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Crimson in a Black and White Landscape
Late May into June they go from tiny bud to minuscule flower. A flower and lots of buds of Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). A deciduous species of Holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeastern Canada. And now in WINTER a big splash of color. Crimson berries that attract oodles of birds…
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Magic in the COLD
What might look like the edge of a ringed planet in deep space is actually ice in a vernal pool. A White Oak (Quercus alba) leaf frozen in ice. Another White Oak leaf on the surface of the ice. Or are those ripples of that same deep space? And here, a forest of minuscule trees…
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A Winter Essential
It’s wonderful to feed the birds. They become friends, these little feathered visitors. But there’s something more they need – water, not frozen water, but water in liquid form. So many birds gather ’round my birdbath. I know they appreciate it. I’ve recently had questions about what water warmer I use. I wouldn’t recommend one…
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Seldom Seen Sparrow
A large sparrow. Its size is apparent when you see one or two hanging out with smaller White-throated Sparrows or Song Sparrows. It will shuffle through leaf litter in a way that resembles an Eastern Towhee. Toes grabbing leaves and sending them behind, leaving bare ground and maybe something to eat. It’s a rare treat…
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Feeding the Birds
Say, “Feeding the birds” and one thinks immediately of going to the store to get shelled peanuts, hulled sunflower seeds, mixing up a batch of suet, and then getting all the required feeders. But the Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) that are coming to my yard right now are seldom visiting the feeders. Instead they’re enjoying seedheads,…
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Splish Splash
Splish splash, I was taking a bathLong about a Saturday night Mid-afternoon, today. A Robin (Turdus migratorius), looking much like it is seriously hesitating. Should it get into the water? After all the temperature is a very cold 27°. Despite very cold weather birds will still bathe. Somehow birds know that they’ve got to keep…
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Orange Tip of the Tail
Imagine an introduced plant species changing the color of a beloved songbird native to North and Central America. This does happen. In the image above, you see two Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) sharing a birdbath with a Robin. Those Cedar Waxwings are sporting bright yellow tail tips. That’s what I expect to see. But if…
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More Snow!
This is the Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) between my studio and the wood shop, with 9 inches of snow dumped on it. Lovely isn’t it?! It’s a COLOR photo BTW, and this is what I refer to often — the black and white landscape of winter. I love it! This image was taken on…
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Robins in the Snow
On Monday, January 3, 2022, nine inches of gorgeous, wet, stick to the trees snow, dumped upon my cabin making a fairyland of the woods around me. And as if to laugh at those who say robins are a sign of spring, today, just a short thirteen days since the start of winter, a large…
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A Salamander
This past Sunday, as our visitors who had been with us for 2nd Christmas and New Years Day were leaving, I found a cute little salamander waiting to be rescued. Not a safe place to be, on the lane waiting to be run over. And here I am, picking up a salamander after a recent…