A tough fern often spotted on the trails up here in the mountains. Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), one of the most common ferns in eastern North America which is its native range.
These are called crosiers, or more commonly, fiddleheads. In them I see movement, dance, music. Certainly grace and beauty. I love it in the spring when they are unfurling. It’s happening right now as spring reaches into warmth.
A perennial and evergreen fern that says elegance and charm. Fronds swaying together to the melody in their hearts. But don’t all ferns express that same feeling?
Perennial and evergreen. Takes on the snow and ice of winter like a champ. Like the best of us.
And come spring again is all set for music and dance. Swaying to their own melody. The refrain in their hearts.
I’ve got itty-bitty buds on my Virginia Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica). Buds that look very much like really teeny tiny jalapeño peppers. What looks to me like those jalapeño peppers are sepals. Sepals are leaf-like structures surrounding and protecting the maturing bud. The number of sepals varies in difference species of flower. In Virginia Springbeauty there are two sepals for each flower. Look at the bud that has just opened in the lower left corner of the above image. The bud looks as though it is coming out of the mouth of (hmmm what? maybe . . . ) a crocodile. That “crocodile” is the two sepals that are opening for the bud/flower to come out.
Virginia Springbeauty is found in and is native to eastern North America.
The plant emerges from a tuber (also called a corm) as a stem with leaves at ground level. Halfway up the stem there are two blade-like leaves and further up the stem are the flowers. The flowers of Virginia Springbeauty are about one half inch across.
The flowers are pollinated by bees, flies and sometimes butterflies and skippers. The resulting fertilized flower will produce a capsule that contains seeds with appendages called elaiosomes which ants like to feed to their larvae in their underground nests, producing the perfect “ant farmer” situation.
I think it’ll be perhaps a week until my flowers open. Open during the day, closed at night or during cloudy days. I’m looking forward to finding them open, looking like peppermint candy.
Seems winter has given up. Spring has won the battle of the seasons and is stepping through the woods. Right now, mid-April, Sassafras Trees (Sassafras albidum) are in bloom throughout the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. Creating a soft watercolor wash of pale yellow.
Sassafras is a dioecious tree, meaning any Sassafras tree that you may come upon in the woods or in your yard is either a female tree or a male tree. Each individual tree’s flowers in turn are either female flowers or male flowers. The blossoms in the image immediately above are female flowers. Each female flower is very small at about one third inch across. Each has six sepals, an elongated central pistil and six small sterile stamens.
The male flower to my eyes looks like a busier flower. These are male flowers in the photo above. Each little flower, one third inch across, consists of six sepals and nine stamens with yellow anthers.
Going from tree to tree, the flowers are pollinated by various bees, flies, sawflies, beetles and wasps. Fertilized female flowers produce oval drupes. A drupe is also known as a fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed. Drupe is easier to say.
When the drupes are ripe, reaching a deep blue-black color, seated on a pedicel that appears to be a rich red goblet, songbirds, Wild Turkeys, and Bobwhites enjoy the buffet and spread seeds through the woods. Bringing us more gorgeous Sassafras Trees.
What a nice surprise to have a little visitor in the vegetable garden. A visitor that I don’t often get to see. An American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus). It seemed to prefer the “sit very very still and you won’t be seen” stance.
But the little creature was seen throughout the day. I was pleased each time I saw it again, mostly in the same place. Sitting very very still.
A funny tidbit of info, this toad, and all toads are actually a subset of FROGS. So all toads are also frogs, but frogs are NOT toads.
By the afternoon I was lucky to spot the little toad again. I guess the sun was getting too warm since it was digging itself down into the freshly turned garden soil. A cool spot for a cool critter.
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The Flowering Dogwood trees (Cornus florida) here in my neck of the woods are just beginning to open as the Eastern Redbud blooms (Cercis canadensis) are on their way into decline. That’s the pattern every year. A slight overlapping of their big show. Like homemade vanilla ice cream with home grown strawberries on top.
In case you didn’t know, what are thought of as petals on a Flowering Dogwood bloom are not petals at all, but are modified leaves called bracts. The actual flowers of the Flowering Dogwood are those tiny yellow-green things in the very center.
No matter what the parts of a Dogwood flower are called they are a shout for glee in the mountains.
As the season continues and they’re no longer paired with their buddies, the Redbuds, they are still something that makes my heart light.
Something that calls to me to bring my camera for an outing.
As the light changes, another chance for an altered glimpse of those four white bracts with their yellow-green flowers.
Flowers on trees that intrigue me. Flowers that are just an added benefit.
And here a Blue Jay, an additional added benefit.
A Cardinal? What more could I want!
And once those flowers and bracts are gone, still pure delight as the seasons roll on. Be sure to watch those leaves. I kid you not, they begin ever so slowly to turn to red in late June. Slowly slowly slowly.
Autumn offers up berries for the critters of the forest. Berries that last what seems but a brief moment.
Hints of winter as the leaves fall. But look my beloved Flowering Dogwood trees are planning ahead. Those buds. That is spring on its way.
