tree's nature journal

Spring/Summer 2007

 

First signs of spring on the Blue Ridge.

 

Daffodils blooming 3/5/07

 

 

     

Crocus blooming 3/10/07

   

 

Spotted these two beautiful garter snakes on a hike in the woods. 3/12/07

 

Hyacinths looking a bit beat up. They got hit by the ice storm when they were just starting to bud.

 

3/15/07

 

Rhubarb is starting to come up.

Heard the Spring Peepers peeping tonight. :) 3/15/07

Found this beauty in the chicken pen. 3/23/07

 

 

 

Purple Dead Nettle (NOT the same thing as Nettle/Stinging nettles)
Lamium purpureum

Properties: Edible and medicinal, the leaves and upper plants are cooked as pot herbs or added to salads. The plant is very nutritious, high in iron, vitamins and fiber. The whole plant is medicinal, used as an astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, purgative, styptic and tonic. Lab tests show that Lamium purpureum seed oil possess high antioxidant activities, and might be used as a future food-additive. A tea made from the fresh plant is an excellent laxative and tonic.

Persian Speedwell: Veronica persica

   

     

 

 

 

Cherry tree starting to bloom 3/25/07
  

 

 

Comma Butterfly

 

Spread Wing Skipper

Duskywing

Butterflies!!

Today we saw a yellow tiger swallowtail, blue Azure, a common sulfer and this Comma and Duskywing skipper. i tried getting pictures of all of them, but the others were a bit camera shy. 3/25/07

Took a sunday drive to Panther creek to play.

 

 

Hyacinth still blooming, although on it's way out.

 

 3/31/07

 

 

Glory of the Snow Chionodoxa (thanks Lisa)

 

Daffodils still blooming. 4/1/07

 

i really like these pale, almost white daffodils.

 

 

Skunk cabbage just starting to shoot up.

MEDICINAL USES: An ointment made by boiling skunk cabbage in fat or oil is supposed to be good for ringworm (a fungus infection of the skin), as well as sores and swellings.

 

These wild yellow violets are coming up all over the woods. This is just the begining of all the wild flowers to come.

Sweet violets

 

  

Trillium just starting to appear in the woods.. 4/3/07

Trillium is edible and medicinal, it has a long history of use by Native Americans. The young edible unfolding leaves are an excellent addition to salad. The leaves can also be cooked as a pot herb. The root is used as an alternative medicine and is antiseptic, antispasmodic, diuretic, emmenagogue (to promote menstruation), and ophthalmic.

Bloodroot

Bloodroot is used in herbal medicine in very small doses, mainly for bronchial problems and severe throat infections. The root is used in many pharmaceuticals, mixed with other compounds to treat heart problems, dental applications (to inhibit plaque), and to treat migraines. Bloodroot paste is used externally for skin diseases, warts, and tumors. For ringworm apply the fluid extract. Bloodroot is said to repel insects.  

 

Spotted another garter snake down by the creek

 

Our resident woodpecker, hanging out.

Wood Anemone

 

4/4/07 Saw a Mourning cloak and Painted lady butterfly today. They glided away before i could get pictures. :(

     

4/15/07 Late April snow shower.

Hiking at Pilot Mountain, NC 4/22/07

 

 

Trillium with white flower!

 

i didn't know we had these on our property, i've only seen crimson. 4/28/07

 

Right now the trillium are blooming all over our property. i have never seen this many in bloom. They are everywhere! Still learning to use the new camera..so these are not all in focus.

 
    

 

i believe this is a red admiral, but couldn't get him to open his wings.

Fire Pinks with bluets down by the creek. 4/30/07

 

Columbine blooming (i love columbine!!!)

 

Wild Columbine. i though we lost all our blooms to the frost, but a couple managed to survive.

 

Purple Columbine

Double Pink Columbine

 

 

   

Double Purple Columbine

 

 

 

 

Bumble bee enjoying the Azalias

 

A few tulips still blooming. 5/1/07

 

   

 

   

Rose Breasted Grosbeaks.

