-
A Brief Moment In Autumn
A Monarch caught in a splash of sunshine. A perfect color combination, purple and orange. A brief bit of comfort in autumn.
-
Marking Trees, Marking Poles
Oh, I miss seeing the bears that usually roam through the yard. American Black Bears (Ursus americanus). Their population has dropped drastically the past few years due to mange, a type of serious skin disease caused by parasitic mites. The yard seemed to be a highway for them. They typically chose marking trees or marking…
-
Yaupon Holly
Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) is a lovely small tree that grows next to my Mom’s front door in Florida. Right at home where it is a native plant. Yaupon Holly is a dioecious, evergreen plant native to southeastern North America, including southeast Virginia through Florida, west to southeast Oklahoma and central Texas. Those beautiful berries…
-
Wilson’s Snipe
What a kick to discover a Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata) here! This one showed up for a bit of a rest on November 4th on its migration south. Wilson’s Snipes spend their breeding season in northern North America and winter through the southern US, south through Central America and on to Venezuela. _______________________________________________________________________ If you…
-
Turkey Tail Mushroom Revisited
There’s great beauty in the world of mushrooms. And this is a fungus that certainly fills that bill. Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor). Beauty beyond words. They’re an extremely common type of mushroom in our North American forests and are also found throughout the world on every continent except Antarctica. They are wonderful decomposers not…
-
Songs And Streaks
Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia), year round residents with streaked feathers and hearts full of song.
-
One Of My Irruptive Migrants
This morning nearly caught me doing cartwheels. Almost. But certainly a moment of great joy. I spotted a Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis). One of my favorite birds. But because they are irruptive migrants, I don’t see them every winter. Absence, indeed, makes the heart grow fonder. Irruptive migration is when a species of bird depends…
-
Aposematic Coloration
Aposematic coloration. Conspicuous marking or coloring that is meant to send a signal to a potential predator that its possible prey may be at least distasteful or at most poisonous. So many examples. A color technique used by butterflies, skunks, snakes, frogs, bees, wasps, and so many others. This butterfly, above is a perfect example…
-
They All Descended Upon The Eastern Red Cedars
It happened today. They all arrived. The Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). All the family. All the friends and neighbors. They’re quite affable and bring along everyone. Often birds of other species too such as the American Robin (Turdus migratorius), will arrive in equal numbers, creating quite the crowd. Both the Cedar Waxwings and the Robins…
-
Green Stink Bug
Green Stink Bug (Acrosternum hilaris) surely, if you live in an area with Brown Marmorated Stick Bugs coming into your abode, day and night, SURELY you know that this is NOT the BMSB. The Green Stink Bug is not often seen around here, but I’ve known that it is native to this continent, so I…