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Blooming Saguaro
This East Coast gal has learned a lot about the states of New Mexico and Arizona. One of the things I’ve learned about in my many many trips out there is, this is a Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and it is only native to southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico (old Mexico – not New Mexico).…
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Tiny Feet
Look at those incredibly tiny feet! The middle toe is just 1/4 inch long. Surely Hummingbirds are students of yoga, since they’re able to scratch their heads and necks with those feet. Years ago the goal was to put out the Hummingbird feeder by Mother’s Day. This year I put out the feeder on April…
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Obolaria
Obolaria (Obolaria virginica) is a small plant that’s native to the eastern United States. The purplish green of some of its leaves helps the plant blend in with the leaf litter where it emerges. It spends much of the year underground emerging as the weather warms and the arrival of leaves overhead encourages it to…
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Not Petals But Bracts
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) in the very early stages of floral bloom, back on April 10th. Those little pale green nubs at the center are the buds of the Dogwood flowers. Those four even paler green items extending out from the buds – items that we most often think of as petals are actually bracts.…
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Ecstasy
Dear readers, friends, and family, Tendrils is back – finally. My blog crashed on March 29th and I’ve been trying to stay calm since then. As I tried to figure things out it seemed I was hitting a brick wall everyday but thanks to very helpful Rick at Bluehost, in the Philippines, things have been…
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Spring Colors
What a joy to be out and about in the spring finding all the colors that have been sprinkled in the woods by Mother Nature. Such a kick after winter with its black and white landscape. Okay, not literally black and white. Many shades of brown, gray, white and the greens of evergreen trees. That’s…
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Creature In The Woods
There’s a creature out there in the woods just waiting for the faint of heart. I have a fun imagination, seeing things that others don’t. This creature is actually just a log in the woods but it is waiting for the faint of heart. Be careful if you’re out in the woods! _______________________________________________________________________ If you…
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Tiny Early Spring Butterfly
Teeny tiny with a wingspan of just one inch. Don’t blink. You might miss it. This is the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), that flies in a fast, unpredictable manner. The ventral sides of a butterfly’s wings are the undersides, the sides that are seen when the wings are held together, closed. That is the preferred…
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Often Considered A Weed
Ah, yes. THAT weed! Not one I’m particularly concerned about. No threat of bringing precious trees down as is the case with some other invasives. This one reminds me of my Dad who seemed to take it upon himself to rid the world of as many Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) plants in his yard and that…
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An Early Sighting
An afternoon trekking through the woods in a favorite spot in western Albemarle County. Woods, yes, but so very different than the woods here on my mountain in Greene County. And quite the surprise, I happened upon an adult Luna Moth (Actias luna). I’ve never seen one so early. Its color surprised me too. Leaning…