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A Member Of The Soldier Beetle Family
Another Beetle that looks a bit like a Lightning Bug. Scientific name, Podabrus tomentosus. A species of the Soldier Beetle family, Cantharidae. There are approximately 3,500 species in this family. The Podabrus tomentosus is a species of Soldier Beetle that the Internet has neglected. It has no common name and in my search I found no…
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Christmas Trees
For more years than I can count we’ve grown Christmas trees in two large fields here, below the cabin. Trees that we’ve planted. Norway Spruce (Picea abies), White Pine (Pinus strobus), Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Concolor Fir (Abies concolor), and my absolute favorite Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens). That Blue Spruce, needs care in handling,…
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Yellow Garden Spider
Eye catching in its size and coloring, eye catching in its web design. Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia). A pretty large spider. The body of the female, the larger of the sexes, is about an inch in length, up to three times the size of males. Add those long legs and that is indeed a…
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Yellow-rumped Warblers
An occasional visitor to my bird bath, in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. A Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata). Fondly called Butterbutts by birders. If you don’t have a bird bath, I sure recommend one equipped with a water warmer to keep the water from freezing during the coldest that winter can throw at you. These warblers…