Narrowleaf Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa), Native to eastern North America where it can be found in open woodlands, forest edges, and rock outcrops.
Lasting only one day, each bloom is replaced by another for a series of days. The picture above is of buds waiting their turn to open and show off their brilliant yellow. Each plant will reach one to two feet tall, and sometimes even three feet. Leaves turn red in autumn.
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Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana), is native to the eastern United States.
Each flower only lasts one day and blooms only in the morning but new flowers will pop up the next morning to take their place. They’re quite happy plants in one of my gardens. And oh do the bees and butterflies ever love them!
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Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) leaves just beginning their growth. But why are they red?
The red coloring often seen in new leaves is because of anthocyanin, a pigment which give those leaves that coloring. As the leaves mature and begin the process of photosynthesis, they gain the green pigment, chlorophyll, which gives them the coloring which we expect.
Seems like magic to me!
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Way up the mountain, in a power line right of way, lives a quite large Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia). A Mountain Laurel with a beautiful view down the mountain. That view glowing in the sunshine. What a lovely day for a hike. And perfect timing for finding this pale pink bush in full bloom.
Native to the eastern United States. It can grow into a small tree of 15 or 20 feet if conditions are right.
Quite the treat to find on such a lovely day.
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Like the Red-eyed Vireo that I wrote about yesterday, two Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) showed up at the birdbath yesterday afternoon as well. And like the Vireo, I’ve been hearing the distinctive rapid trilling which nearly sounds as if it’s from a machine – that sound that the Chipping Sparrows make. I didn’t have much hope of seeing them though.
But the birdbath won them over. Two of them splashing like little kids.
I’m pleased that they made a showing. I haven’t had a chance to get a photo of even one in several years.
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I’ve been hearing them for some time now with their unmistakable song of, “Here I am. Where are you?” The Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceus) have come back from their wintering grounds in the Amazon basin of South America. They return to their same breeding grounds every year which pleases me. A couple years ago a nest of Red-eyed Vireos were discovered in a Flowering Dogwood tree just a short distance from the cabin. That nest was watched until the babies fledged. Maybe this is one of that same family.
I’ve been hearing them but today was the first that I’ve seen of them. The birdbath can attract birds that you might not see otherwise. I’m glad to have birdbaths in the yard within easy view. Here the Red-eyed Vireo takes a moment to take a dip with the female Cardinal on the edge of the tiny pool. The Vireo is not one to stay long. It will take a dip and quickly go away only to return a couple minutes later repeating the same actions over and over.
I wonder what summer bird will show up next.
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My hike this morning took me way up the mountain to where there are precious little Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum) bushes. I missed their blooms, but green berries are on the bushes now and soon they will become a meal for some bird or other animal up there.
These bushes usually grow to be 9 – 20 in tall, and the berries might get to be 3/8 inch. They’re native to central Canada and central and eastern United States.
Leaves emerging on Hickory (Carya) trees looking like hands reaching out into spring.
Those leaves that emerge are pinnately compound leaves. Each leaf is made up of leaflets that are connected along both sides of the leaf stalk. The number of those leaflets varies from one Hickory species to another.
It is always a remarkable experience to see spring turn the forests to a nearly all green landscape. An experience that I thoroughly enjoy.
A good distance up past our gate, at the edge of the narrow dirt road, there is a patch of Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum) blending in with the other plants so that they’re hardly noticed.
The herbaceous perennials each send up a single, unbranched stem. This stem is topped with a panicle of 20 to 80 snow white flowers. See those tiny tree-like clusters of flowers surrounding the stem? This is what is called a panicle of flowers. They are blooming right now, up the dirt road. Many will pass by and not even notice. You must go slowly as you hike the mountain if you want to see such interesting things.
Summer watches as the flowers become berries. By mid-August they are red, or red and purple-striped berries. Birds, such as Ruffed Grouse and Veery will eat the berries and help spread the seeds throughout the woods.
And I’ll enjoy seeing the plants as I hike up to get more photos.
This is Stellafane ’90, a quilt inspired by one of many trips to an annual telescope makers convention and star party. My son, Kevin, and I went to those star parties for nearly 20 years.
I was reminded of this quilt when a rare event happened in the sky a week ago, when Northern Lights put on a show in the nighttime sky. A show that was visible to us in Virginia, and south to Florida and beyond. A friend reminded me how I missed an opportunity to see a similar show in Vermont when Stellafane 1990 was taking place.
It was Saturday night of the star party. I didn’t stay out extremely late that night anticipating a ten hour drive to get home the next day. When I got up the next morning I heard great stories of a remarkable Northern Lights display that looked like flames undulating above the tops of the trees. The other members of my astronomy club, The Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, seemed to enjoy telling me about it and what I had missed.
The event that I missed moved me to create this quilt. The one I missed at Stellafane ’90.
