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A Small Blue-gray Bird
June 7, 2025 A small bird with a long tail. Its total length, just 4″ to 5″, weighing a quarter of an ounce, about the weight of a nickel. Here, perching on the ferns of asparagus. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) sitting still for a split second for a photo. They seem to always be…
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You Can’t See Me!
June 6, 2025 We discovered this tiny bunny as we were roaming. It was deep in the grass, though I’m sure, it was thinking the grass was certainly not deep enough. Trying ever so much to become invisible. Trying very hard to tell us, “You can’t see me!” We continued our wandering after I got…
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Black Raspberries
June 5, 2025 Yum! Black Raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) native to eastern North America. Just beginning to ripen up here. They look quite similar to Allegheny Blackberries (Rubus allegheniensis) which also grow up here in the mountains. Black Raspberries grow on bushes that have pale green stems and the berries are round, while Blackberries are longer…
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Another Baby Turtle
June 4, 2025 Today while out on an errand, a Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentia) was spotted alongside the road but past experience kept any help from occurring. Their necks are what gives them the specific epithet, serpentia, meaning “snake-like”. No matter how they are lifted, that head can come back and bite. This image…
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Blooming In The Woods
June 2, 2025 At the end of summer this is what you’ll see along the trails up here. The berries of Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum). Go out right now though and you’ll see panicles (or clusters) of tiny flowers, maybe 5 to 250 of the flowers, making up a length of 4 to 6 inches.…
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Everybody Needs A Scarecrow
June 1, 2025 Everyone needs a scarecrow don’t you think? Mine, made of a raincoat, garden gloves, and an old hat. Here he is showing us the view. And he’s providing a resting place for a Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) who’s enjoying the tour. At the end of the tour the Goldfinch gets some thistle seed.…
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Black Swallowtail Caterpillar
May 31, 2025 Caterpillar of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio polyxenes). A butterfly that can be found in a wide area, southern Canada to northern South America, most commonly east of the Rocky Mountains. These caterpillars enjoy eating plants of the carrot family (Apiaceae). Plants such as parsley, dill, Queen Anne’s Lace, fennel, and carrots, _______________________…
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A Green Butterfly
May 30, 2025 Most unusual to see a green butterfly. I’m not sure there are any that are native to Virginia except for this one, a Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus). It’s actually native to most of the continental United States, parts of southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Here in Virginia its host plant is the…
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One Of Many Milkweeds
May 29, 2025 Fourleaf Milkweed (Asxlepias quadrifolia) in bloom along the trails up here right now. This species of Milkweed is used as a food source by not only Monarchs but also Swallowtails, Fritillaries and some of the other nectar-feeding butterflies. There are 73 species of Milkweed native to the United States. Monarchs use about 30…