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Fledgling Cardinal
I don’t keep track of birds I’ve seen, where and when. No life list. Yesterday though, was the first time I’ve ever seen a fledgling Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). I won’t write it down. Just interesting to think of. Cardinals generally lay their eggs late April to early May. Two to five eggs are laid,…
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Bear In The Garden
Finally, after a long absence, a Black Bear (Ursus americanus) has made its presence known to me. After seeing, not a single one for a few years, this is a treat. This one that showed up, providing me time to get several pictures, looking mighty healthy. This beautiful creature is a youngster. They leave their…
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Dogwood Blooming In June
There are somewhere between 30 to 60 species of Dogwood in the family Cornaceae. This one, Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), is quite different in many ways from the Dogwood that I’m most familiar with, Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida. But first, the leaves look very similar, and they are both opposite. Gray Dogwood is in full bloom, as…
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Sunshine Yellow Blooms
The brightest of yellow, blooming right now. Narrow Leaf Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa), a native to eastern North America. A member of the Evening Primrose family, Onagraceae. Bees, butterflies and skippers pollinate the flowers. A delight to see, brightening the roadsides. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up…
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Bird Days
The summer birds are arriving. I’m having a grand time seeing the first of this, that, and the other bird, as each day ticks by. Yesterday was a good one for seeing firsts. Not necessarily a good day for photos though. As I’ve raved about in the past, my birdbath is a great attraction for…
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Goldfinches At The Yucca
Not quite in their full summer plumage, the Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) were at the Yucca filamentosa yesterday afternoon as if it were their playground. Truth be told, I’ve been sprinkling hulled sunflower seeds on the ground, which is what called to them. Goldfinches are seed eaters. I love to let my gardens be, as summer…
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Being Bold
I’m thoroughly enjoying this elusive bird showing off its bold side. Circumstances must be just right for this Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) to step out and be seen. This picture is from today. Usually they are hidden under dense bushes. Hiding from my camera. Not so the past couple days with tempting blueberries on the…
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Downy False Foxglove
Downy False Foxglove (Aureolaria virginica), flowers during the summer months, June through August. Downy False Foxglove is a perennial hemiparasite. Hemiparasite means that it depends upon its host for some of its nutrients. In this case, Downy False Foxglove depends upon Oak trees (Quercus), mainly White Oaks (Quercus alba), getting these nutrients through their roots.…
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Grape Tube Galls
Nature is full of surprises, like these galls that I found on a wild grapevine. They’re grape tube galls, created by a midge, Schizomyia viticola. The midge lays eggs on the leaf and the gall is the plant’s reaction to it. Actually there is very little damage done to the grapevine, and these galls are…