Sometimes

A Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) is a species of bird that I see just sometimes. Yes, winter, but not every winter. Just sometimes.

It’s a bird that from one winter to another is totally unpredictable whether it will migrate into one area or another. This is called an irruptive species. They will pay attention to the condition of cone crops in their area in the autumn. If they feel those crops are insufficient they will migrate to another area. Sometimes this happens every other year but the timing and areas where they will end up can’t be counted on.

I haven’t seen any Pine Siskin yet this winter. I’ve had some come to my feeders and birdbaths in 2015 and 2019. I’m still hoping to see some before this winter comes to an end. My camera and I will be all set to get pictures if some come by though. I’m hoping!

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Winter Food For Finches

Leave the seedheads! That’s what this is. Seedheads of Spotted St. Johnswort (Hypericum punctatum).

Seeds that finches will enjoy during the winter.

A picture from February 25, 2014, when there was snow, lovely SNOW!

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Greenbrier Berries

Greenbrier (Smilax).

In Virginia there are 11 species of Greenbrier. Often with a common name that contains the word “brier” because of thorns along the stems of the plant, or sharp points on the leaves.

A tough vine. And those thorns can really cause some harm if you grab the vine in the wrong way. Not a plant you want anywhere near your gardens but a native plant that provides food, shelter, and protection for many animals.

If you’ve got a spot where you can let Greenbrier grow, the berries will attract birds — Wild Turkeys, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, and Pileated Woodpeckers to name just a few.

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Traffic Jam Resolved

A traffic jam on the back porch. All those little footprints. Goodness! How many were out there? This was Valentine’s Day, 2014. It was quickly resolved when someone went out the back door. The only thing left, the tiny prints.

I love the patterns that are made by the birds with their little feet in the snow.

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White Oak Leaves Will Fall In Spring

White Oak (Quercus alba), one of the trees that keeps its leaves during the winter. At least some of them. A large tree such as this one will retain the leaves on its lower branches. This is called marcescence, when a deciduous tree retains its leaves through the winter, waiting for its new spring leaves to push off the leaves from the previous season.

Nature has so many fun surprises.

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Spring On Its Way

Daffodil (Narcissus) leaves emerging today.

Pushing their leaves up through leaf litter. Leaf litter in which there could be many butterflies, moths and other insects waiting for winter to shake off its snow and let spring go on with her warmer weather.

Just a few weeks is all that is needed.

A few weeks, sunshine and maybe a little bit of warmth.

Lookout. Here it comes.

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Hiding Away During The Winter

Three butterflies that overwinter as adults. Snuggled down in crevices of tree bark or in leaf litter. Perhaps the leaf litter in your gardens. That is IF you’ve left the leaf litter there in your yard as a potential sanctuary from the freezing cold of winter.

Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

All three of these butterflies spend the winter as adults in a dormant state hiding from the chill of winter. Either under leaf litter, in a crevice of tree bark or some other place it might find to escape the cold. On any particularly warm day you might find one of these butterflies out enjoying the warmth only to return until winter has completed its progression through the calendar.

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Senior Year

I’m a quilter, though I’ve ignored that part of me for quite some time. Photography has taken over the artistic inclinations that I have. Nature, Spanish and yoga have all filled in the other gaps. My studio has a gigantic closet that was designed just for all my “paints”. Here is just a tiny glimpse of all those colors.

And here is, “Senior Year”, reflecting all the conflict, confusion, uncertainty during that year. I started out thinking I’d do a black and white quilt with just a few spots of red but went to feel it needed more than just red for accents.

Once the top of “Senior Year” was completed, the real fun began, the quilting. Stitching messages of love for future generations to interpret for themselves.

A trip back in time, making me wonder if I can squeeze a bit more time out of my day – for making quilts again.

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Midwinter Celebration

Not a strawberry waiting to be picked but buds of Hellebores (Helleborus) waiting for just the right day to celebrate the middle of winter. Can you imagine these opening up in midwinter? They’re native to Europe and Asia.

I seldom allow non-natives into my gardens these days but there are some special, sentimental exceptions. This one, introduced to me eons ago by a dear quilter friend and now hiker friend of mine, Granger, who told me about the “Hello Boris” plants.

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An Odd Leaf Of Winter

Putty Root Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) is native, usually in higher elevations, of eastern and central U.S., and Canada. Here in Virginia this tiny orchid is often found growing alongside Beech and Maple trees, in calcareous ravines.

It produces a single leaf, oval with pointed tip, in late November and lives on until March. That single leaf has thin white stripes set against broader rich green stripes, often with a rumpled texture. The other side which tends to face the ground is most often a purplish green or a dull purple.

That single leaf begins to wither away and finally vanishes as the plant produces a single stalk of 8 to 16 flowers, less than a foot tall in April, occasionally blooming in May and June. Often though that single leaf that survived through the winter does not produce a flower stalk. Leaving me and my camera, searching for native orchids to photograph, scratching our heads.