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Early Spring And A Butterfly
The Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa). One of the first butterflies that you’ll see in early spring, or during warm winter days. They’re able to accomplish this because they overwinter as adults in locations such as tree cavities or under loose tree bark. Emerging as an adult rather than having to mature from a larval…
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A Tiger Beetle
This one, the Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata), which I love to find along the trails up here. A lovely color. Metallic, emerald green, though some lean toward a blue-green. A beneficial insect, consuming insects and other arthropods that are pests in our gardens and woods. _____________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily…
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3.14159265359
Happy Pi Day! Remember Heidi Bakery? Sponsor of The Pick Temple Show. I was on that program when I was in 1st grade. Ah, the memories! ______________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Blueberry Buds
Since autumn they’ve been waiting there at the ends of the branches. Waiting through the chill of winter. Biding time till spring. Now that spring is nearly here the buds are swelling. Oodles of buds. Blueberry bushes in front of the cabin, in front of the woodshop, in front of the vegetable garden. With just…
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An INCH!
Snow this morning. First a nice slow gentle falling. Then lots of graupel that made the ground look like it was covered by exploded bits of styrofoam coolers. Then snow, snow, snow. Lots of snow falling from the sky. It covered the ground with a serious, measurable, inch of snow. The most snow we’ve had…
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Time
Wikipedia says, “Daylight saving time, also referred to as daylight savings time or daylight time, or summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls at a later clock time.” Oh dear, it’s going to happen again. Don’t forget. Tonight. _______________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily…
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Woods Awash With Soft Yellow-green
The woods are full of small, soft yellow-green blooms now. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is showing off its flowers. Spicebush, the larval host plant of the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) is a perennial shrub that often reaches to 15 feet, sometimes 20 feet. It is dioecious, meaning there are only male or female flowers on a…
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Double Surprise Day
The delightful spring weather called to me today. Called me to come out. To walk around. Something that I love to do. And when I’m out I am always looking for something new, something that will reinforce my love of nature. Big or small, there is always something out there. Most of the time, that…
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Another Early Spring Surprise
This wasn’t found until I was back to my cabin, checking on the photographs. Buds on the Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica). Virginia Bluebells, a herbaceous perennial plant, generally blooms at the beginning of April. A variety of bees, butterflies, skippers and hummingbird moths help to pollinate the flowers. A spring ephemeral. By mid-summer the above…
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A Native Yellow
Bravely coming up out of the ground. Poking its nose from beneath the soil with no inhibitions. No concerns about the potential crazy weather we might have. Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum). Fast forward from this early March to mid-April. Beautiful yellow. Native to the woods of eastern North America. Its sunshine yellow, glowing in blooms…