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Thankful For Rain
Rain drops on Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens). Severe drought. A sad situation. But today, at long last it has rained all day. Still coming down steadily. I’m watching as the inches slowly creep up. As I write this the rain gauge tells me 2.89 inches. A bit of a dent in our 18 inch…
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White Berries
Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa). White berries, not red, as we would normally expect on another member of the same genus (Cornus), a Flowering Dogwood tree. Those white berries, sitting on bright crimson pedicles, that to me look like miniature trees. Those pedicles lasting through the winter. Gray Dogwoods send out suckers from their rhizomes, creating…
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Away With The Wind
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Spring finds the plant reaching tall to the sky. Summer brings blooms of pale mauve, brownish-pink. Autumn’s cooling temperatures welcome horn-shaped seed pods filled with flat brown seeds. Fluff called milkweed floss are attached to the seeds, ready to send the seeds wherever the wind may take it. Much like making…
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Winter Residents
They’ve been here a couple weeks now. Some of the winter residents. They’re thoroughly enjoying the seeds and suet that I’m putting out for them. White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). Come spring, they’ll be heading north again, to Canada and New England. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign…
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Autumn Berries
Maple-leaf Viburnum berries (Viburnum acerifolium) ripen in early autumn, providing food for many animals, including deer, rabbits, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, songbirds, skunks and mice. A small shrub, Maple-leaf Viburnum joins in with great colors in autumn. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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How Do They Spend The Winter
A painting of an Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus), which I did for my Mom and Dad many years ago. The Eastern Chipmunk is a very entertaining little creature who has quite the expandable set of cheeks, great for stuffing with seeds, peanuts, and acorns, and transporting them to their den. Storing them for their winter…
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Creepy Looking But Good Insect
The largest of the true bugs in the family of Assassin and Ambush Bugs (Reduviidae). Generally about an inch long, sometimes reaching 1.5 inches. These are North American Wheel Bugs (Arilus cristatus). They’re found in eastern Canada, the United States, south into Mexico and Guatemala. Good because they prey on garden pests, caterpillars and beetles.…
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An Invasive Introduced In 1806
Groan. Yes, introduced in 1806, to Long Island, New York, as an ornamental, for erosion control, and for wildlife uses. Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), native to east Asia, and some parts of China. The flowers of this species of Honeysuckle provide food to deer, rabbits, hummingbirds and other animals. Its fruit, the berries pictured above,…
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Up Here
Many of the colorful leaves are covering the ground now, providing a place for overwintering animals to snuggle down, to survive through the cold of the jacket and mitten season. Not all leaves are down though. There are still brilliant hues out there cheering the mountains. Here a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) greets the few…
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A Ping Pong Ball With Feathers
A week ago this little bird agreed to model for me and my camera. It and many of its friends know me well, waiting to hear me calling as I set out meal worms and sunflower seed hulls for them. And they come right away for their meals. This, a Chickadee (Poecile). These Chickadees, that…