Flower Hill Farm

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES OF 2011 ~ Favorite Fritillaries

2012-02-13T23:37:00.000-05:00

Fritillaries fritter away their days sipping nectar and flitting about the gardens.

Not a bad life . . . as long as they can escape beaks of birds and other predators.

Echinacea is a favored flower for these Aphrodite Fritillary Speyeria aphrodite, 'NOT' butterflies.

Throughout my blog, I have wrongly identified these butterflies. Thanks to Randy I finally get it!

It is so funny how something can stare us in the face and we just never see it.

Each of these composites is of a different butterfly on a different day. Three July days . . Four Great Spangled Speyeria cybele, butterflies . . . many frames.

Fritillaries busy themselves placing their probosces in tiny florets between the flaming darts of coneflowers and are not bothered by my coming in rather closely. They are in constant motion, however, making it difficult to clearly capture them.

I do get dizzy trying to identify Fritillaries.

Fritillaries are listed under the Family Nymphalidae or Brushfoots along with all the Milkweed butterflies, Admirals, Emperors, Satyrs and Wood Nymphs to name but a few. The Subfamily is Heliconiinae or Longwings. There are even different classifications for Aphrodite and the Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies. It is fun to sort them all out according to families too . . . but I go cross-eyed trying to identify and remember it all.

Fresh Female? Wings

These two Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies share nearly the same patterns. The fresher one above dons white edges . . . perhaps the more faded butterfly below had them earlier on? The brighter ovals above the white edges are more pronounced in the fresher butterfly too. The entire abdomen in the butterfly below is thinner and has less hair. Could this be a male and female? Or are they two different kinds of Fritillaries?

Older Male Wings ? ~ A repeat of the third photo from top.

Sadly I read that tiger patterned Aphrodite Fritillaries are less common these days. Perhaps due to climate change. Great Spangled Fritillaries are much more common now in Massachusetts. Most all Fritillaries here in New England prefer violets as a host plant. Rabbits are so numerous here that I fear for their survival in my gardens.

There are more Fritillaries to come . . . today the butterflies and skies are in the pink.

Our winter continues to be milder than most I can recall. Sunrises are simply stunning.

Light stretches and lengthens our days.

May your romance always flutter.

May your love always give you butterflies.

Happy Valentines Day Dear Readers!

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES 2011 ~ Eastern Tiger Swallowtails ~ Part Two

2012-02-10T08:41:00.001-05:00

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly sipping Miss Kim Lilac blooms

For Part Two of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails Papilio glaucus, we find the tiger-striped butterflies swimming in purples, yellows and greens instead of in the pink as seen in my last post.

St. Valentine surely might smile over these Tiger Swallowtail lovers flying and swirling about high into the sky beneath the robust Rock Maples.

A perfect female Tiger Swallowtail. Note the blue markings . . . which make me believe it female

Frolicking about in Fields

I believe this to be a male Tiger Swallowtail

Female Drinking Comfrey Nectar

Each May and the early part of June, when the Korean lilacs and wildflowers bloom, I delight in the appearance of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. Their animated beauty add a touch of magic to the fields and shrubberies. The way their beautiful wings catch the light is mesmerizing . . . akin to stained glass windows.

Tiger Swallowtails do not have an easy time here with all the birds, especially Catbirds, who are raising their young. Alas! It seems the striking Swallowtails often become a sumptuous supper for them. I often see the butterflies flitting about with tatter gowns and sadly find mosaics of wings on the ground. I know it is just the food chain, but I do so feel for these lovely creatures too and just wish they were not so tempting, for there is plenty of other food about. It sounds silly but I do try reasoning with the Catbirds . . . but they never yield. Of course there is no reason to my argument . . . except my love of the butterflies.

Sending some Sweethearts to Sweden for Katarina!

Next time my butterfly review of 2011 will feature the Fritillaries.

This Saturday, my monthly post on Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens will feature the Bobcat as the third beast in my Flower Hill Farm Bestiary. My encounter will be retold with a new and surprising ingredient. Hope you can check it out!

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES OF 2011 ~ Eastern Tiger Swallowtail ~ Three Years Blog Anniversary

2012-02-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

Tiger Swallowtails Papilio glaucus in threes flitting above and about Miss Canada Lilac this past June.

