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First Tiger Swallowtail Of Spring
April 2, 2025 Yesterday afternoon and the first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio gloucus) of spring, checking Daffodils (Narcissus) for pollen. No adult Tiger Swallowtails live through the winter. These Swallowtails spend the winter as chrysalises and will emerge as adults beginning right about now. Looking forward to seeing many more as spring turns to summer.…
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It Is Time For PINK!
April 1, 2025 A Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) sitting amongst pink blooms of an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). The buds as well as the flowers are a valuable source of nutrition. Downy Woodpeckers, along with many songbirds including Cedar Waxwings, Chickadees, Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Juncos, and others, eat these buds and flowers. Exquisite flowers making clouds…
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Little Spring Butterfly
March 31, 2025 Both these images are of the same species of butterfly. Spring Azures (Celastrina ladon) which are active right now. A very small butterfly with a wingspan of about an inch. Tiny. The image above gives you a glimpse of the dorsal side (the side of the wing which you see when the…
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Quite The Songster
March 30, 2025 Yesterday morning I heard beautiful musical phrases each repeated twice, coming from the woods. A Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) singing his heart out. It is the male Brown Thrasher that sings, and he has a vast repertoire of songs. Even more songs than other songsters and family members Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and…
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A Quick Glimpse
March 29, 2025 A quick glimpse of blue in the garden this morning. An Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) came by for a brief drink and a quick, “Hello!” They’re only seen occasionally. Hoping a pair will use one of the houses that are out for them this spring. Quite the pleasure to see. _______________________ If…
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Variegated Fritillary Caterpillar
March 28, 2025
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The Elusive Towhee
March 27, 2025 Another solitary bird. One that is around but not obvious, since it enjoys dense shrubs and lots of leaf litter in which to search for their next meal of seeds or insects. An Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). The male Towhee sings its song, an easy one to remember, “Drink your teeeeea!” A…
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First Of The Violets
March 26, 2025 Little white and purply-blue Violets blooming near my frog pond, in the first week of spring. Bi-colored Common Blue Violets (Viola sororia f. priceana). Native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Violets are the host plant of many Fritillary butterflies. Welcome spring. _______________________ If you would like to…
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It Says Its Name
March 25, 2025 Often I’ll hear it calling its name before I see it. A Phoebe (Savornis phoebe) who often flicks its tail. An insect eating bird that will take off from its perch in pursuit of its prey and return to that same spot to eat it. A solitary bird, so the one I…
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Twinleaf In Bloom
March 24, 2025 A small native flower that doesn’t get much attention. Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), native to eastern North America. In bloom right now. This is one of those plants that has seeds that are attractive to ants. The ants gather them, take them to their nest and feed their larvae the nutritious portion of…