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Eastern Tailed Blue
One of my favorites. A very small butterfly. With a wing span of just three quarters to one inch, the Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas). As is sometimes the case, the thin tails on the hindwings of this butterfly, above, have been rubbed off. This butterfly, a female, has the tails that are a clue…
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American Redstart
Hallelujah! More of my summer birds have arrived! A few days ago I mentioned that both male and female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have presented themselves. Now, this morning I spotted my first American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). A male, looking quite handsome in his striking black and orange feathers. The female of this species is also quite…
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American Plum
A meander up the mountain two days ago. The Trilliums would be blooming. I found them, white turning to soft, delicate pink. Always special. But I noticed a small tree full of airy blooms way up there near where I usually turn around. Flowers I didn’t recognize. As is my custom I took photos and…
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Black Cohosh
A wonderful sight in late June early July. Blooms of Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) when there are few other flowers blooming in the woods. Black Cohosh is a herbaceous perennial native to eastern North America. Quite plentiful here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rising above their leaves on tall stems to six or eight feet.…
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Deptford Pinks
It’s not native, which often means, “Do I really want this plant?” But this one brings with it such a charming color. A color that just twinkles with delight. This is a Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria). And that is an itty bitty Crab Spider perched on one of its five white speckled petals. This flower…
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2021 First Female Hummingbird
It is said, by those that seem to know, that after the first male Ruby-throated Hummingbird arrives in the spring, the first female with arrive in seven to ten days. Well it did indeed happen. My first male arrived on April 14 and today, April 22, the first female has arrived. It got down to…
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Apple Blossoms
Apple blossoms. What a fragrant delight. And they bring in a host of visitors that provide great entertainment just to sit and watch. It’s been really breezy today. Petals have been flying like snow. Apple blossom season won’t last much longer. Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) are one of the many species of butterflies that make…
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Wild Geranium
Popping up with their bright pink petals on trail edges. Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), an herbaceous perennial native to eastern North America. Before they send up their buds Wild Geranium looks like this. The leaves are palmate with five sizable lobes. The leaves also have smaller lobes and jagged edges. This is what you need to…
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Blackhaw Viburnum
A large bush that I’ve been delighted to find is Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium). It’s growing by my backdoor, and there’s lots of it growing in the woods all around my cabin. The leaves of Blackhaw emerge from the buds involute, or curled as a spiral. The mature, glossy, opposite leaves are three to four…
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Green and Gold
A super ground cover that is holding up my back hill, keeping it from washing away. And such a splendid glowing yellow. Bright colors tend to win my heart. Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is a perennial herb with opposite, oval, hairy leaves, blooming from early spring into late autumn though its peak bloom is in May. I can count…