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Purple?
Purple-flowered Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), blooming in the mountains right now. Native to eastern North America. Leaves that look much like maple leaves. Berries that are not my favorite, but birds like them.
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Ma and Pa Carolina Wren
The two of them so active. Back and forth from the nest. Bringing morsels of yummy caterpillars for their nestlings. Only stopping from time to time to sing with great bravado. Nestlings grow quickly. Hatching to fledging takes 12 to 14 days. Thank goodness. I’m worn out just watching Ma and Pa.
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Mixed Feelings
Great to see a bear cub again. This is not the one that was seen today though. This picture is from a couple years ago. The one on our lane today was too quick, or perhaps too shy to have its picture taken. But at least a bear is back! Before today, the last Black Bear…
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It’s The Little Things
White clover (Trifolium repens) that was cut just a few days ago towering over the mushrooms. That’s mighty little. It’s Conocybe lactea with the common name of White Dunce Cap. A mushroom often found in grass, popping up right after a rain. They’re thin, fragile, lasting only a few hours before disappearing. You’ll often find me…
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Redstart In The Garden
Another visitor today. A female American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). They don’t come to the feeders that I put out, but they really enjoy the birdbath, which is just a few feet from this spot.
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Red-eyed Vireo At The Birdbath
I hear them frequently in the woods surrounding my cabin. Making a call that sounds like a Catbird saying, “Myaaah!” Or more of a melodious song, that I use a mnemonic to remember, “Here I am! Where are you?!” As with other birds that I wouldn’t see ordinarily, the Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), is looking…
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Barometer Earthstar
Barometer Earthstar (Astraeus hygrometricus). An interesting little mushroom. Starting out as a minuscule, round, white blob that looks like the mushroom that I wrote about 2 days ago, a very small Giant Puffball Mushroom. As it matures it takes on the shape that it is known for, with 4 to 20 irregularly sized petals or…
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Tithonia
Tithonia rotundifolia. Native to Florida, Louisiana, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. NOT native to Virginia but it is a well behaved annual which I try to plant every year. I thoroughly adore it for the many butterflies, including Monarchs, and the hummingbirds that the dazzling orange flowers attract. A bright orange magnet in…
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Giant Puffball Mushroom
Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). Easily, of all the many mushrooms that I have seen growing along the trails I hike, this species of mushroom is the coolest one I have ever seen. They look to me like something that has arrived from outer space, sitting there observing the humans of Earth. It also brings to…
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More Nesting Activities
It pleases me greatly that Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) chatter around the woods near my home all year long. And nearly every year a pair will choose some strange object in which to build their nest and raise a family. Of course I provide the strange objects, hanging them from the front and back porch…