Incredible Blue

This morning I saw the first Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) of the season. In this species, the male is a beautiful blue, while the female is soft earth tones.

It’s just the beginning of the return to the Indigo Bunting breeding grounds, coming all the way from southern Florida and some coming from as far as South America. During their migration they fly at night using the stars for navigation. Amazing.

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First Purple Then Yellow

Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata). Oh my! Such colors in this plant. Beautiful buds of rich jewel tones of purple.

Then PRESTO! Just a bit of time and the color goes to the opposite side of the color wheel. Those purple buds open to reveal intense yellow. Composite flowers, actually many, many flowers packed together into what seems to be one flower. The outside petals are ray florets, each one an individual flower. The center of the flower, a multitude of disk florets, and again each one is an individual flower.

The first leaves that are formed, ground level leaves, or basal leaves, are roundish and shiny with a slight scalloped edge.

Quite different are the leaves on the stems, called cauline leaves, which are almost fernlike.

Bright colors. My thing.

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Woodland Stonecrop

Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum). A perennial evergreen, a succulent herb.

Woodland Stonecrop is the most common native Sedum species in eastern North America.

Its spiky white flowers bloom from April to June. The nectar and pollen of those blooms attract many species of bees. The plants generally are 3 to 6 inches tall, sometimes reaching a height of 8 inches tall.

I have Woodland Stonecrop growing in my yard. It’s a great native ground cover. Highly recommended.

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Virginia Waterleaf

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum) is an herbaceous perennial, native to eastern North America, most often growing in the Appalachians, the Northeast, and the Midwest. It grows to 1 to 2 feet tall in riparian forests, mesic upland forests, and rocky forested mountainsides.

Virginia Waterleaf spreads through rhizomes. Its clusters of flowers can be white, pale pink, soft blue or lavender.

This plant gets its common name as well as its scientific name from lighter green spots occasionally on the leaves, giving them a water stained appearance. The perfect name.

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Shy Model

Two days ago I saw this bird at one of my feeders, being camera shy. Despite his efforts, I managed to capture him in pixels. I’m glad I did, since this picture helps me identify him, and records his visit to my yard. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus).

Spring of 2018 was the first time I ever witnessed any of these lovely birds passing through. I’ve seen at least one male and one female each spring since. This year, so far, I’ve only seen this male, in the picture above.

This is a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the photo on the left. And looking totally different, in the photo on the right, is a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

I hope this trend continues. A few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks coming through in the spring is way better than none at all.

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Fire Pink

Fire Pink (Silene virginica), is native to eastern North America with the exception of the farthest northeastern states of, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The flower of the Fire Pink isn’t large. It is from 1 to 1.5 inches in size. It’s brilliant crimson color though, makes its blooms quite eye catching.

It’s a short lived perennial that shows off its blooms from April into August.

The Fire Pink is a member of the Carnation family (Caryophyllaceae). Members of that family are called pinks because of their look, giving the impression that the ends of the petals are cut with pinking shears.

I’ve found Fire Pink on many occasions, as I hike in parks close by, and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. That’s the location of these photographs, as well as in a garden just out my cabin’s back door. That’s where I found some of these beauties blooming just yesterday. What a joy native plants are!

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Another Season Of Blueberries

Looking forward to another bright, bountiful, Blueberry season. They’re transforming now, from blossoms to berries, on the bushes. All set to tempt the song birds that gather at the feeders. That’s fine. They are plenty of the delicious morsels. We can share.

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A Lizard At The Cabin

Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). I’m always pleased when I find one of these medium sized (4 to 7 inches long) lizards checking out things here at my cabin.

They’re native to the eastern United States and prefer woodland edges, rock piles, and rotting logs.

They eat beetles, ants, moths, grasshoppers, spiders, and stink bugs. Yes, they eat stink bugs! Oh how I wish there were more of these lizards out there. There are enough Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (Halyomorpha halys) here to feed them for a LONG time.

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Hang On

My blog site was down for many hours. It’s up now. Post soon to come!
Bren

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