It seems most appropriate to mark my third blog anniversary with these endearing creatures. For years I had tried to capture Tiger Swallowtails flitting about in groups . . . and finally, after waiting in just the right place, for just the right amount of time ~ voila!

If you are lucky, you might find the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars munching on the leaves of wild cherry, ash, poplar, willow, birch . . . to name a few trees that might be growing in your gardens and landscape.

Back into now time . . . today and yesterday . . . three years pile up with sunrises and sunsets, waxing and waning moons, our gardens awake and falling into seasonal slumber, wildlife filling pages.

February Full Moon 2012

This February is quite different from February of three years past. The winter landscape is remarkably different in my first post.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT OVER THESE THREE YEARS!

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES OF 2011 ~ American Painted Lady

2012-02-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

American Painted Lady Vanessa virginiensis

The American Painted Lady is another favorite butterfly donning large eyes.

If you look within the plants of Edelweiss or Pearly Everlasting in the summer you may find some of the caterpillars of the American Painted Lady.

2011 was only the third year that I was able to capture one of these striking butterflies . . . so, it is rather a 'new acquaintance'.

Sadly, I was not able to get this beauty to open its wings.

You can see its open wings here.

Painting in Progress

Another 'new acquaintance' is this painting (Still in a pupa stage.) . . . that continues to grow as we come to know each other better. You might remember it when it first began the end of November 2011 ~ A purple underpainting.

WORK IN PROGRESS

I was not able to paint most of December and January, but now I am happy to report that I am applying pigments to canvas again. Painting with vibrant colors helps keep joy alive, when outside all is white and gray with bits of dark evergreen . . . with exception to the sunrise and sunset skies.

I have a good amount of work still left to do on this rather psychological painting. The trees are not really that close together . . . I have them placed a bit like bars . . . imprisoning the house and its occupants. The huge Rock Maples are both protectors and do appear to be somewhat threatening . . . foreboding . . . if you will. The tree's branches are intertwined . . . you can imagine the invisible roots that anchor them to the hillside are as well.

Here is a review of my favorite butterflies of 2011 so far. If you have not had the pleasure of meeting eye to eye ~ a Monarch, Eastern Black Swallowtail, a Buckeye or a American Painted Lady, I hope 2012 will be the year you make their acquaintance.

Next time I will showcase Tiger Swallowtails.

It is time again to fly towards Sweden and visit Katarina's Roses and Stuff .

Much beauty and imagination awaits you there!

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES OF 2011 ~ Favorite Buckeye

2012-01-30T10:58:00.002-05:00

I was lucky to get so close to this fresh and perfect Common Buckeye as it sipped nectar from, of all plants, a hydrangea.

Buckeye Junonia coenia

It was a joyous June day this past summer when I captured my first ever Buckeye!

These beauties do not overwinter here but fly south as our beloved Monarchs. I have read that they hold their own in comparison to the Monarchs in extravaganza, as they stream through Cape May in the Autumn. I have yet to see that fabulous display!

Host plants for the caterpillars are numerous. Be sure to let some plantain grow! They love stonecrop too . . . of the Crassulaceae family. Got figwort or vervain?! Be sure to share your mallow and verbena. Then you might find these stunning eyes looking back at you in your garden.

I love doing reviews of birds and butterflies in the winter, for it brings spring and summer back into our lives.

Each winter day is growing longer by minutes. I enjoy seeing the sun as it inches more towards the north . . . nearly climbing over Walnut Hill now every morning, where it had been rising over the Mount Holyoke Range on the winter solstice.

We are having a mild winter here in New England. Eastern Black Swallowtails might be sleeping in their chrysalises somewhere out in that white landscape. The birds have not been very active in the crabapples yet . . . I do miss all the colorful Robins, Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings and even the Bluebirds are not as numerous as in previous years. There must be plenty of food for them all elsewhere. I do delight in seeing our resident Red-tailed hawk most mornings as he or she basks in the sun.

Up next for the butterfly reviews will be the American Painted Lady.

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES OF 2011 ~ Favorite Eastern Black Swallowtail

2012-01-24T11:51:00.002-05:00

Eyeing female depositing an egg on hidden Wild Carrot

A lucky sighting! A female Eastern Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes (Fabricius), 1775 deposits an egg.

1st and 2nd Instar

3rd Instar

4th Instar

5th Instar

Spinning thread and Letting Go!

