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Soon To Let Go
Soon to let go. Soon to drop to the ground. Soon to be bare branches with buds of flowers at the tips. Flowers to bloom six months from now. All set to go. Just waiting for the perfect time. Time for the blooms of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) to open and delight. _______________________________________________________________________ If you…
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Not Blue But Lavender
A common name for this Aster is Blue Wood Aster. It’s not a blue flower but pale purple or lavender. I choose not to use that name but rather another common name, Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium). I’m seeing these precious puffs of lavender all along the gravel road going up the mountain. A perfect accent…
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Rearview Mirror
They have been gone now, a bit more than a month. Looking at us through their rearview mirrors. An incredibly beautiful bird of blue, the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). Flying, perhaps with a planisphere under one of its wings, since it flies at night, using the stars to find its way to its destination. Their…
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Driving Through A Painting
Since returning from a very difficult trip to Florida just a few days ago my world has been filled to overflowing with wonderful colors. The warm colors. Many shades of yellow, orange and red with a few bits of green left, fighting to survive, and of course those perfect accent hues of purple from light,…
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Every Now And Then
Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis). Smaller than a Carolina Wren. They enjoy coming to my bird bath to care for their feathers. Seeming to be constantly in motion. Eating small insects and spiders, supplementing their diet with berries in the winter. A winter resident that doesn’t make its presence obvious. Choosing rather to stay in the…
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Higher Elevations
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) a tree that I only find further up in the higher elevations where I hike. With the exception of the ones that have been planted here in the vicinity of my cabin. They prefer the cold that the higher elevations provide. These trees can have a very long life. Two hundred…
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Crimson Leaves
I was away for several days, hoping when I returned that the autumn leaves would be just as beautiful as when I headed south. Taking the back roads seemed to be driving back through time. From autumn into green leaves. Not a sign of autumn anywhere. What a joy to return to discover the leaves…
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It Calls Its Name
A sweet bird that calls its name. Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). A bird that comes back to the nest it built the breeding season before, to use it again. That happens year after year, here at my cabin. A nest was built under the eaves of the wood shop, and continues to be used every breeding…
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Super Sassafras Shades
Dependable in its rich colors of October. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Turning from soft green, its fragrant leaves become multiple shades, perfect for the autumn season. Sassafras, aside from its delightful aroma, has a vast repertoire of colors it shows off as October crawls to the haunting day of Halloween. Warm delightful colors. Many shades of…
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Bejeweled
Seemingly bejeweled, the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). I don’t see nearly enough of these beauties. As adults they seek the nectar of many flowers. A short list: goldenrod, ironweed, sunflowers, mistflower, asters, coneflowers. I’ve recently added Blue Vervain to one of my gardens. I’ve read that they enjoy the nectar of those flowers as well.…