Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). Native to eastern Canada and eastern United States. It is a tree that prefers the higher, and cooler, elevations here in central Virginia, further up than here where I live. We did plant a few Sugar Maple trees several years ago though, and they seem to be quite happy. It is their seeds that need that extra boost of cold.

This is a tree that is sensitive to pollution, more so that other species of maple. Maple decline can be blamed on acid rain and soil acidification.

A tree that puts on a great color show late in the autumn. This picture was taken yesterday.

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Strappy Blooms

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), is in bloom right now. Providing nectar and pollen to fruit flies, blow flies, wasps, bees, and beetles this late in the year when there is very little otherwise available to them.

The flowers make me think of yellow shredded coconut. Each blossom is made up of 4 petals and 4 sepals. Both petals and sepals are yellow.

A bush or small tree. Witch Hazel is native to eastern North America.

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White Oak

While I was out this morning, the sun hitting these rich red leaves caught my eye. They’re White Oak (Quercus alba). A tree that is native to eastern and central North America. A tree that grows to 50-80 feet occasionally to 100 feet. And a diameter of 36-48 inches. An incredible lifespan of 350-500 years.

And what I love about the tree, between the leaves and the bark, it is so easy to identify.

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Clematis Virginiana

Clematis virginiana

So many marvelous things to see up in The Park yesterday, including large puffs of white, scattered here and there. The seeds of Clematis virginiana. In this picture I’ve really zeroed in on the seeds these puffs contain, making the color seem more pale orange-tan than the white I was seeing from a distance.

This is a perennial vine which blooms in mid to late summer and the white blooms last for about a month. The flowers can develop in three different forms, either male, female, or perfect flowers which are flowers that have both male and female parts. Individual flowers are about 3/4 inches across, growing into a panicle or cluster of flowers.

Pollinated by butterfies, bees, flies and hummingbirds. And then you get large puffs of white.

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Up In The Park

Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

Trekking in Shenandoah National Park today. A short distance from my cabin’s front door. A location that calls to me, no matter the season. Perhaps the most spectacular, autumn. Breathtaking colors. All the warm colors that exist were on display among the trees.

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An Excursion

Up over the mountains into the Valley. A yearly excursion to the pumpkin patch. This year, one of the good ones. So many pumpkins. So many different sizes. So many different colors. So many different patterns. So difficult to choose. But mission accomplished. Now to get on with the carving.

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Pincushion Moss

Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum glaucum) provides a soft landing spot for a leaf of Red Maple (Acer rubrum).

This moss can be found in many spots around the globe. In North America it’s found in the eastern and northern US and further north into Canada. In Europe it’s found in the United Kingdom and Ireland to Scandinavia and central European countries. It’s also found in China, Korea, and Japan.

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Subtle Autumn Colors With Pawpaws

We think of this time of year as synonymous with rich warm colors. Pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) listen to a different drummer though. This picture above was taken yesterday. Summer’s emerald green fading to subtle shades of yellow.

This image will be what I’ll be seeing at this same colony of Pawpaws in a couple weeks, showing subdued yellows and tans.

These small trees multiply into colonies by way of basal shoots. “New” trees emerge from these shoots but are actually a single colony of trees that are genetically identical.

Nature is amazing.

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An Eastern Phoebe Strikes A Pose

Two days ago, as I was busy snapping pictures of a Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis), there was an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) sitting on a post appearing to be ready for a portrait shot as well.

I got enough images of the Winter Wren that I was quite sure at a least one of them would work for that evening’s post. So I switched to my volunteer and sure enough it posed for me like it had gone to modeling school.

They’re fun to have around with their tail flipping up and down. A teeny bit bigger than a Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor).

The Eastern Phoebe eats mostly insects during the warm months. Once it turns cold, and insects are hard to find they will include berries and other small fruits in their diet.

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Coyote!

Years ago in Tucson, Arizona, I saw my first Coyote (Canis latrans). One would think a logical place to see one. Historically Coyotes have been found in prairies and desert areas of Mexico and central North America. But now they can be found in 49 of the United States with the exception of Hawaii, thanks in part to agriculture, forest fragmentation, expansion of human development, and the decline in populations of their predators which include wolves and cougars, great horned owls, bald and golden eagles and bears.

Two days ago, after all this time, I saw my second Coyote. Extremely quick and elusive, I was unable to get a photo of it. Today though it saw it again and had success in capturing it in pixels.

These critters are opportunistic predators. At the top of their preferences for dining come small mammals like rabbits, voles, shrews, and mice. They’ll also eat skunks, frogs, beavers, birds, insects, berries, road-killed deer and other carrion they might come upon. They normally travel as well as search for food alone or occasionally in pairs.

Sure glad I got pictures today!

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