4-7

4-7
A few Common Dandelions brightened the otherwise overcast day. And a careful search turned up a few Kidney-leaved Buttercups. Not the showiest of the buttercups, but the earliest!
John

Common Dandelion

Kidney-leaved Buttercup

4-2

4-2
Scarlet cup fungus gives Maple woods a touch of color.
John

3-31

3-31
Gill-over-the-ground (AKA Ground Ivy and Creeping Charlie) is opening a few flowers. A Box Elder bug was visiting this one.
Common Chickweed is also flowering.
John

3-30

3-30
Today a few Blood Roots were open along Green Mountain Camp Rd. and as I was taking this picture, a Mourning Cloak butterfly flitted past.
John

3-24

3-24
I took this picture in the cornfield at Dummerston Landing.
In this one shot there re - I would guess - at least 100 stems of Draba verna AKA Spring Whitlow-grass, an introduced species. I counted over 2 dozen flowers per plant. The area pictured is small, it's between 2 rows of corn stubble, however a large portion of the field is is carpeted. Perhaps acres. There must be millions of plants: tens of millions of flowers!
Yet all you notice from a few feet away is a pinkish tinge to the ground. Individually they are minute. Collectively they are phenomenal!
It's worth seeing.
John
Phoebes are back in the area. I've seen 2 in recent days. Sorry, no pics.

3-22

3-22
Today, on a sun-warmed  ledge, Saxifrage opened a few flowers and in a nearby thicket the tiny twisted crimson styles of female Beaked Hazel flowers punctuated twigs lined with drab male catkins.
John

Chickadee

3-21
This odd little chickadee -  a Black-capped in name only - was identified and photographed by Susan Daigler of West Dummerston.

3-17

3-17
Today a few Myrtle flowers are open.
John

3-11

3-11
Whitlow-grass is opening its tiny, white, four-petaled flowers.
John

3-10

3-10
Today, down at ground level, under the leaf cover, a few Hepatica flowers had opened.
In a local ditch Colt's Foot was up and open for business.
And under my feeders, a Fox Sparrow scratched for sunflower seeds.
John

Hepatica

Colt's Foot

2-25

2-25
There were 5 Red-winged Blackbirds and 5 Grackles at my feeder this morning.
And one of our Raven pair was gathering nest materials and offering it to his mate. She seemed disinterested but he seemed optimistic.
John

Red-winged Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles

2-17

2-17
Today an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Cedar WAxwings (and 1 robin) were stripping fruit from crabapple trees at C & S warehouse!
John

2-10

2-10
Winter Stoneflies are emerging from the icy waters of the West River, crawling up onto rocks where they will mate. Eggs will be deposited back into the river.
John

1-31

1-31
Warm weather has at least a few chipmunks out and about.
John
The chipmunk gazed at us from the base of the tree next to the rock.

Merry Christmas

12-25
A quick survey of my neighborhood turned up a lone Hepatica in flower!
John

Hepatica

8-24

8-24
Today wild Cucumber - AKA Balsam Apples - have set fruit.
And Colorado Potato Bugs and their larvae infest Horse Nettles, close relatives of potatoes.
John

Wild Cucumber fruit

Colorado Potato bug

Colorado Potato bug larva

8-23

8-23
Along the West river Closed Gentians are in flower. Although these flowers never open, bumblebees force their way in and pollination is achieved.
The rayless flowers of Leafy-bracted Beggar-tick are also having their season.
And the blue berries of one of the dogwoods await the birds that will disperse their seeds.
John

Closed Gentian

Leafy-bracted Beggar-tick

Dogwood berries

8-22

8-22
Today Small White Asters, Fall Dandelions and Slender Gerardia were all in flower.
And a beaver that found my presence objectionable circled in quiet waters along the West River.
John

Small White Asters

Fall Dandelion

Slender Gerardia

Beaver in the West River

8-18

8-18
Today Whorled Asters decorate the woods and Hairy Willow Herb brightens swamps and wet meadows.
John

Whorled Aster

Hairy Willow Herb

8-17

8-17
Whorled Milkwort, a state listed rare species, is in flower. This is a plant of wet meadows.
And a moth called a Sooty-winged Chalcoela was on the wing last night. These moths invade paper wasp nests at night and consume wasp larvae and pupae. They then deposit their own larvae in the wasp brood cells. The wasps make no attempt to rid their nest of the parasitic moths.
John

Sooty-winged Chalcoela moth

Whorled Milkwort