First Iris of the season. 5/11/07

     

 

 

5/22/07
  

 

   

 

 

Jack in The Pulpit down by the creek i found a bunch of it this yar.

 

Nature babies are also growing and blooming.

 

Little splashes of color begining to appear.

 

 

 

We got some tadpoles from our neighbor. We have about 15 of these little guys and a whole gob of eggs. Can't wait to watch them turn to frogs! (Click picture to watch our progress)

 

Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)

He has a bit of lint in his bristles.:)

 

 

Small woodpecker on the feeder.

 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

 

Blue Flax

 

Chives in Bloom

 

Hiking at the Cascades 5/19/07

   

Crawdads (crayfish) down at the creek. We had fun catching and releasing them. We made our net out of an old onion bag and grapevine.

   

baby Eastern Phoebes just learning to fly.

     

Found this little red toad in my herb bed. It was only about 1 inch long.

Our tadpoles are turning to frogs. We released four of these little guys today. 6-2-07

Saw this Black rat snake while hiking. It was about 5 foot long. 6-2-07

   

 

The Fritillary butterflies are everywhere!!!

     

 

 Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly

 

 

Meadow Fritillary

 

Giant Carolina wolf spider

 

i really hate finding these in the house. This one was about 3" across, i let it go outside.

 

 

Blue sage already on it's way out.

 

daylilies just starting to open 6-17-07

 

Butter-and-eggs

 

Each purple flower is about 1" long. Plant stands almost 3 foot tall, 12inches of flower.

The foliage resembles catnip. Square stem, opposing leaves. Leaves have lemon scent when crushed.

 Mystery Plant.

i have no idea what this purple flower is. This looks like it's in the mint family. It stands about 34 inches tall. i know this is something obvious...but i can't figure out what it is. Anyone know? Please clue me in!

 

 

 

Tiny new froggies we rescued from a tub full of tadpoles. They were about the size of my thumb nail. We rescued about 50 of their siblings too.

 

Echinacea just starting to bloom 6-27-07

 

There are so many fritillary butterflies i can't get pictures of my flowers. :)

   

   

 

Our first monarch caterpillar of the season. 7-7-07

 

Positions himself in a J secured by his back feet. He puffs up until his skin splits.

 

Thrashing and wiggling as he sheds his skin.

 

He begins to shrink, and his skin hardens.

 

Now he transforms in his chrysalis until he's ready to emerge.

Chrysalis is in it's dark faze.

 

It becomes translucent right before butterfly emerges.

 

Butterfly comes out crumpled.

 

Starting to uncurl.

Letting his wings dry in the sun.

Ready to fly!

 

 

 

First Gladiola 7-8-07

 Holly Hocks 7-8-07

   
     

 

 

Baby Praying Mantis on Echinachea

 

Crazy looking spider Sequoia found.

 

     

Painted lady on Lavender 7/19

 

common wood nymph 7/21

 

pearl crescent 7-21

Painted Lady on Purple cone flowers 7-21

Monarch on Giant sunflowers.

 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 7-21

 

Red Spotted Purple 7-30

 

Tall white phlox
  

 

Tomato Hornworm.

 

 

Flower shaped poo. hee hee.

 Hummingbird moth
  

     

 

 

Pipevine butterfly looking a bit tattered.
  

 My first buckeye picture! 9/07
  

 

Red spotted purple, these are everywhere this year!

 

 

Pearl crescent on marigolds

 

Fiery Skipper

 

Question Mark butterfly Polygonia interrogationis

 

Question Mark with open wings

 

Red admiral in camoflage

 

Red admiral with wings partially open.

 Red Admiral, with wings open...finally.

 

Question Mark, posing perfectly.

 

 

Mourning Cloak

 

 

black snake that lives our stack of fire wood. She suns herself on top of it every morning.

 

     
We raised and released monarchs again this year. 10/19/07

 

 

We see this praying mantis hanging out near the house a lot time of year.

 

Painted Lady on Zinnias

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Archives

spring/summer 2006

Spring/Summer 2005

Summer 2004

Early Spring 2004

 

contact me: enchantedtree @ hotmail . com (remove spaces )