Talk about a weight loss that many would envy . . . the Eastern Black Swallowtail evacuates its entire digestive system before becoming a chrysalis. Note how much smaller it is in the shots above . . . when comparing to the photographs of the caterpillar eating above it.

Eastern Black Swallowtail Chrysalis cozy within a Monarch Community

SURPRISE! I thought this little creature would over-winter.

What a joy it was to raise my very first Eastern Black Swallowtail.

An added Joy to share it with you all again in a different way.

This is a series of looking back over my favorite butterfly photographs of 2011.

If you grow or live near any plants in the carrot family (Umbelliferae) you may find the eggs or caterpillars of the Eastern Black Swallowtail and learn more about these creatures by raising them yourselves. Of course, it is always better to observe them in their natural habitat. I confess I do feel guilty taking them from the fields or gardens but try to recreate their environment as close as possible.

Something Wild for Gail over at Clay and Limestone . . . be sure to visit her gardens and see other wildflowers from around the country.

Metamorphosis is the perfect word for me this week Katarina! Skip over to Sweden for Blooming Friday.

Flower Hill Farm BUTTERFLIES Of 2011 ~ Favorite Monarchs

2012-01-20T06:59:00.006-05:00

The much beloved and admired Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus begins this series of my favorite butterflies from the gardens of 2011. I so look forward to their return each summer and delight in finding their tiny etched eggs on milkweed plants. It is more exciting when I see the female actually fastening her eggs.

I should truly love to be a butterfly . . . a Monarch emerging in late summer, so I could fly to Mexico.

Ah . . . to have the courage of a butterfly! I should wish for sunny warm days to fly freely.

Here are a few of my favorite images and encounters with Monarch butterflies over last summer and fall. I have written extensively about their marvel of a metamorphosis here, here, here, here, here and here.

This is the first in a parade of butterflies from 2011.

It is time to visit Katarina for other fanciful flights of imagination and delight.

A Piece of the Center . . . Centerpieces For Katarina

2012-01-14T18:52:00.002-05:00

Fritillary Sipping in the Center of Echinacea Bloom

Eastern Black Swallowtail Going Into the Center

Thistle

Bluebird in Nestbox Entrance Center

Baby Indigo Bunting

Flower Hill Farm's Black Cherry (Michael's tree) in the Center of a double Rainbow

Centerpieces for a Wedding

Playing with the notion of centers and centerpieces for Katarina

A Bestiary - At Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens PART TWO

2012-01-10T21:55:00.001-05:00

White-tailed Deer

Doe Communicating with Her Hoof . . . Stomping Her Authority

Please join me over at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens for my monthly post.

This month I share stories and photos of magical and enchanting encounters with White-tailed Deer in our gardens and fields.

A Day In The Clouds Part Two ~ Sunset Sky Second Day of 2012

2012-01-06T09:26:00.001-05:00

No Mistaking ~~ Red-tailed Hawk

this was the ending

second day of twenty twelve

a day in the clouds

earlier sunrise

directly above mountain

here but a mirror

eastward reflections

a westerly setting sun

swathed in vivid hues

a cloud filled sky dome.

The images in my last post and this one reveal the beauty of a cloudy sky . . . millions of water droplets reflecting light and color throughout one day . . . from sunrise to sunset . . . high above Flower Hill Farm.

The second day of a new year . . . waves of clouds toss the waxing moon about in a sea of constant change.

Remember to always look up and witness our amazing sky.

Now to remember the beauty and peace around us . . . visit Sweden and Katarina's Roses and Stuff to view many garden remembrances from around the world . . . celebrating the first 'Blooming Friday' of the new year.

A Day In The Clouds Sunrise Sky Second Day of 2012

2012-01-03T10:49:00.002-05:00

I hope you all have enjoyed welcoming in this New Year.

I missed the fireworks in Northampton while attending a few special concerts of First Night, and dining in between, but yesterday's sunrise made up for my loss. I cannot begin to write any lines of Haiku . . . the beauty of the sun rising above the Mount Holyoke Range and into the large mantle of clouds still has me speechless.

Moment to moment the sky painting becomes more luminous and wondrous . . . ever changing. The fiery sun acting like a painter or a conductor calling for light here . . . then there and everywhere . . . chords reaching a crescendo . . . dramatic chorus of colors.

My stick gardens are rather boring right now but the winter skies have been staggering.

