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Look But Don’t Touch!
Many caterpillars aren’t to safe to pick up. If you don’t know what the species is that you’re admiring, proceed with caution. These are four caterpillars that can cause a very itchy rash if you pick them up. To be safe, look but don’t touch. This one is a Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae).…
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Trumpet Honeysuckle
Ice covered berries of NATIVE honeysuckle. Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). The scarlet berries bring Quail, Purple Finches, Goldfinches, Hermit Thrushes, American Robins, and surely more birds, to the vines which are native to the southeastern United States. Spring Azure butterflies and Snowberry Clearwing moths use the Trumpet Honeysuckle as their host plant. And if you’re…
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Ice
This past December fooled me. It was so warm. Not at all the way December is supposed to be in the Blue Ridge Mountains or in the Mid-Atlantic states. The whole month was that way. The warmth had me worried about how the rest of the winter would be. But January came through for me.…
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Not Every Winter
It’s not every winter I see them. But quite the treat to see when they do show up. The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata). Internet sites say you can attract them with sunflower seed, raisins, suet, and peanut butter. Where I see them most often though, not at the feeders but at the birdbath. I’ve got my…
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They Laugh at Winter
It’s been a mighty cold January. Last night’s low was an invigorating 6°. And yet here they come. Leaves emerging from the soil and soon there will be buds. Daffodils (Narcissus) are intrepid plants native to southern Europe and North Africa concentrated mainly in the western Mediterranean area. In the genus Narcissus there are over 50…
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Midwinter Blooms
Many months of new discoveries. Training to become a master naturalist. February 2010. Blandy Aboretum of Virginia. Midwinter, and my first introduction to Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis). Then a precious friend shared some of her Winter Aconite with me. All these years later they still emerge, sometimes through the snow, in early February. Like rays…
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Fluffed Against the Cold
Extra feathers and fluffing work quite well against the cold of winter. Here a Mourning Dove (Zenáida macroúra) and a Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) compare notes on keeping warm during the crispness of January.
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Time Travel and Hackberry Emperors
Come with me while I do a bit of time travel. Leaving the snow, ice and invigorating cold, we emerge in the sweltering heat and humidity of midsummer. Be sure to bring along your insect spray. Ticks are everywhere. And watch where you step, snakes are active too. I’ve come upon these photos of Hackberry…
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Flicker in the Tulip Poplar
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). A woodpecker that normally is seen on the ground, searching for ants, beetles and grubs. They pound into the soil in a way similar to what you’d expect to see other woodpeckers doing, pounding into a tree. As with most other insect eaters who are in this wintery land, Flickers switch…
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The Name, Tufted Titmouse
It all began long long ago, in the 14th century when the Old English name for bird, “mase,” and “tit,” meaning something small, were put together to represent the Tufted Titmouse. Time went by, the word “mase,” morphed into “mose” which eventually became “mouse” and took on new thoughts of what it means. A quick…