An American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), its forked tail a hint to its identity. Looking a bit curious.
A small bird at 4.25 to 5 inches in length. Wingspan of about 8 inches. Once they discover you are putting out seeds that they enjoy, you’ll see them often.
I love to hear them when they’re not even visible, with their soft songs, letting me know that they’re coming to get some sunflower seeds.
A Pitch Pine Cone (Pinus rigida), containing the beautiful Fibonacci sequence. So many examples of it in nature — pineapples, seedheads, sea shells, spiral galaxies, are just a few.
Imagine, right now in the cold of winter, there are adult Mourning Cloak Butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) hunkering down waiting for spring. Hunkering down in cracks in rocks, under loose tree bark, in tree cavities. They manage to do this in a state of torpor, which is similar to hibernation.
As spring arrives, this butterfly’s task is to produce a new generation. This one job being taken care of, they die.
This knowledge gives me great appreciation for the Mourning Cloaks I see in spring, summer, and autumn on the road as I hike up my mountain.
One day later and it was mighty cold this morning at the yoga studio, 28°. The newly filled vernal pool pleased me with its thin covering of ice. I always bring along my camera, and Mother Nature did the rest.
The yoga studio has its vernal pool again. After many many months of just a dry depression at the edge of the parking lot, it has arrived again thanks to many bits of rain over the past couple weeks, including 2 or 3 inches of rain yesterday.
A vernal pool full of loads of potential for entertaining me and my camera. As of this morning there were no frog eggs or tadpoles, and with temperatures just a bit too warm, there are no lovely, frozen pieces of artwork.
With a some luck this little pool of water will stay around for a while, for me to observe each morning as I arrive for yoga.
This afternoon’s sun, lighting up the marcescent leaves of an American Beech (Fagus grandifolia).
Trees that have marcescent leaves are trees that keep their leaves until spring when new leaves begin to grow and push the old leaves off and to the ground. It is still uncertain why this happens. There are thoughts though, including that the falling leaves create a new layer of mulch with nutrients for growth just in time for a new season. Or that those falling leaves help keep moisture in the soil, again for the new growing season.
Other thoughts concern animals that are around the marcescent leaves. Birds benefit from protection that the leaves provide from cold winter winds. Or could it be that marcescent leaves are protecting the tempting, tender, and nutritious buds and twigs that could be consumed by deer.
Whatever the reason that this occurs, I certainly enjoy finding these leaves still on trees here in the woods on my mountain.
There’s a rock wall, a tenth of a mile long, that parallels the lane approaching my cabin. Many, many years ago it was created to help the land above become a bit more level, for growing corn. Now all these years later those rocks have a remarkable amount of lichen growing on them. The brilliant yellow or yellow-green colored lichen on the rocks, Sulphur Dust Lichen (Chrysothrix chlorina).
This lichen is sometimes used for dyeing. Its texture, soft and powdery. A touch against it will easily leave a mark. It generally grows in shady areas, most often on rocks and in rare occasions on the bark of trees.
That brilliant yellow makes this lichen easily spotted. That is, if you’re paying attention to what’s around you. So much out there to notice, no matter the season.
Today’s weather, not quite what I was hoping for. Yes, this morning there was first sleet, then freezing rain. But in what seemed like the blink of an eye it was gone. Turned to just rain. Actually it did happen more slowly than that, but by mid-afternoon the winter glam and glitter was gone.
Ah well. We’ve got nearly the whole winter to look forward to for that glam and glitter. I will be patient.
Gardens in winter can be a source of food for many animals. Let those seedheads stay for the birds to enjoy. This is a male Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) in his winter attire.
Goldfinch are here year ’round. They come to my feeders for the black oil sunflower seeds that I put out, but they also come to my gardens to dine on the seadheads that are left from last summer’s blooms.
In this case, this fellow is enjoying the seeds of Eastern Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida).
