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Stellafane
The Pink Clubhouse. Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers Convention. A big wonderful Star party. The convention is usually scheduled over the weekend of the new moon closest to the height of the Perseid meteor shower. The first Stellafane Convention was held in 1926 and has been held each year since with the exception of 1949 – 1953…
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Another Purple Finch Visit
Though the maps show me as being in the winter range of the Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) I seldom see any. But yesterday was my lucky day. There were two males and a female at one of my feeders. Black oil sunflowers seeds are on the top of the list for what they like at…
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The Night of Frogs
The title of today’s blog post brings to mind a movie that I recently watched, “Frogs” which is a 1972 horror film that was shown on Svengoolie. Like nearly all of Svengoolie’s movies, this one was certainly not scary but then, I promise you, this post will not be scary either unless you are totally…
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Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus). A native conifer that I often see up here on my mountain. It grows in the woods and we’ve planted and grown a few as Christmas trees. It’s a favorite of some as a Christmas tree, with it’s soft needles but I much prefer the very stiff and sharp needled,…
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Pitch Pine
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) is native to eastern North America, or more specifically, southern Maine to New York, south to Virginia and southern Ohio, and in the mountains, eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, northern Georgia, and western North and South Carolina. A medium sized pine with tufts of needles growing in random spots on its trunk.…
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Rabbits in Winter
Summer, and rabbits are seen often. Winter, and the sight of a rabbit is a rare thing. A time to stop and take notice. If you see a rabbit in Virginia, more than likely it is an Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). Rabbits don’t hibernate. But during the winter they are most active during dusk and…
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Sparrow in the Snow
Yesterday was a snowy day. Loads of birds. This a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in the vegetable garden.
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Marcescence
It doesn’t happen often. Deciduous trees that hang onto their leaves through the winter, marcescence. These trees fail to create the abscission layer at the base of the leaf stem, that is, the layer that helps the plant release those leaves (also the layer that will initiate the release of flowers or fruits). It will…
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Purple Coneflower
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). Native to central to southeastern United States. Pollinators love the flowers. Leave the seedheads over the winter for Goldfinches who will gather for a snack of seeds. And then for the math/nature nut there is the Fibonacci spiral of the disk florets that become those seeds.
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Snowdrop Buds Today
The Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) have emerged at my back porch. Not blooming yet, but it’s soon to happen. This is what they looked like this afternoon, thoroughly enjoying the odd warmth of this mid-February day. Native plants are a TOP PRIORITY in my gardens but there are some that, because of sentimental value, and so…