I am not alone when I open the door to this remarkable view. A solitary Bluebird sings from atop the Black Cherry and a buteo soars . . . it truly is his sky!

This was just the beginning of the day in the clouds . . . there will be a part two featuring more of the Red-tailed Hawk, the waxing moon and the setting sun of the second day of the new year.

I will be looking back over the gardens and wildlife of 2011 in upcoming posts.

May all of your dreams come true in 2012.

Essential Ethereal Time Transformation

2011-12-30T09:39:00.010-05:00

Moment to moment painting with clouds and light . . . A new day unfurls towards a new year.

A play of light and dark.

Blues to dream.

Time to reflect in the beauty of beginnings.

wide ocean of sky

constant change as time goes by

racing clouds as years

forming memories

layers of fluidity

morning to infinity

soon flowing fainter

our sun the master painter

a palette of fire

burning holes ~ hark!

atmospheric light and dark

splintering the days

minutes become miles

there is joy beneath the piles

an empty canvas

lift the sheets of time

there is no reason for rhyme

live life full awake

knowing essentials

belong to every being

actively engage

appeal for justice

impermanence mirrors life

measuring hours

a new calendar

promises and hope fulfill

self realization

Female Bluebird in Winter

We measure our lives by looking forward and backward at the same time rarely being here.

Janus leads us through the gateway into a New Year, but we are still close to the last and can look back . . . joys and losses . . . things done right and things done wrong . . . paring down and adding on . . . the chapters of our lives are bound in our determination.
We might spend nearly equal time in caring for the light as we do for the dark . . . the tragic and the joy. Keeping an essential balance while embracing all.
Blinders must be cast off and the light of truth let in to illuminate our hearts and minds into needed action.
Together we have a large voice and the power of our purse.
If only we would . . .

May this New Year Bring Us All Peace and Prosperity in Love and Wisdom.

May We Live Fully Awake With Strength Enough To Carry Our Life Loads.

May We All Take Responsibility For Our Part In What is Right and What is Wrong.

May Balance Come to Our World and Our Lives.

May Essentials Be Abundant in Every Life . . . A Promise of Full Potential for All . . . That Minds May Flourish Into a Human Tapestry Of Beauty and Love Covering Our One Earth in Peace and Justice.

Sigh . . . If only it could so be.

I am so grateful for the beauty that surrounds me and the time to realize its blossoming within.
I am thankful for you.

I wish you a World of Joy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012

One last visit this year to Katarina for important essentials.

A Few Wildflowers From Summer and Fall 2011

2011-12-28T09:53:00.001-05:00

Native Wild Blueberry and Bombus (Bumble Bee)

Erigeron annuus Eastern daisy fleabane ~ ?

Mystery Most Common ~ Fleabane ?

Geranium maculatum, Wild Geranium

Tradescantia virginiana, Virginia Spiderwort

Amsonia tabernaemontana (Eastern bluestar)

Thermopsis villosa (Carolina bushpea)

Field of Dancus pusillus (American wild carrot) and Daucus carota (Queen Anne's Lace)

Eastern Black Swallowtail Caterpillar eating Wild Carrot

Verbascum chaixii ? and Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Little Skippers on Milkweed

Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower and Aphrodite Fritillary

Eupatorium Maculatum (Joe-Pye weed) and Rudbeckia Herbstonne

Goldenrod and Monarch butterfly with mystery bug

Vernonia gigantea, Tall Ironweed

Fritillary sipping Ironweed

Monarchs on New England Asters

Here are a few of my favorite photographs of some of the wildflowers (and wild flying creatures) in my gardens over this summer and fall.

Thank you Gail for inspiring all of my wildflower posts over this year and for all of your great work towards preserving native plants . . . through your own gardens and the brilliant articles on your blog,

as well as, your contributions to the fabulous Beautiful Wildlife Gardens blog.

You are an inspiration to many and a gracious champion for native plants and wildlife. Congratulations on another year of informative posts for your creation 'Wildflower Wednesday.'

If you, dear treasured readers, would like to see other wildflower posts inspired by Gail, please visit 'Wildflower Wednesday' and her wonderful, wild and greatly native garden Clay and Limestone.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T08:56:00.001-05:00

Holly, Mistletoe, (Thank you Eva) Pomegranate and Xmas card Painting Western tragopan by Joseph Wolf (1820-1899)

From our cozy rustic country home to yours . . . here, there and across the seas in Sweden!

