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Autumn Pawpaw Colors
October 16, 2025 In the grand scheme of things, Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), offers little in the way of brilliant autumn color. Providing shades of soft yellow to tan coloring to the surrounding show of many hues. Growing in the shade of the woods up here, the small trees grow to 15 or 20 feet in…
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Unkempt Gardens
October 15, 2025 Look very carefully at the top of the head of this Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula). You’ll see a red spot, which is how they get part of their common name, “ruby-crowned”. Only the male has this crown. Sometimes it is quite obvious, such as when the male is singing, interacting with another…
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A Tufted Titmouse And A Sunflower
October 14, 2025 Autumn, and the end of the Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) season. A Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is picking out the last of the seeds for an afternoon snack. The Titmouse comes to the seedhead, gets one seed, and takes it to a sturdy branch to perch. It holds the seed with its feet…
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American Crow
October 13, 2025 American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) A large passerine (a large order of birds distinguished by feet that are adapted for perching, including all songbirds), with a length from beak to tail of 16 to 20 inches, with nearly half being its tail. Its wingspan is 33 to 39 inches. These Crows are found over much of…
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Shades Of Red
October 12, 2025 The change from green to red started way back in late June. Most people don’t notice it. The change in leaf color is quite subtle but it really does start that early, many months before this climax. Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) now, showing off its reds. Scarlet berries and leaves so rich…
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Pensive Phoebe
October 11, 2025 Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) Sitting perfectly still, concentrating on what might be flying by. Waiting for an insect which might provide a quick snack. Autumn is here but there are still insects aplenty, but as winter approaches there won’t be so many. The Phoebes do quite well here through the winter supplementing their…
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Sassafras Albidum
October 10, 2025 Oh October! The month of COLOR! Here, Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is just beginning to celebrate. A fragrant tree, in all its parts, that grows to 30 – 60 feet tall with trunks that are 1 – 2 feet across, and sometimes larger. With gray-brown, deeply ridged and furrowed bark on older trees.…
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Caterpillar Of Spicebush Silkmoth
October 9, 2025 The caterpillar, or larval stage, of a Spicebush Silkmoth (callosamia promethea). The host plants of these moths are Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Sassafras (Sasssafras albidum), Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipfera), Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), White Ash (Fraxinus americana), Lilac (Syringa vulgaris), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), Birches (Betulaceae), Maples (Sapindaceae), and Lindens (Tilia). As adults these…
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Black-throated Green Warbler
October 8, 2025 Another of the many creatures that are migrating through right now. A Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) making its way south. Going to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Jamaica, northern South America, with some choosing to stay in southern Texas or Florida. Here it’s captured heading to the birdbath for a…