-
White Oak Leaf At The Yoga Studio
I spend a good bit of time during my week at the yoga studio and I use its surroundings often as a source for photographs for this blog. Today’s post is no exception. Melting frost on a White Oak leaf (Quercus alba) surrounded by autumn this morning. White Oak trees have marcescent leaves. Leaves that…
-
Busy Bird Day
Quite the busy day for birds today. Oodles and more oodles of Robins (Turdus migratorius), Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), a couple Chickadees (Poecile), and a two Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus). I’m sure there were more. Too many to take in. The Beautyberry Bushes (Callicarpa) were shaking with so many of them going after the berries.…
-
Blue Jay With Smarts
A noisy bird that seems to love to announce its presence. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Cousin to Crows (Corvus) and Ravens (Corvus corax), in a family of intelligent birds. These large songbirds have a wide range of songs that are not so much songs actually but sounds, described as loud jeers, whistled notes, clicks, chucks,…
-
Fire In The Woodstove
Our weather has been warmer than it should be at this time of year. Yesterday though brought a delightful chill to the air and to celebrate — the first fire of the season in the woodstove. It was like having a precious long lost friend come to visit. Genuinely welcome. _______________________ If you would like…
-
Marigolds
While out this morning checking on the weather station, I went through the vegetable garden and noticed the Marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia) still in bloom. No wonder, since the weather has been so very warm. This particular Marigold is the Signet Marigold which is native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Peru. Marigolds have an aroma…
-
Juncos Are Here!
There were at least 6 Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) at the bird bath this morning, along with some White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). Hard to count with so many all together. This is the first sighting of the Juncos that I’ve noticed this season. These Juncos are in the Sparrow family. They eat seeds which make…
-
American Chestnut
My absolute favorite tree. The American Chestnut (Castanea dentata). A picture from this morning. You would be surprised how many of them there are out there. Not a whole bunch of them but every now and then one will be found around here. Mature trees. Up in Shenandoah National Park, or along the Appalachian Trail,…
-
White-throated Sparrows Are Here
White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), winter residents here, have arrived. This picture was taken two days ago, as this critter freshened up at the bird bath. This particular species of sparrow is the most frequently seen and most plentiful in North America. It winters principally in eastern and southern North America and California, and spends the…