Merry Christmas!

For Katarina's Blooming Friday.

Spinning Tilting Towards Winter Solstice Sunlight Painting Clouds

2011-12-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

The Most Dramatic Sunrises Occur Near the Winter Solstice

Waning Moon at Sunrise

A Mirror to Our Sun

Wide Angle Shot Makes the Mount Holyoke Range and Mount Tom Much Smaller and Farther Away Than Reality.

This Image Side by Side With The One of Mount Tom Below Would Reveal My View More Fully

Gathering Greens from the Blueberry Field

Carrying White Pine Seedlings Up the Hill

Half Way Home Coming Through the Apple Gateway

Each year I thin out white pine seedlings growing within the blueberry field and use the greens to celebrate the Winter Solstice and Christmas. It is quite a chore to carry the pine boughs and seedlings up the hill to the farmhouse. I am thankful for all the help I have in this ritual. I love bringing the fragrant green pine boughs inside, for it makes me feel closer to the forest and the verdant color helps to make up for the absence of green in the landscape. I usually cut a Christmas tree from the forest on Christmas Eve.

We . . . in the Northern Hemisphere . . . have made it through the darkest day. Tomorrow our days begin lengthening and the sunrises I see from my windows, appearing to rise over the Mount Holyoke Range, will slowly start to move more left climbing and cresting over Carey Hill. Each day . . . inch by inch . . . minute by minute . . . we will enjoy more sunlight.

I so wish that our wide world and all its life could be enveloped in Joy and Light.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Mountains Dreaming Under Foggy Water Window Reflections Celebrations of Light

2011-12-19T10:05:00.003-05:00

There is a blanket of dense blue-gray fog beyond Mount Tom . . .

spreading east towards . . .

the Mount Holyoke range . . . creating the illusion of mountains beneath water.

As the earth spins this part of the world towards the sun, bringing a new day, the fiery orb appears to be rising out of an ocean of watery fog. The Mount Holyoke Range seems to be solidly sleeping beneath the waves.

For me, these images offer a haunting beauty . . . both peaceful and ominous.

Fresh light waves glow and fall like honey into our inner spaces . . . that so delight in the warmth and reflections of the sun. It is a joy to behold each new singular sunrise and truly a celebration of light.

Helleborus niger 'Christmas Rose'

Cyclamen

Outdoors . . . Bluebirds are cheerfully chirping . . . welcoming the return of sun and essential heat.

For those that celebrate . . . it is the week of Hanukkah and Christmas. If you still have last minute shopping to do, might you consider giving gifts to the wildlife around you. Bluebirds would greatly benefit from a safe shelter. A new Bluebird house for your garden is a delightful gift for anyone who loves birds and might just save the life of one of these dear creatures . . . especially if you live in the colder regions. In early mornings, I often see six or more flying out of one nest box.

Happy Holidays! Enjoy your last minute preparations and safe travels to all.

December Sky Delights Swallowing Moon and Sun

2011-12-15T20:57:00.001-05:00

Delightful skies for Katarina.

A Bestiary - Over At Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens

2011-12-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

I am working on a 'Bestiary' and sharing tales of the wildlife that share my land and gardens. Please check out Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens to read more about my encounters with American black bears. You can see more of the beasts that inhabit the land around me in my Bestiary Parade here.

The World Goes Around and Around and Upside Down

2011-12-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

Near winter quiet

dawn and dusk dazzling daylight

downy dons bright red

a sleepy landscape

within a wide world turning

around and around

ninety-nine percent

everything seems upside down

citizens awake

Faraway in Sweden imaginations are pondering upside down for Katarina's Roses and Stuff.

Skywatch

Beginnings and Endings Days and Months Painted Sky and Canvas

2011-11-30T11:08:00.004-05:00

Sunrise Over Mount Holyoke Range November 29, 2011

Fairies come out to celebrate the new day.

