Purple-flowered Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), blooming in the mountains right now.
Native to eastern North America. Leaves that look much like maple leaves. Berries that are not my favorite, but birds like them.
Purple?
Ma and Pa Carolina Wren
The two of them so active. Back and forth from the nest. Bringing morsels of yummy caterpillars for their nestlings. Only stopping from time to time to sing with great bravado.
Nestlings grow quickly. Hatching to fledging takes 12 to 14 days.
Thank goodness. I’m worn out just watching Ma and Pa.
Mixed Feelings
Great to see a bear cub again. This is not the one that was seen today though. This picture is from a couple years ago. The one on our lane today was too quick, or perhaps too shy to have its picture taken. But at least a bear is back!
Before today, the last Black Bear sighting was 14 months ago. Late April 2021. The bear that showed up on that day was suffering from sarcoptic mange. It showed up nearly naked, just skin and bones. It made its appearance and disappeared just as quickly as today’s cub. Previous visits were once every couple weeks. The mange though seems to have decimated the bear population in this local area. But it looks like they are recovering.
It’s good to have the cub come through looking happy and health. Mighty good. Now watch out for the bird feeders!
It’s The Little Things
White clover (Trifolium repens) that was cut just a few days ago towering over the mushrooms. That’s mighty little. It’s Conocybe lactea with the common name of White Dunce Cap. A mushroom often found in grass, popping up right after a rain.
They’re thin, fragile, lasting only a few hours before disappearing. You’ll often find me here, next to Kumud Vanderveer’s yoga studio, where there is often a vernal pool filled with more small delights just waiting for you. So much out there, if you’ll just look.
Redstart In The Garden
Another visitor today. A female American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). They don’t come to the feeders that I put out, but they really enjoy the birdbath, which is just a few feet from this spot.
Red-eyed Vireo At The Birdbath
I hear them frequently in the woods surrounding my cabin. Making a call that sounds like a Catbird saying, “Myaaah!” Or more of a melodious song, that I use a mnemonic to remember, “Here I am! Where are you?!”
As with other birds that I wouldn’t see ordinarily, the Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), is looking for insects in the woods. I can’t provide them with their meals but I can provide them with water, in the form of a large birdbath with a dripper. That’s what has drawn this beautiful little bird to my camera’s range.
Barometer Earthstar
Barometer Earthstar (Astraeus hygrometricus). An interesting little mushroom. Starting out as a minuscule, round, white blob that looks like the mushroom that I wrote about 2 days ago, a very small Giant Puffball Mushroom.
As it matures it takes on the shape that it is known for, with 4 to 20 irregularly sized petals or rays, reaching a diameter of 1/2 to 3 inches across. As the petals open, a round spore case is revealed at the center.
The petals respond to humidity in the air, opening when the air is moist, and slowly closing when the air is dry. Dispersing spores when there is high humidity.
Amazing.
Tithonia
Tithonia rotundifolia. Native to Florida, Louisiana, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. NOT native to Virginia but it is a well behaved annual which I try to plant every year. I thoroughly adore it for the many butterflies, including Monarchs, and the hummingbirds that the dazzling orange flowers attract. A bright orange magnet in the garden.
Giant Puffball Mushroom
Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). Easily, of all the many mushrooms that I have seen growing along the trails I hike, this species of mushroom is the coolest one I have ever seen. They look to me like something that has arrived from outer space, sitting there observing the humans of Earth. It also brings to mind the 1958 movie, The Blob.
“Giant” in the name of this mushroom is certainly appropriate. Notice my sunglasses in the bottom right of this photo for scale. Most often growing to a diameter of 4 to 20 inches, sometimes even to 35 inches, and on occasion one will be seen with a diameter of 60 inches.
And in this photo, my phone is there for scale.
Giant Puffballs were long thought to be in the saprobic category of fungi which grows on dead organic matter. They are now considered to be mycorrhizal fungi which forms a connection, most often with trees. Each of these entities gaining benefit from the other exchanging moisture and carbohydrates, for minerals and other nutrients.
One incredible species of mushroom.
This blog gives no information about the edibility or toxicity of any of the mushrooms that are written about.
More Nesting Activities
It pleases me greatly that Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) chatter around the woods near my home all year long.
And nearly every year a pair will choose some strange object in which to build their nest and raise a family. Of course I provide the strange objects, hanging them from the front and back porch ceilings of my cabin. Baskets, a graniteware coffee pot, a gourd with a hole as a front door are just a few of those strange objects.
The male Carolina Wren may partially build several nests and after the female makes her choice the two of them will complete the nest. This year the front porch has been chosen.
Incubation which takes 12 – 16 days, is by the female only. The male feeds the female during the incubation. After hatching, both parents bring food to the nestlings. The little ones fledge at about 12-14 days after hatching.
Nature is totally enchanting.