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Tiny White Butterfly In Spring
A tiny white butterfly that flutters low to the ground with quick, erratic movements. Though that orange tip seems it would be obvious, when the butterfly is in flight it can be hard to spot. The Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea) has a wingspan of 1.5 inches. The male and female butterflies are sexually dimorphic, meaning…
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Long Gone
Signs. Old signs. Signs that are about to disappear forever. They intrigue me. This is a pair of such, old signs. Long gone. They sat, for who knows how long at the intersection of Seminole Trail, Airport Road and Proffit Road in Hollymead/Charlottesville, on the land where Walgreens now sits. Long gone. __________________________________________________________________________ If you…
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Early Spring
It’s early spring and I’m on my way to yoga as the sun shines through the still black and gray woods of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills. The grass has greened up just a bit. Most of the trees that I’m seeing are not putting out much energy to create their new leaves yet. Even…
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A Birthday
Going through my photos this evening, thinking of my Dad on his birthday. He would have been 98. His favorite flower, the sunflower. He grew some pretty spectacular sunflowers. One year he grew one so tall that to get a photograph of the flower and the grower, my Mom got him to climb a ladder…
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Wild Ginger Is Slowly Emerging
An herbaceous perennial, Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), is slowly emerging from its snug winter slumber. The gardens here at my cabin are at an elevation of 1800 feet. This is where these plants are just peeking up through the soil. I often hike up to elevations of 2600 feet and higher, where, during the summer…
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Brilliant Yellow
A yellow flower that blooms with such intensity, a shade of yellow that I take pleasure in calling, screaming yellow. A happy color, one that would be my choice if I were to purchase a Corvette Stingray. Not going to happen though. I wouldn’t be able to get it up my mountain road. The Stingray’s…
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Smashing COLOR!
Oh my. Color is SO important to me. A smashing color combination here! Totally captivating. Crimson bell peppers, emerald green jalapeño peppers complete with seeds, cadmium orange carrot slices, and simply white cauliflower. Yummy.
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Spring Unfolding
Spring is unfolding with blossoms slowly opening, everywhere I look. Seem to be ubiquitous. I hunted today and managed to find Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla). One seedpod had already developed, with its jolly smile. That smile seems to be on all of the seedpods of Twinleaf, as if each has a cheery attitude. Twinleaf is an…
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Chipping Sparrow
A little sparrow that I don’t often see. Small and quite tame, I’m pleased when one shows up at my feeders. The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) is a bird that will come to feeders, or eat scattered seeds on the ground. During the summer though, insects and spiders are a big part of their diet.…
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Visitor
There is a visitor at the cabin. Betelgeuse. Named after the red supergiant, second brightest star in the constellation Orion. One of the largest stars one can see without the aid of binoculars or a telescope. And often the tenth-brightest star in the nighttime sky. Pretty cool, huh? Well she certainly lives up to her…