Mount Tom at Sunrise November 29, 2011

The magical time just at the beginning and end of each day, where the sky becomes a vivid, living painting, is well worth honoring within silence, reverence and reverie. From my home and retreat at Flower Hill Farm the view allows a spectacular promise at those early and later moments . . . especially as November takes its leave of us. Clouds and mists of yesterdays sunrise (in the photos above) reflect and refract colors and light . . . while holding to the sky a striking palette . . . truly staggering and startling the imagination and spirit of this observer. It is a painting in constant movement as clouds float, stretch and swell into the atmosphere. Then . . . the luminous composition fades . . . as a wisp of smoke or a whisper . . . until the day is finished and a new painting, as seen below, fills the canopy of sky in that twinkling of time before gray and darkness befalls.

Mount Tom at Sunset November 29, 2011

Mount Holyoke Sunset November 29, 2011

Today this last morning of November begins with a stratospheric light show. Tomorrow will bring the first December sunrise of 2011 . . . the end of one day . . . one month . . . and beginnings of another. Nearly the end of a year. November has been mild with a slew of sunny, warm days, allowing for shoeless walks along the North Truro shore and here at Flower Hill Farm many more days, and evenings too, with windows and doors flung wide open. Oh, had I been able . . . it was a great month to garden.

Dramatic light-show when the sun appears to moves into the thick blanket of clouds.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

While working on this post flocks with hundreds of birds were filling the sky, so I had to pause and fetch my camera to try to capture them, if only to identify the species. I could not, but what a joyous sighting for me in my own dear Rock Maple . . . a first here at Flower Hill (for me) . . . a Red-bellied Woodpecker!! My first sighting was earlier in the year at a Great Blue Heron Rookery. I shared my experience of the rookery at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens.

November nearly ending now . . . offers gifts of beautifully painted sky and birds. Bluebirds are sweetly singing their soft and melodious songs and calls. I am glad and grateful for having been in the moment and able to accept them all . . . gifts and songs . . . though none were intended for me at all. It is only for me to take the time to notice. I am very fortunate to be in such a place and to have the time.

At November's end I begin a new painting. This is an underpainting. I plan to use lots of yellows and pale greens which is why I chose the compliment of purple. Plans can change. I always find this early stage exciting . . . something becoming . . . a mystery with possible promise (If I destroy it I can always cover it and begin anew). Alas, my paintings are pale in beauty when seen next to such stunning works of Mother Nature, but then I am not trying to copy nature . . . only to find my own voice and way of expressing the feelings I find in my connection to nature. Nature all around me is my muse.

(My Painting process and some works over the last few years can be seen above just under the header photo by clicking on the 'Page' titles.)

I will bid farewell to November and welcome December in the morning.

Let's not forget the moon, which is a mirror to our sun. Here another beginning and ending 'Moonlit' for Katarina of Roses and Stuff for now it is Blooming Friday. Happy Roman Holiday K.

'Cold Feet' For Katarina

2011-11-26T13:42:00.001-05:00

I chuckle to think

a kiss is interrupted

or was it cold feet

Walking yellowlegs

feet immersed in cold water

do not seem to mind

Greetings to my Swedish friends where the temperatures are plummeting into cold frostiness.

Visit Katarina's Roses and Stuff to see other 'cold feet' offerings.

Gathering Wildflowers Fields and Meadows Gone To Sleepy Seed

2011-11-23T12:33:00.005-05:00

Growing seasons green

a field and meadow withdraw

life filled colors fade

quiet and stillness

within November landscapes

new life floats and waits

Wildflowers for Gail

gathered from this season past

brighten up our day

This cold and dreary day will pass, while warmer sunny days are forecast for Thanksgiving and throughout the weekend. May you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend. Let's not forget that when our ancestors first visited this land, it was filled with native wildflowers and was also populated with many native peoples who loved their land and rituals. It is important to remember.

Do you remember the true story of Thanksgiving? How the Wampanoag people brought food to the starving 'pilgrims' ? You can learn why Thanksgiving is now 'A National Day of Mourning' for Native Americans.

A dear friend has introduced me to a beautiful film 'We Are Still Here'

Other Thanksgiving posts here and here

Please look to my labels below to identify the flowers above.

Sketches of Days Past Remembering and Wishing

2011-11-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

As Autumn stretches

towards winters frozen hold

the mind dwells in light

Bluebirds remain here

throughout the coming darkness

golden portals sigh

passing through the hue

into lighter times of warmth

imagine color

the earth inhales life

seeds fall away promising

regeneration

Stepping through the portal of light I wish I might hold the peace of the ocean sounds in my heart and grow stronger from that calmness. Returning to my gardens I am glad to see the snow has melted away but so too is the color . . . gone . . . and for that I am sorry. Now we move into the darker times and must find light within. I wish for bluebirds finding comfort about the gardens . . . with me . . . adding blue when gray is all about. Here and in the larger world I wish that light might touch all hearts and minds and lead towards peace and justice.

