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Rattlesnake Fern
My apologies if you are creeped out by references to snakes. Rattlesnake Fern is the common name for Botrypus virginianus. Some say the common name comes from it growing in rattlesnake territory. However its range is across all the United States and nearly all of Canada with the exception of its far northern territories. Others…
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Blueberries
I’m watching both the progress the blueberry blooms are making as well as the calendar. Watching the blossoms grow and mature. Watching the weeks go by on the calendar. Right now in early April there are only tight buds on the many bushes. And it’s hard to say since this is weather related and as…
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Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
Tomorrow one hummingbird feeder will go up on my front porch. The time is about right, but I don’t know exactly when to expect my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). I want to greet whoever shows up first, with a welcome mat and a feeder with its favorite syrup. The recipe: 1/4 cup sugar to…
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Mock Strawberry
Originally from India. Mock Strawberry (Potentilla indica). It appears very much like Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana). If you’re looking for the marvelous experience of eating Wild Strawberries more than likely you will be disappointed. The Mock Strawberry has very little flavor and is quite dry. But if you’re feeling adventuresome, it is edible. You’ll find…
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Color
Oh color! I adore rich colors. Like in this photo of Virginia Bluebells just beginning to open in a back garden. White to soft pink to rich yummy pink to lavender and then periwinkle blue. Soon they will all be azure blue. I like the mixture in this image. Hmmm. This would make a lovely…
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Wild Strawberries
Their leaves are out there waiting. Possibly waiting for warm weather to inspire flowers. Wild Strawberries (Fragaria virginiana). Waiting for just the right day? angle of the sun? temperature? Maybe all of those things and others that haven’t even occurred to me. But in past years there have been blooms as the calendar’s top page…
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Wild Peach
Now blooming in the woods, a native to China. It’s believed that Hernando de Soto brought the first Peach Trees (Prunus persica) to North America in 1539. Now innumerable cultivars of those trees populate orchards. Thank goodness for those orchards. Peaches make summer so wonderful. And a tossed seed will eventually result in a random…
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Mayapple
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) is a perennial herbaceous plant that is native to eastern North America. In the past few days Mayapples have been poking their noses up through the surface of the earth in one of my gardens. The beginning of a beautiful process. They emerge with their leaves, either one or two, folded like…
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Fox Sparrow
Another winter has come and gone and no Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca). During only two winters I’ve had one come to visit, over the course of perhaps fourteen years. Each of those two winters, just one individual that I saw and captured in pixels. A large and chunky sparrow. The Fox Sparrow hangs out with…
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Sunflower
Sunflower (Helianthus). The happy flower. You bet. Today would have been my Dad’s 96th birthday. He LOVED sunflowers. He loved to grow huge sunflowers! This post is a salute to my Dad’s favorite flower. A flower that’s popular with many creatures including bees. A flower that brings on the butterflies. A flower that inspires artists.…