-
Winter Food For Finches
Leave the seedheads! That’s what this is. Seedheads of Spotted St. Johnswort (Hypericum punctatum). Seeds that finches will enjoy during the winter. A picture from February 25, 2014, when there was snow, lovely SNOW! _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
-
Greenbrier Berries
Greenbrier (Smilax). In Virginia there are 11 species of Greenbrier. Often with a common name that contains the word “brier” because of thorns along the stems of the plant, or sharp points on the leaves. A tough vine. And those thorns can really cause some harm if you grab the vine in the wrong way.…
-
Traffic Jam Resolved
A traffic jam on the back porch. All those little footprints. Goodness! How many were out there? This was Valentine’s Day, 2014. It was quickly resolved when someone went out the back door. The only thing left, the tiny prints. I love the patterns that are made by the birds with their little feet in…
-
White Oak Leaves Will Fall In Spring
White Oak (Quercus alba), one of the trees that keeps its leaves during the winter. At least some of them. A large tree such as this one will retain the leaves on its lower branches. This is called marcescence, when a deciduous tree retains its leaves through the winter, waiting for its new spring leaves…
-
Spring On Its Way
Daffodil (Narcissus) leaves emerging today. Pushing their leaves up through leaf litter. Leaf litter in which there could be many butterflies, moths and other insects waiting for winter to shake off its snow and let spring go on with her warmer weather. Just a few weeks is all that is needed. A few weeks, sunshine…
-
Hiding Away During The Winter
Three butterflies that overwinter as adults. Snuggled down in crevices of tree bark or in leaf litter. Perhaps the leaf litter in your gardens. That is IF you’ve left the leaf litter there in your yard as a potential sanctuary from the freezing cold of winter. Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) Mourning Cloak…
-
Senior Year
I’m a quilter, though I’ve ignored that part of me for quite some time. Photography has taken over the artistic inclinations that I have. Nature, Spanish and yoga have all filled in the other gaps. My studio has a gigantic closet that was designed just for all my “paints”. Here is just a tiny glimpse…
-
Midwinter Celebration
Not a strawberry waiting to be picked but buds of Hellebores (Helleborus) waiting for just the right day to celebrate the middle of winter. Can you imagine these opening up in midwinter? They’re native to Europe and Asia. I seldom allow non-natives into my gardens these days but there are some special, sentimental exceptions. This…
-
An Odd Leaf Of Winter
Putty Root Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) is native, usually in higher elevations, of eastern and central U.S., and Canada. Here in Virginia this tiny orchid is often found growing alongside Beech and Maple trees, in calcareous ravines. It produces a single leaf, oval with pointed tip, in late November and lives on until March. That single…
-
Midwinter Blooms
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis). Native to Europe and southwestern Asia. Blooming right now, adding unexpected charm to the otherwise dormant winter garden. I love them. _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!