Visit Katarina's light Inspiring wishes.

Watery Wednesday Eyeing Strolling Silently Along the Shore of Herring Cove

2011-11-16T12:05:00.000-05:00

Watery Wednesday

A Silent Sea Sunset Study Waves and Soft Cotton Candy Clouds

2011-11-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

A section of the easterly view from my small rustic rental cottage.

Part of what I see from 'my chair' (as seen in last post.)

Nearly eighty steps to the ocean.

When I am fortunate to visit the tip of Cape Cod, I mostly enjoy simply being and observing the magical changes of sea, sound and sky. It is a meditation whereby the ocean becomes alive within . . . restoring a sense of peace.

Glimpses From The Edge - A Wildlife Sanctuary - Cape Cod National Seashore

2011-11-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

11/11/11 is an auspicious date. Today is Veterans Day and I sit outside the North Truro Library in the cold, so I hope you will forgive my not being able to do more than share these glimpses of a wondrous wildlife sanctuary. A true reason among many for maintaing a peaceful world. Here on the National Seashore wildlife and beauty are abundant. I have just posted to Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens today about the parade of wildlife I have encountered in my gardens. I hope you can check it out and enjoy other inspiring posts there.

PEACE and Blessings on all those who have suffered and continue to suffer due to war.

Haunted Perceptions of Nature's Creatures Scary Climate

2011-11-02T11:15:00.002-04:00

Turkey Vultures Cathartes aura (cleansing breeze) soaring high in the air are quite beautiful and majestic with a wing span of over six feet. They are intelligent and extremely important in preventing the spread of disease. Friends to farmers and gas utility workers alike for cleaning up dead carcasses and locating gas leaks, the Turkey Vulture's role in our ecosystem is unique and valued thus protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Still many find these vital carrion consumers repulsive and even harbor haunting notions of fear regarding them. In fact they rarely kill live animals, are non-aggressive and can become fond of humans . . . while still alive. I read of a story about a young boy, who had an enduring endearing relationship with a Turkey Vulture that would walk along with him to his school bus each day and when the bus drove off the vulture would fly off to hunt for food, returning to meet the boy in the afternoon.

Perhaps their bright red faces are not classically beautiful, but they can boast being equipped with the largest olfactory organ found in any animal perusing air or land. They have good eye sight as well, making them well equipped for finding dead animals . . . if conditions are right . . . within a twelve mile range soon after their demise. We all save tax dollars by not having to pay workers for the removal of road kill. Purification has been a symbol and synonym throughout many cultures in classifying these raptors. Vultures cannot call out or sing lovely trills, for they have no voice box. These gentle birds must get by communicating in hisses and grunts or if they feel threatened they may hurl 'vomit' towards any intruder. Admittedly when I listen to this hiss I do find it a bit spooky.

Pumpkins along with some fruit and vegetation are also acceptable to their palate.

I enjoyed watching several Turkey Vultures this spring as they gracefully glided above Flower Hill Farm each morning. I had never seen them come so close . . . at times only ten or twenty feet above where I stood camera in hand.

There are those that have a great fondness for Turkey Vultures and you can learn a good deal from visiting their site.

The Turkey Vulture Society

What I find really scary is the climate! I was out during the storm shaking shrubs and small trees to release snow . . . luckily there is not much damage here, but down in the valley where more trees had leaves there were hundreds of limbs and trees down on power lines.

After digging out of the epic October snow storm and enjoying the return of power . . . I do so appreciate running water and not having to read with a flashlight . . . I ponder the oddity of a landscape wearing green and colorful leaves, while beneath the canopies . . . thrown far and wide . . . rests a two-foot pile high snow carpet.

Watch out below! Avalanches of heavy snow fall fast from the roofs.

After a morning of sunshine the landscape begins to look almost normal . . . until you look down.

The warmer days are melting the snow and hopefully before the weeks end the white carpet will melt into the earth as 'poor man's fertilizer.' This overdose may intoxicate the plants and trees!

