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Sweet Rain!
Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum) The end of April, so very hot and no rain for such a long time. No rain for nearly the whole month. Spiderwort (Tradescantia) Now it has cooled off with temperatures that seem normal, maybe even a bit cooler than normal. Most welcome temperatures. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) And now sweet, sweet rain.…
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Another Milkweed
This is Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia). The flowers can be white, or a subtle shade of pink or lavender. Monarch butterflies have a single host plant for the survival of their larvae —Milkweed. There are several dozen native species of Milkweed in North American. This Fourleaf Milkweed is native to the eastern US and Canada,…
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Leaves Like Maples
About to bloom up here in the mountains. Maple-leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). The common name of Maple-leaf Viburnum is because of the resemblance of this Viburnum’s leaves to a Maple (Acer). The flowers are in flat-headed panicles, with each individual flower being 1/4 inch across. The leaves of Maple-leaf Viburnum grow up to five inches…
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Iris For Mom
My Mom loved Iris. I think perhaps purple Iris were her favorite. Butterflies love them too. This is a species I enjoy. A tiny Iris that is short in stature with a flower that measures 2.5 inches across. Native to southern and midwestern United States. Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata). Happy Mother’s Day. _______________________________________________________________________ If…
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Northern Lights
Thanks to series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun I was able to go out and capture an image of the Northern lights (aurora borealis) tonight. A rare treat for central Virginia! That bright star you see nearly at the center of the picture is Vega. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like…
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Like A Fingerprint
A handsome male Common Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) rambling across the road. This is my first this season to give a helping hand across the road and into a safe environment again. What intricate patterns they have on their shells. Those patterns are just like our fingerprints. You can identify a Box Turtle by the…
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Going To Seed
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) a perennial herb, native to Eastern North America. It’s decorating the landscape everywhere up here now. Rich pink dots of color can be found in endless places. Charming spring. Flowers though, in the lower elevations are coming to the end of their lives, slowly becoming seed pods with a fun surprise included…
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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…