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A Different Mistletoe
This time of year American Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) sometimes comes to mind. It is often seen around here, in a Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) in our tiny town, or up here in the mountains in our native trees. Many places. There’s another one that I’m familiar with. This one a Juniper Mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum) found…
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Red-bellied Woodpeckers Love The Suet
About the size of an American Robin (Turdus migratorius), 10 inches long. A Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) coming in for some suet. This one is a female. And this is the male, with a bit more red on his head. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up…
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A Slow Moment In The Snow
During the snow yesterday, at a slow moment with very few flakes dropping from the sky, I was pleased to see several Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). Most of them were further up in a tree out of my range for getting a photo without disturbing them. But I did manage to get this one sitting in…
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Flickers In Today’s Snow
What a terrific day for me. It snowed the majority of the day. Coming down fast and furious sometimes with huge flakes. Other times it was slow and gentle. The snow didn’t stick very well. I’d say that there was just a hair short of an inch when all was said and done. So lovely!…
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One Grand Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is an impressive creature. Nearly the size of a Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). I have fond memories of one landing, and working on, a tree within a few feet of my bedroom window when I lived in North Arlington many years ago. It sounded like a human, up in the tree,…
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A Strange Looking Caterpillar
A picture from October of a unique looking caterpillar, a Crowned Slug Moth caterpillar (Isa textula). This little one grows to be 1/2 inch long. They eat the leaves of Oaks and Cherry, Maple, Basswood, Elm and Beech trees. I’ve made it my practice to avoid picking up most any creature that I find in…
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Holly Jolly Time For Mincemeat Pie
It’s that time of year, when the wind whips like crazy and temperatures drop from 57º in the early morning to a chill of the 30s as the sun goes down. At least that’s how it was here today. Time to think about mincemeat pie, made with many more McIntosh apples than are called for.…
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A Noisy Blue Jay
A Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), a member of the Corvidae family. They make a lot of noise. Imitating sounds of human activity around them and sometimes even imitating the sound of the human voice. Other birds are part of their quite accurate repertoire, hawks, chickadees, catbirds, goldfinches to name a few. Some would say that…
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Evasive Agaric, A Beautiful Fungus
I am often awestruck by the beauty of things in nature. Mushrooms come to mind when I’m thinking of what is beautiful around me. These saprobic fungi are a good example, reminding me of something made of delicate lace. Saprobic fungi, meaning they break down organic matter. Lovely to look at and they help the…