Raindrops gathering on Blue Spruce (Picea pungens). Precious, wonderful rain falling on a very dry mountain landscape.
First rain in 6 weeks. Most welcome.
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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 hang on after autumn turns them brown. Young trees hold onto nearly all their leaves until spring while older more mature trees usually just hold onto the brown leaves on their lower branches, letting the leaves on higher branches fall to the ground with all the other leaves of autumn.
The world of nature, so complicated and intriguing.
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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. Those bushes are close and easy for me to see, but the birds were flying all through the woods, going after the wild berries too.
This particular Carolina Wren captured my imagination, appearing to show off its beautiful feathers. But of course it was there at the birdbath caring for those feathers.
Quite the busy day.
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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, whines, whirrs, and gurgling sounds. They can also mimic hawk calls, cats, squeaky gate sounds, and human speech.
Smart, noisy birds.
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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.
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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 that deer, rabbits and squirrels find offensive which perhaps will discourage them from visiting crops.
And Marigolds, as well as attracting pollinators, will also attract predatory insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies and other insects that will eat aphids and other crop damaging insects.
What a nice surprise to find some flowers blooming so late in the season. Time to bring some in.
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 up about 75 percent of their diet. They eat seeds from weeds, grasses, flowers, and grains and can be found at bird feeders too.
So very glad to have them back again.
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Two Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) at the bird bath late this afternoon. I had about ten steps to take to get my camera that was all set up to get pictures, but one of the Thrushes decided to leave before I got a chance to click an image.
The one that was left was fluffing and puffing its feathers after taking a dip in the water on this warm day. Birds take baths to maintain their feathers by removing dirt, bacteria and parasites. And to cool off on hot days.
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The leaves up here are still beautiful but one must look a bit more to see the brilliant colors of autumn. They’re not everywhere but just here and there now. Past peak.
This is a Mockernut Hickory (Carya tomentosa). One of the trees that is still hanging onto its leaves. Making autumn last a tiny bit longer.
A tree with a nut that appears quite large but once the husk is removed, one is left with a small nut, which is why it has the common name of Mockernut.
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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, or on private land.
The blight that has put the tree in dire straits is Cryphonectria parasitica, also known as the chestnut blight. It was first discovered in North America in 1904, in the New York Zoological Garden in the Bronx. Since that time the blight has wiped out between three and four billion American Chestnut trees. Work is ongoing by The American Chestnut Foundation to restore this precious tree. I’m hoping that one day it will happen.
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