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State Insect Of Virginia
June 29, 2025 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), the state insect of Virginia, and one of our largest butterflies, with a wingspan ranging from 3.1 to 5.5 inches. Quite familiar in its native range of eastern US, extending north into southern Ontario. Along with many other pollinators, it’s visiting Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which provides…
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Common Yarrow In Late June
June 28, 2025 Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in bloom throughout the area now. Flowers are in flat clusters atop plants that sometimes reach 3 feet tall. Individual flowers in those clusters are 1/4 inch across with 5 white or pale pink ray flowers, slightly notched, surrounding cream colored or soft yellow disc flowers. These Yarrow…
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Wild Bergamot
June 27, 2025 Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), looking like the hairstyle of a Dr Seuss character. Blooming in lavender or pink for a month during the summer. A plant that attracts bees, moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Native to all of the continental United States with the exception of Alaska, California, and Florida. It’s also native…
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Ruby Memories
June 26, 2025 Since these bushes were put in several years ago, memories come back to me every summer in late June. Memories of Red Currants (Ribes rubrum). And childhood memories of the Godshall family reunions held every summer on Hill Road in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, where I’d have such fun getting together with my precious…
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Juvenile Cardinal
June 25, 2025 Something that I rarely see. A juvenile Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Black legs, black beak, and feathers that allow it to blend in with its surroundings. It looks like an adult Cardinal though the coloring is wrong. Sometime between 2 and 4 weeks of age the juvenile will grow to the size…
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Brown Thrasher Singing Its Wonderful Songs
June 24, 2025 While on the ground a Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) will use its long curved beak to rummage through leaf litter looking for things to eat such as insects. They also eat fruits, seeds and nuts, earthworms, snails, and if the Thrasher comes upon one that is small enough, lizards or frogs. They’ll…
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Sharing Blueberries
June 22, 2025 A male Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), back from his winter home of South America, here for the summer. Scarlet Tanagers eat insects and other invertebrates, along with various fruits, including my blueberries which I’m happy to share. A smidgeon brighter than our male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), that, and the black wings…
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A Lovely Shade of Blue
June 21, 2025 Native to western Asia, North Africa, and Europe, Chicory (Cichorium intybus). A perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae. A plant that seems to be ubiquitous along roadsides right now, adding a lovely shade of blue to the landscape. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email,…
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Iridescent Colors
June 20, 2025 The tiny birds with scarlet red, and emerald green, iridescent feathers. The clowns of summer. They’re here entertaining me. So quick in motion. I put out sugar water and they come when I call. I’m totally enchanted. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris). _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts…