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Winter, Soon
Winter. Crisp cold days when hot chocolate comes to mind. White landscapes if I am lucky. Otherwise black and white, pen and ink vistas. The best of all seasons when little White-throated Sparrows, Zonotrichia albicollis, keep me company. Cheer me with their song.
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Yuccas
I love Yucca flowers. There are 2 different yucca species growing in my yard, each blooming in a different season. Yucca filamentosa, which is native to Virginia, blooms in early summer. And this one, Yucca gloriosa, native to extreme southeastern Virginia, blooms in early autumn. Remarkable that they both are native to this state, since…
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A New Season
Evening. Last day of summer 2020. I am SO looking forward to a new season. A change of direction. Some positive actions and thinking in all this insanity. Up instead of down. Bright instead of bleak. Health instead of sickness. Bring on AUTUMN.
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Giant Resin Bees
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is an incredible magnet for pollinators. A few mornings ago I found a surprise among the fragrant blooms of my milkweed. I’m accustomed to seeing Honey Bees, knowing they are not native to North America but I hadn’t given thought to there being any other world travelers visiting my mountain. Several…
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Pie
Such strange times. Staying home ALL the time. Just me and my dear husband in the mountains in the middle of the forest. He’s able to focus. Cutting down trees that have grown up too close to our cabin. Pulling out his N gauge train set from long ago. I on the other hand am…
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Tulips
I’ve given up on winter. On the kitchen table today — SPRING.
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Robins a Sign of Spring?
American Robins, Turdus migratorius. Some migrate. Some don’t migrate. Either way, during winter they are often seen searching for earthworms, grubs, fruits and berries. Here at my cabin it’s not unusual to see flocks of robins congregating in the frigid temperatures, eating and taking advantage of the birdbath I keep thawed with a water warmer.…
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Carolina Wren
A whole season without putting out sunflowers seeds, peanuts, peanut butter, suet. I survive since the hummingbirds keep me entertained. Fifteen or twenty of the swarming, going round and round the cabin, slurping up their syrup. Now they’re gone. Time for the other birds to keep me company again. Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus.
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Eastern Phoebe
Watching for a meal, on a post next to the garden. An Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe, is a perfect friend to have around. A loner, even as mated pairs they spend little time together. A loner, finding insects to wolf down, she relies on insects for sustenance most of the year. When it is too chilly,…
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Red Admiral
Rotting fruit, sap flows on trees, and even bird droppings. The favorite foods of the Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. If the Red Admiral can’t find these it will sip flower nectar from Common Milkweed, Red Clover, Aster, and Alfalfa and more. The dropping Persimmons here on my mountain have been a bigtime draw for these beautiful…