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Calling All Hummingbirds
Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) blooming abundantly right now, to welcome the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds back from their wintering grounds in Central America. Long tubular orangish-red flowers, seem to be designed just for the clowns of summer. Coral Honeysuckle is native to the eastern United States. Its opposite leaves, growing directly below the blooms are fused at…
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Delicate Yellow In May
Hiking along the trails up here in the mountains during May you might find this splendid herbaceous perennial. With rich yellow blooms, this is Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea). The native range of Golden Alexanders is the eastern and central US where it can grow to 2.5 feet tall. The host plant of the Black Swallowtail…
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Canada Violet
Canada Violet (Viola canadensis). Yellow centers, purple stripes accenting the lower petals with the two side petals having smaller purple stripes. The backs of the petals have a wash of purple. Leaves are heart shaped with a long slender base with bluntly toothed edges. Violets are the host plant of Fritillary butterflies. _______________________________________________________________________ If you…
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Unusual Pink Trillium
Lovely Trilliums growing in the woods up here in the mountains. Depending where you are, you might come upon a huge patch of them. A community of White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). These white blooms will slowly turn pink after being pollinated. This has confused me because occasionally I see pink buds opening. In the image…
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More Summer Residents
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived, and now I’m pleased that another of the many birds that spend the summer here has arrived. The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), like many of the birds that spend the summer here are stunning. The top image is a male Redstart and in the image directly above is a female…
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Red Or Orange?
A stunning butterfly. Just look at those colors. Black and white, rich purplish-blue, and that red (orange?). This, the dorsal side (or top side) of the butterfly. This is a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) which has an impressive range including North and South America, Europe and Asia. And of course because of its vastly different…
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Carolina Allspice
Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus). Keep that scientific name handy since I discovered if you Google “Carolina Allspice” you will get all sorts of things that are not this shrub. Carolina Allspice grows to 6 – 9 feet tall, and is native to the southeastern US, where it is found at woodland edges and openings. Its…
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Red Trillium
Oh spring! You bring delight! To roam the woods. Slowly. Taking in all the beauty. Here, one of those treats. Red Trillium (Trillium erectum). Those incredible petals, some so dark that they are nearly black. It is said that the rotting meat scent of this flower is intended to attract flies and beetles. Reflected in…
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Wearing Its Name
A beautiful bunch of Red maple (Acer rubrum) samaras, or helicopters, or keys, or seeds. Reflecting its name. But then there are red flowers, red twigs and in the autumn red leaves. Choose what you want that “red” to stand for. You may notice though that in autumn those leaves don’t necessarily turn red. Some Red…
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Blooming Saguaro
This East Coast gal has learned a lot about the states of New Mexico and Arizona. One of the things I’ve learned about in my many many trips out there is, this is a Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and it is only native to southern Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico (old Mexico – not New Mexico).…