A Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) chowing down on the suet today. The suet feeder has been a very popular place with many birds feeling the chill of the season. As I sit here writing it is 19 degrees and sure to go down much further before the night is over. And perhaps they know what the forecast is, snow to start falling tomorrow evening well into the next day.
Stay warm little birds.
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A Barred Owl (Strix varia) came by on New Year’s Eve. It didn’t seem to mind at all as we watched it for quite a long time, until we lost it to the darkness.
The Barred Owl is native to eastern North America. An owl of medium size with a length of 16 to 25 inches and a wingspan of 50 to 60 inches.
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Seeing a Robin (Turdus migratorius) on the second day of January is certainly not a sign of spring, particularly when there are weather forecasts of snow happening here in just a few days. Sounds for sure like good ol’ winter to me.
Many Robins don’t migrate at all but stay right where they’ve been during the rest of the year. They tend to wander within their home range looking for things to eat as the days pass by. That may make it seen they are gone to warmer climes, but they’re still here.
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These are the cones and needles of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida). A small to medium sized tree. The needles are 3 to 5 inches long and quite stiff and sharp. They are in bundles, or fascicles, of 3. The cones are nicely round with sharp points at the end of each scale.
The tree is found in a small portion of eastern North America from central Maine south to Georgia west to Kentucky. It’s found in locations that other species would find difficult to survive in with acidic, sandy, or low-nutrient soils.
A characteristic of Pitch Pine that I find really cool is called epicormic growth. It has needles growing not just from branches but also from the main trunk. Much like errant flowers on Redbud (Cercis canadensis).
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An American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) showing off its marcescent leaves. These Beech trees create patches through the woods of pale brown areas of leaves hanging on, waiting for spring to fall to the ground.
Marcescence occurs when deciduous trees, mainly Beech or Oak trees, let their leaves wither in the late fall but they fail to let them drop to the ground until spring.
I love to see Beech trees in winter, just after a snow. Their leaves create little pockets of what look to me like little shave ice cones.
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Back in October I did a post about a Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). Today while out roaming about I came upon that same Puffball. Very old, looking like a ball broken open and filled with powdered cocoa. I had wondered what happened to it. Apparently not much. Just a great change in its color. From a lovely white to cocoa.
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Welcome rain. The U.S. Drought Monitor map shows a good portion of Virginia still in an abnormally dry condition. Here at my cabin for the past couple days I’ve gotten a bit more than a half inch of rain each day. I’m pleased to see the rain come down.
Raindrops on rosehips of Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), an exotic invasive native to eastern Asia, in China, Japan, and Korea.
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Nearly a week ago. The first morning of winter, as the sun was coming up painting a glow of warm coloring across the landscape. Captured by Yucca Filmentosa (Yucca filamentosa).
Welcome winter. I love having you here.
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Two Gray Foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) that have stopped by to get some of the sunflower seeds I put out. The seeds are usually for the birds but I love to see the foxes too, so it’s okay.
Slightly smaller than the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). The Gray Fox measures about 31 to 44 inches in length, including that beautiful long tail, and 12 to 16 inches in height at the shoulder. And they average about 10 to 12 pounds.
Yep, I’m going to put out more sunflower seeds. I want to see these beautiful creatures more often.
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The cone of an Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus), which usually grows to between 6 and 8 inches. The seeds from the cone are eaten by nuthatches, chickadees, grosbeaks, blue jays, juncos, woodpeckers, brown thrashers as well as black bears, rabbits, and squirrels.
The needles of the Eastern White Pine grow in bundles (fascicles) of 5. They reach a length of 3 to 5 inches and are very soft, with a pretty blue-green color.
The tree can grow to between 80 and 150 feet in height with some growing to over 180 feet. It has a pretty impressive life span of perhaps 200 years, but also has the possibility of living for 450 years if all goes well.
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