes, decomposers of dead and decaying wood, leaves, and…
-
Another Winter Butterfly
This is a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) which is another butterfly that you might see fluttering about in the sun on a warm winter day. A butterfly that overwinters as an adult, but enjoys those days when the temperature rises. Like the few other butterflies that overwinter as adults, the Mourning Cloak finds a crevice…
-
Time Will Fly
As I look through my photographs from last winter, January 2022, along with my notes of the weather, I am surprised at how quickly spring descended upon me and the gardens around my cabin. I first notice that snow was plentiful in the first weeks of January. Nine inches on January 3rd, three inches on…
-
Winter Butterfly
While many butterflies here in Virginia will migrate to warmer climates to survive the winter, others will stay put and survive as eggs, larvae, or chrysalides. Still others will overwinter as adults. They will find a crack in a boulder, under a piece of bark on a tree, or even wedge behind a shingle on…
-
Flicker Reflection
This morning at the pond. A Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) takes a sip and creates a reflection in the little pond. One of the first things that was done here at the cabin after move in took place. A human made pond installed in one of the gardens. A place for inspiration. A marvelous thing…
-
Blackhaw Drupes
Drupes are much like berries – but different. A drupe is a fruit that has a pulpy outside with a single seed inside that is surrounded by a stony exterior. They come in many sizes, large such as peach, small such as Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium). Blackhaw drupes are eaten by Chipmunks, Squirrels, Hermit Thrush, Cardinals,…