Tendrils

Virginia Bluebells

An ephemeral spring plant native to eastern North America. Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica). I’m watching. I’m waiting.

I just checked. No sign of them yet. BUT very soon. Surely in less than two weeks I’ll be seeing leaves of purply-green emerging from the soil. Reaching for the sun. These plants enjoy being in a shady location. A location that is exposed to the sun during the spring. A location that will see shade as the leaves of the trees emerge.

The buds my favorite to see. Looking so beautiful soft folds with pink, bluish pink, or purple coloring.

Spring sees two or three weeks of Virginia Bluebells that fade leaving fruit which contain four seeds each.

Midsummer sees the fading of the leaves and stems that will turn into the soil. To be seen next spring again.

Winter Aconite

The same day that I first heard the raucous clacking of wood frogs coming from the pond, my Winter Aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) were beginning to bloom. Just hours before meteorological spring was about to begin.

These small screaming yellow beauties were a gift from a dear friend years ago. Since then they have won my heart. Blooming in what seems an effort to bring a bit of jubilation in winter.

My first introduction to Winter Aconite was on a walk through the State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy eleven years ago. Though it was early March, there glowing at the foot of a beautiful rock wall was a swath of cadmium yellow flowers. Flowers that shouldn’t be there so early in the year. In the dead of winter.

A short time later my friend shared some of the tubers from her garden to spread the joy of friendship and bright colors.

Winter Aconite cover can be expanded by dividing the tubers, or by spreading its seeds.

Not native to this continent, but native to Europe (France to Bulgaria). In my gardens I try very hard to add only natives for fear of adding an invasive plant that will soon get out of hand. I must say though these little plants have behaved just as I would wish.

A spot of glee in an otherwise subdued black and white, pen and ink landscape.

First Wood Frogs of Spring

As the evening was coming to a close last night I was so pleased to hear a sound I’ve grown fond of. “Clack, clack, clack!” An odd sound not heard since LAST spring. Today my pond has been REALLY active.

The sound of Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). They’ve left their winter hibernating spots. Perhaps under a rock, beneath a log, or snug under leaf litter, they come out in search of a pool of water to join others for breeding. They’ll breed in lakes and slow flowing streams, but more often seek out vernal pools which won’t have predators that would eat their eggs or tadpoles.

During the day into the evening males call to attract females making quite a hullabaloo.

Within just a couple days there will be MANY eggs in the pond. The eggs laid in the water, as a male clasps a female, releasing sperm into the water to fertilize the eggs. Often those eggs are hatched within a week. And by late June or early July there will be more Wood Frogs here in the woods.

Pie Crust

Pies make the world go round. And one basic thing is common in nearly all pies. The crust.

Many different recipes.

Not for ME.

I use one recipe that I got from my Mom and I stick with it.

No sense in tangling with perfection.

Here’s the recipe that I use without fail. Memorized since I use it so often.

Pie Crust

2 — 8 or 9 inch crusts

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

4 to 5 tablespoons COLD water

Stir flour and salt in large bowl until blended. Cut shortening into flour mixture using pastry blender or fork until shortening pieces are the size of peas.

Gradually add just enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring with fork just until dough holds together and forms a smooth ball.

Let dough sit for one hour. Divide dough in half and shape into two balls for two pie crusts. At this point the balls of crust can be frozen.

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I hope you’re able to use this recipe and thoroughly enjoy it.

Cherry Custard Pie

George Washington’s birthday was just a few days ago. A celebration took place in my kitchen and the end result was a cherry custard pie. Not my usual pie and certainly not my usual CHERRY pie. But I’d say it was quite a success. Another of the household would prefer the recipe for cherry pie that I normally bake. I guess when you’re used to perfection it is hard to accept anything else. For me though, this recipe was totally yummy.

BTW if you are fortunate enough to have a Montmorency cherry tree that provides you with fresh cherries in the summer. Lucky you. I’ve got one in my yard, but it is for the birds. I don’t get any. That’s fine. I love birds.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

CHERRY CUSTARD PIE

1 – 9 inch unbaked pie shell

2 cans (14.5 to 16 oz each) Montmorency or sour pie cherries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Mix sugar and flour. Add eggs, milk and almond extract and mix well. Place drained cherries in unbaked pie shell. Pour custard mixture (sugar, flour, eggs, milk and almond extract) over cherries. Bake at 425º for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325º and continue baking for 55 more minutes.

