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Note To Self
A note to me: next year, plant more Sunflowers. You need to see more butterflies. I’m hoping I’ll get the message, and act on it. The top photo: Monarch at Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). And this: A Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) visiting a Tithonia (Tithonia rotundifolia). ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily…
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Leaf Cutting Bee
Out, taking in all the beauty of what was once summer, becoming autumn. Some warm colors but still mostly greens. Pale soft lavender-blue catches my eye. Puffs of Blue Wood Asters (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) reaching out to the sunlight. Snapping photos with every step. And there in one of the pictures a surprise. I didn’t even…
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Wreath Goldenrod
A favorite of mine, Wreath Goldenrod (Solidago caesia), which I came upon while my camera and I were out this morning. There are about 75 species of Goldenrod (Solidago) native to the United States and over 40 species that are native to Virginia. Like many other plants in your garden you should leave the seed…
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A Songster
An early visitor. At about 8 o’clock this morning this Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) came by looking for a bite to eat. It’s not particular about what a meal might be. A bird that is about the size of a Robin or Crow looks for berries and small fruits, nuts and seeds, and quite popular…
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Playtime
My Lego Sunflowers in front of one of my paintings. After all, playtime is very important. ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Hints Of A Bear
The remains of Hurricane Helene came through with her wind and rain, leaving many branches and some trees down on the mountain. Nothing serious thank goodness and how nice to have neighbors that travel with a chain saw in their truck. Many of those branches and trees were taken care of before it was even…
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Pumpkin Inspector
Betelgeuse, my GrandKitty, the Grand Pumpkin Inspector.
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Purple-flowering Raspberry In Autumn
Purple-flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus) still in its summer finery. Not quite in the mood for autumn yet. Lots of time left though for the leaves to turn their golden hue. A native bush that is growing in a good part of eastern North America, to a height of 6 feet and a width of about…
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American Chestnut Bur!
Those of you that know me, know that I’m extremely interested in the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata), the blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) that came close to totally wiping out the species, and the work being done by The American Chestnut Foundation. So you can imagine how surprised I was yesterday afternoon while I was out with…
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Incredible Round Mushroom
Went out this afternoon to get a picture of this Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). I put a pair of scissors next to it for scale, but I realize now that those scissors were a poor choice since they are small but in the photo they look large. They’re just 5 inches in length. But with…