A Smart Bird In A Family Of Smart Birds

October 27, 2025

The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), in the Corvidae family. There are more than 120 species of birds in this family, including Crows, Ravens, Magpies, Nutcrackers, and of course Jays.

Aside from sharing similar traits like having strong beaks and long tails, they also share the trait of being highly intelligent. They will imitate the Red-tailed, and Red-shouldered Hawk calls. Using that talent to warn other Blue Jays that Hawks are nearby, or simply to scare other birds away. Another example of Blue Jay intelligence: In labs they have been observed working with strips of newspaper to pull food from outside their cage to a spot where it can be eaten. And early this year a series of photographs and a detailed description of an event which occurred in October 2021, were published in The Wilson Journal Of Ornithology, describing a Blue Jay breaking off a piece of tree bark and using it to extract a spider from beneath the bark of a White Pine tree (Pinus strobus) in Trumbull County, Ohio.

There is much to be appreciated in this bird which sometimes seems to be a noisy troublemaker!

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Red Maple Decked Out For Autumn

October 26, 2025

The Red Maples (Acer rubrum) are joining in with many of the trees in the woods to create a celebration of autumn. As is often the case, this week is the peak of the spectacular color display. Before long it will look like winter, with shades of black and white leaving only the lushness of evergreens to cheer the forest.

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Eastern Redbud

October 25, 2025

Seed pods of Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) with colorful autumn leaves in the background. As you might guess from those seed pods, the Eastern Redbud tree belongs to the family Fabaceae, the legume or pea family.

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Picking The Perfect Pumpkin

October 24, 2025

Picking the perfect pumpkin is such a weighty decision to make. Your Halloween celebration will be dependent upon your choice. To my mind the one most important part of that decision is what does the stem look like. Does it have an exquisite twist to it? To me, that is the determining factor.

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Standing Beneath A Huge White Oak

October 23, 2025

It’s peak of the magical, colorful season of autumn, and participating in the event is a huge White Oak (Quercus alba) growing alongside the road coming up my mountain. Branches as big as a normal sized tree, twisting and turning to show off its brilliant contribution.

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Bald Eagle

October 22, 2025

Yesterday was a good day! I was out, heading to the Post Office to pick up the mail after yoga class, when I saw it. A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) soaring above me and my truck.

The size of a Bald Eagle is quite impressive. The wingspan of the female is between 7.5 and 8 feet. The wingspan of male is between 6.5 and 7.5 feet. The length of the female is 35 to 37 inches. The length of the male is 30 to 31 inches. Bald Eagles tend to have regional variations with ones from higher latitudes tending to be larger.

Aside from the size difference, female and male Bald Eagles are nearly identical in color and feather pattern.

The image above is not the one I saw yesterday, but one I got a picture of some time ago.

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Cushaw Squash

October 21, 2025

A wagonload of Cushaw Squash (Cucurbita argyrosperma), occasionally found at pumpkin patches in this area. Cultivated in the South and Southwestern United States as well as Mexico. It is a winter squash that is commonly found at the same time that pumpkins are abundant. 

Weighing in at 5 to 25 pounds, Cushaw Squash is similar to its relatives, butternut and acorn squash. It has a mild, sweet flavor, and can be used in place of pumpkin, sweet potato, and butternut squash, even in pies.

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Boulder Jack-O-Lantern

October 20, 2025

I had to share this with you, given that it is that time of year. A picture from 2014 of a Jack-O-Lantern that appeared where a huge boulder had been, near the front entrance to William Monroe High School in Stanardsville, Virginia.

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Frost Aster And Butterflies

Octber 19, 2025

Approaching late October and the butterflies are busy at the flowers that are still blooming. Here an Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), top, and a Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), bottom, are sipping the nectar of Frost Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum).

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Red Maple

October 18, 2025

Dressing up for the season with butter yellow leaves accented with brilliant crimson, Red Maple (Acer rubrum).

In eastern North America, Red Maple is known as one of the most common trees. Easily found from southern Canada clear down to Florida and west to eastern Texas where they can grow in a wide variety of soil types. And they are not particular about elevation, growing from sea level to 3,000 feet.

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