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On The Back Hill
April 4, 2025 Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) native to eastern United States from Rhode Island and New York to Louisiana and northern Florida. Beginning to bloom on my back hill. In the middle of May it will look like this blooming like crazy. The blooms will continue, though not quite as profusely, on through…
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Wild Strawberry Blooms
April 3, 2025 They’re blooming now. Wild Strawberries (Fragaria vesca). Popping up like weeds, all over. They’re native plants. Plants that I thoroughly enjoy. I don’t discourage them. The strawberries they produce have an exceptionally wonderful flavor. The only problem with the berries is that they are so tiny. They will be here, getting ripe…
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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…