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Oh The Things One Can See
Oh, the things one can see, as one walks along a barely used dirt/gravel road! Keep your eyes open for the little things. Or in this case the big things. This is an Imperial Moth Caterpillar (Eacles imperialis), which can reach a length of 4 inches. As it grows it eats the leaves (or needles)…
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Wreath Goldenrod
Wreath Goldenrod (Solidago caesia). More than 50 species of Goldenrods are native to Virginia. So many, looking similar, it is quite daunting for a person that needs to know the exact name of each one. However this one has a tiny bit of a unique look. Enough for me to feel confident to identify it…
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Pixie Cup Lichen
For one with a wild imagination, this lichen is aptly named, Pixie Cup Lichen (Cladonia asahinae). I can just imagine pixies making a collection of these lichens to toast in the Pixie New Year. Pixie Cup Lichen grows on just a few species of mosses, in Europe, North America, South America, and hard to believe,…
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Painted Lady
A delight to see a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans). A butterfly with a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches, that like many butterflies, lives only for 2 to 4 weeks as an adult. During their short life the butterfly consumes the nectar of plants that are 3 to 6 feet…
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Chinese Chestnut
Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) seem to love the catkins on Chinese Chestnut Trees (Castanea mollissima).
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Spiny Cholla
Looking through my photographs. Dreaming through memories of trips past. Trips to my favorite part of this country. The Southwest. This photo makes me think of many visits to my husband’s precious Grandmother and her home in Artesia, New Mexico, surrounded by a yard that was Southwestern landscape filled with native plants including many of…
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The Perfect Magnet
Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Sunflowers (Heliathus). A great match for watching those Monarchs come through during migration.
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Arizona
The desert Southwest, such a different environment from where my deep roots are. Different from the lush green of DC, Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania. I have an acquaintance who went to the Southwest for a visit and was so disappointed. They returned and only had this to say, “It is SO BROWN out there!” That’s…
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Color
So important to me – COLOR. And autumn really brings it to me. Now, in early autumn, a small tree, Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum), is bringing joy to my heart with its color. In spring, a tree with blooms that attract so many pollinators that the tree itself seems to buzz with activity. But in…
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Fasciation
Fasciation is something that is not really understood by scientists. But it creates cool things to happen with plants. It makes a plant’s growth go berserk in unpredictable ways, growing in a manner that would not normally happen. It is thought that fasciation happens because of a hormonal imbalance in the plant. What causes that…