-
Phoebe in a Flowering Dogwood Tree
Look closely. In a near perfect camouflage, an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), is sitting in a Flowering Dogwood Tree (Cornus florida). Though it would seem the perfect spot for a little bird to stock up on some berries, this Phoebe feeds on insects and arthropods. They’ll also dive into water to catch minnows and other…
-
Pawpaw Tree
The Pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba), is not the winner of the category “most spectacular color in the woods” during autumn. But it does have a wonderful fruit if you can beat the bears to that fruit. Bears love those Pawpaws. There are many Pawpaw trees here in the mountains, including ones that I’ve planted here…
-
Best Autumn Ever (?)
No telling if that is accurate. Who’s to say after all? But I think it is. And this tree? A Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) against a cloudless azure sky. Yellow in so many shades, screaming yellow to butterscotch. One of many wondrous spectacles through the forest as autumn reaches its peak.
-
Witch Hazel In Bloom
A spot just up my dirt road. Take a hike to the top of Hightop, an elevation of 3587 feet, and you will see lovely Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) blooms aplenty. Each flower with 4 petals resembling yellow coconut flakes. They wait until late October to start their blooming. Much to my delight, adding to…
-
At The Yoga Studio
Year round. Three mornings a week. A gift for body and mind. And now in late October an autumn view. What I see as I arrive these days for my yoga classes with my precious teacher, Kumud Vanderveer. Perfection.
-
Blueberries At Their Best
Blueberries at their best? Does that mean blueberries in a pie? Or in a bowl topped with vanilla ice cream? Mmmm. Maybe that is the berries themselves at their best. That, for sure, is when the berries are at their best. But what I’m actually speaking of in this blog post is the blueberry bush.…
-
Winter Wren
A Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) after a bath. A winter resident. Tiny. Much smaller than a Carolina Wren, weighing in at .3 to .4 ounce. Their favorite foods are insects and arthropods, and eat berries such as Juniper berries during the winter. They’re full of energy as they search through dense underbrush looking for a…
-
Few Dogwood Leaves
As the days tick away, the leaves turn more beautiful with each of those ticks. The Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) leaves however, have been turning from emerald to garnet since the end of June and have begun to fall away. Leaving berries, also known as drupes. And those drupes gladden many species of birds, along…
-
Year Round Resident
I’ve not had any bird feeders out for a while, with the exception of Hummingbird feeders. But the birdbaths bring the birds. Today’s bird is a year round resident, the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia). They have a diet of grass and weed seeds, insects and invertebrates and fruits and seeds. When I have the feeders…
-
Festooned With Crimson
Oh the colors! A speckled ivory trunk of Sycamore decorated by autumn with the showy crimson leaves of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). A background of gold and green. And more colors to come.