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Emerging Trout Lilies
We met along the shore of the Rivanna River in the Key West area of Charlottesville. So many things were to be discovered. It was this very day, in April 2010, and it was part of my training to become a master naturalist. That trip allowed the first time ever, for me to see the…
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Virginia Bluebells just Beginning
The air was still today. A very welcome respite from the whipping wind of the past few days. The warmish spring weather and bright sunshine called to me. My camera and I roamed looking for ephemerals making their appearance, and I returned with many images to add to my stash. One discovery, Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia…
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Another Spring Ephemeral
A spring ephemeral is a species of plant appearing for just a short period of time above ground to flower, produce seed and then go dormant. Enjoy these Cutleaf Toothworts (Cardamine concatenata), they are the spring ephemerals I’m speaking of tonight. Sensitive plants these Toothworts. As you hike the next few weeks you’ll find them…
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Flying with a Camera
I love to drive across the country to see the varied landscapes, the interesting minuscule towns, to see life from a different point of view. But I also love fly to some distant destination, with this qualification: I must have a window seat and my good buddy/camera along with me. The image above was obtained…
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Cauliflorous
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) and with needles growing from its trunk, being photobombed by a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). Redbud (Cercis canadensis) with flower buds emerging from its trunk. Who would have thought Redbud and Pitch Pine have something in common. These are cauliflorous trees. They have flowers that emerge from their main trunk or…
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Pink Fog
The blooming of Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in the woods is a highlight of spring. Something that makes it even more wonderful is when there is FOG blanketing the mountain. Wait until the light is just right and you’ll see what I mean. Then, in that moment, it’s not a pale gray nearly white fog…
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Graupel
Yesterday’s precipitation was for me a delight to see and my use of the word “graupel” in yesterday’s blog post took some of you by surprise. If you went to your dictionary, you might not have found it. It’s not in the dictionary that is here on my computer either but it’s a word that…
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What Season is it Anyway?
Though spring is moving right along, things got very confusing today, as graupel pummeled my mountain, off and on for several hours. But spring is here. Very soon Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) will be filling the verdant woods with creamy white blossoms. Despite today’s weather, spring is here.
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Perhaps the Last Sighting for a While
Not really purple but raspberry red, male, and soft brown and white, female. A pair of Purple Finches (Haemorhous purpureus). Most winters I don’t see these finches due to their erratic and irruptive habit, thought to be connected to variations in the production of conifer cones in their winter range. Spring migration generally happens between…