Spring indeed is planned for. Buds in the waiting. But the trees must go through winter. More delight!
That plan for spring the trees have made? They survive. They survive through snow, ice and cold. They survive through the wondrous winter and come into spring with blooms as their buddies, the Redbuds are blooming. Like homemade vanilla ice cream with home grown strawberries on top.
Something important to think about. Our native violets are the most important host plant for caterpillars of many Fritillary Butterflies.
Great Spangled Fritillary
And for a good number of them these violets are their only host plant.
Great Spangled Fritillary
Fritillary Butterflies fall into one of two genuses. Either Greater or Lesser. And as you might expect the larger of the butterflies are in the Greater category, or genus Speyeria. The Greater Fritillaries are a group of fourteen species. One of those species is the Great Spangled Fritillary.
Variegated Fritillary
The Variegated Fritillary is one of the Lesser Fritillaries. And of course is a smaller butterfly. There are sixteen butterfly species in this genus, Bolloria. Though it certainly has a similar coloring to the Great Spangled Fritillary which can be confusing, I know.
Variegated Fritillary
All fourteen of the Greater Fritillaries depend entirely on violets as their host plant. Which means their caterpillars will only survive by eating leaves of violet plants.
Variegated Fritillary
The Lesser Fritillaries’ caterpillars do also eat violet leaves but will eat other things as well such as passionflower.
Common Blue Violet
Violets are not a nectar source for butterflies but considering their role as a host plant for their caterpillars, violets are very important in the world of butterflies.
Downy Yellow Violet
Keep this in mind as you’re out weeding in your garden. Perhaps you can let some violets into that precious space.
Field Pansy
Keep this in mind as you’re looking over your perfect lawn. Perhaps you can let some violets in here and there.
Sand Violet
Or perhaps there is some shady spot in your yard where violets would love to share your world and help out Fritillaries.
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 nearlyall of Canada with the exception of its far northern territories. Others say the clusters of spore-bearing capsules resemble a rattlesnake’s tail. I think the second option makes more sense. Are you breathing a sigh of relief now?
In the spring on a single stem, a single leaf emerges which has two distinct parts. A sterile leafy part and a fertile spore-bearing part.
An image of a nymph of an assassin bug waiting for his dinner to come by.
As spring turns into summer these two leaf parts senesce (wither away with age), the spores having matured by July. I’ve seen these ferns often as I wander looking for photos in the woods. One has even volunteered in one of my gardens. So much joy in the woods.
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 we all know the weather can be extremely capricious. Hard to say when the blooms will be open.
Hard to say when the butterflies and bees will be called to the blueberry flowers. Called by the nectar and pollen. Called to pollinate the blooms that will become delicious morsels of goodness.
It will seem like forever to me. Going from compact buds to petite orbs. Forever and still not exactly what I’m waiting for.
Slowly slowly those petite orbs will swell. And go from apple green to a lavender blush to finally deep blue. But I’ve learned over the years I can’t be too quick. Those first berries looking so luscious blue are still lavender blush on the other side. The far side hidden and waiting to fool me. Be patient. They will turn totally inky blue with a white bloom with time. That’s what it’s all about. Patience and waiting.
I’ll be waiting. All this time. Waiting to pull out simple ingredients.
Waiting to turn those berries, those luscious inky blue with white bloom berries into blueberry pies. Other things too, but oh those pies!
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 1 cup water, NO food coloring.
The season will start out very slowly. Male and female hummingbirds ready for mating season. Females, totally in charge of nesting. Selecting the site, collecting the materials and building the nest. Oh, I wish I’d discover one of those tiny nests. Over all these years of watching hummingbirds. Looking for the nests. No luck. By mid July into August, with juveniles at the feeders as well, I’ll be putting out many more feeders. They’ll be emptied quickly by the entertaining hungry little critters. Keeping me busy with great demand for many bags of sugar.
Many flowers await the hummingbirds as well, not just the feeders filled with syrup. In the image above Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma) calls to the incredibly little bird. Also planted around my cabin, Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and a native honeysuckle, Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) provide nectar for the birds.
The hummingbird above is a male juvenile. See his speckled throat? Those feathers will soon become the ruby color we all know and watch for. An iridescent ruby, showing up as black unless the light is just right. I’m so looking forward to having these travelers back. They bring with them luggage. Luggage filled with pure levity.
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 Mock Strawberries blooming in April. I’ve just wandered looking for blooms but didn’t come up with any flowers to photograph. So, they’ll be blooming soon. Their blooms are striking yellow, while Wild Strawberry blossoms are white with yellow centers. Keep that in mind. Yellow blooms are the Mock Strawberries.
The berries themselves are a bit different. While Wild Strawberries have seeds that are set into dimple like depressions in the fruit, and moist, the Mock Strawberry seeds are set on the surface of the round fruit which is dry. Leaves? Very similar. Each of their leaves is compound, composed of three leaflets. The edges of both leaves are serrated but the tips of those serrations on the Mock Strawberry leaves are more blunt, the serrations of the Wild Strawberry are more sharp. Best of luck with your berry hunting and let me know what you find.