Song Sparrow

Some might think this an LBJ. A little brown job. But certainly deserving of more distinction than that.

This, a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) and a master of camouflage.

A bird that is known for its rich collection of songs. Quite the crooners, males use their songs to identify their territory and to attract females.

Song Sparrows are year round residents in much of their range. In the northern most parts they will migrate south for the winter.

The diet of the Song Sparrow includes a large variety of insects and invertebrates, and many different berries. If you put out a platform feeder close to good cover with sunflower seeds or peanut hearts you’ll probably find Song Sparrows coming to your buffet.

Of the native sparrows in North America the Song Sparrow species is one of the most abundant. But NOT just LBJs.

And, as you can see from my photos, if you’ve got a bird bath that you can put out summer and winter (with a water warmer) they’ll love it.

Downy Woodpecker and Hierarchy

Like High Noon at the OK Corral. A Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) sizes up its competition, a Chickadee (Paridae) and a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). Two pipsqueaks.

As intimidation begins, Chickadee excuses itself. Leaving Downy Woodpecker and Carolina Wren to a showdown.

Downy Woodpecker poofs its wing feathers. While Carolina Wren proceeds to enjoy the suet.

Downy Woodpecker draws upon its dramatic training and sweeps its wings open. While Carolina Wren ignores the theatrics.

And the winner is declared. The smaller and obstinate Carolina Wren tells the Downy Woodpecker to get in line and wait its turn.

Bloodroot

It’s hard for me to believe since I’ve still got snow on the ground, but spring is nearly here. At least meteorological spring. It arrives on March 1. The weather here is assuredly unpredictable. We’ll see what the month of March brings forth. Spring or more winter? But plants will be sprouting no matter. One of the plants I expect will greet me later in March is Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). A plant that’s native to eastern North America.

Take care when you’re out hiking, particularly when you aren’t on a well established trail. These little first sprouts of spring are not necessarily obvious.

Bloodroot emerges from the soil, stem carefully wrapped in a deeply veined dark purply leaf.

As the bud grows the leaf unfurls and turns to a rich green with a silvery-green ventral side. With each flower there is a single deeply lobed basal leaf. A leaf with five to seven lobes that grows to be three to five inches across.

The flower is a burst of eight to sixteen snow white petals centered with an oval yellow-green pistil which is topped by a pale yellow stigma. The pistil is surrounded by bunches of stamens with glowing yellow anthers. The blooms don’t provide any nectar but the pollen on the anthers brings bees, flies and beetles that pollinate the flowers.

And that pollination allows the seed pod to expand. Filling with seeds that have appendages called elaiosomes. Ants bring those seeds to their larvae. The larvae is fed the elaiosomes and the still intact seeds are discarded to the nest’s “trash room” which is the perfect place to start these seeds growing. This process which happens in many cases throughout the plant world is called myrmecochory. A weird/fun word which has become one of my favorites.

Hoarfrost

The cold temperatures of winter can create such works of wonder. Often so delicate they can’t be touched for fear of destruction.

Occasionally the beauty makes me forget that what I am looking at, such as these rose hips of Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), is something that I work diligently to rid my woods of. A very aggressive invasive that has the nerve to mimic our native blackberries during their times of blooming. But frosted during the cold of winter it has its charm. AND take a look at that image again. There is an undulating line of frost that starts on the left, about 1/4 of the way down that goes to the right, from that first rose hip, on to the second and then the third as it drops and then ends. THAT is a spider web also decorated with frostiness.

The berries of Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) with its frost rivals ANY image of a Cardinal in the snow. Glorious red with stark white. Perfection.

With the hoarfrost the needles of Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) each get their own personal set of needles.

The leaves of young White Oak (Quercus alba) don’t drop as most deciduous leaves do in the fall, but hang onto them until late spring. That gives them the chance to be dressed up. To be decorated by the spines of ice. The artwork of Mother Nature.

Scarlet Tanager and Things to Come

This morning was what seems to be quite the trend. Sleet and freezing rain. That rain turned the landscape into a sparkly fairyland. For me, this winter has become The Winter of Ice and Sleet. And this is no complaint. I’m absolutely loving all the frozen precipitation. All the diamond covered trees. Snow takes me back to my childhood and the shimmering of ice yields the same reaction.

*Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). Either a female or a young male.*

But with the blink of an eye it is going to be summer again. A new set of birds to enthrall me. Summer birds to capture in pixels. Things growing, plants calling to me. Colors popping. Very soon.