Our perceptions of what Autumn brings here in Western Massachusetts and beyond are forever changed as our climate surprises and haunts us with what may yet come. This was our second snow storm in October . . . a month that had not seen accumulations of snow in one hundred years. Very freaky storms . . . especially this last one.

Let's all act towards thinning our carbon footprint in our daily lives and demand that our leaders stop wasting time and money developing dirty energy.

Please Call the White House today and say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Why not encourage more investment in green energy too!

Mighty Oaks Begin Their Show Early Winter Paints the Landscape White!!

2011-10-28T15:34:00.005-04:00

The Autumn landscape now wears russet and deep golden hues.

As strong tall Oaks free their true colors.

This morning the landscape and gardens were tossed ahead a few months into winter temperatures and snow!
Most unusual for this time of year.

This young buck forages through the wet snow.
I love the way one of his budding antlers is directly poised 'side by side' with a plant stalk.

By late morning the snow begins to melt and fall from the greatly relieved shrubs and trees.
Like throwing off a heavy coat!

I am thankful to see green again along with the shades of Autumn.
I found it quite astounding . . . the difference in my mood . . . seeing the white melting away into the colorful palette again.

High up in the naked Rock Maple a year round resident adult Red-shouldered Hawk fluffs up his feather coat.
He gives me a glaring once-over, before placing his gaze upon the garden floor.

His russet front mirrors the returning Autumn palette now mostly filling the landscape . . .
as it should be on an October morning.

Swooping down for some prey in the garden. Hopefully a rabbit or vole.

I could not see if he caught anything.

Each day grows side by side another. Never knowing how one will compare from the other. I suppose it makes life more adventurous that way, though I would rather not have winter on what I expect to be an Autumn day. It is down right rude of winter. Tomorrow we are to be treated to another winter storm!

I thought I saw some early winter snow in Sweden awhile back. Visit Katarina to see what might be 'sida vid sida' there.

Looking Back Wildly Native Highbush Blueberries Flowers to Fruit

2011-10-26T11:31:00.001-04:00

Blueberry blooms in foreground. Lilac colors beyond.

Blueberries to the left . . . Snowy Crabapple on right.

The Blueberry field is down the hillside directly east of the old farmhouse retreat.

Gray Birch growing around Blueberries

Magnolia blooms in the distance . . . Blueberries growing around Gray Birch.

Blueberry pendants

Yummy to pollinators.

Swelling fruit

Rose violet to blue purple.

Portrait within a drop of water upon a blueberry.

Robin youngster eying berries and me

Scarlet Tanager

A bounty of berries . . . enough for me and hundreds of birds.

Planting native blueberries creates delicious moments throughout the seasons in everyday life, for those that cultivate the soil and those wild creatures that delight in our 'gardening for wildlife' endeavors.

Wilflowers for Gail at Clay and Limestone

Delicious Autumnal Palette In Varying Light

2011-10-20T11:11:00.002-04:00

Days of the late summer and fall of 2011 will be recalled as perpetually wet and as if the whole of the landscape had been marinated in a slate gray soup. Drenched by Irene fed floods and months of moisture, the trees seem as unhappy about all the dampness as do the humans that live mostly within sheltered structures, where swollen doors refuse to completely close.

Though in general the autumnal palette is of a duller value, there are a few trees . . . perhaps younger . . . that boldly stand out in radiant reds. I have read that a fungus has taken hold of many Sugar Maples and I notice leaves of Paper Birches, Black Cherry and many other trees that too are mostly turning brown and dropping to the ground.

The bright oranges and reds that do shine through their complimentary green Oaks offer dabs of what we normally see spread in swaths of large striking brush strokes laid down thickly across Walnut and Carey hill.

Luckily the rain did let up long enough to enjoy last weeks full moon. Everything seems off tilter . . . even the geese were flying in the wrong direction.

Sunset and moonrise light casts a particular veil across Carey Hill allowing an observer to see the true tree colors as brighter than earlier in dazzling sunlight.

An ephemeral arch of refracting droplets between the soaking storms does create an equally ephemeral ebullient spirit. Rainbows demand quieted contemplation for their duration.

Once a rainbow fades . . . cracks within thick blue-gray washes of clouds create landscape light shows catching sparkling saturated hues.

Masses of clouds hold magic too.

Bluebird blue pops out before leafy green.

I have had a few Bluebirds checking out the nest box below. They will share it this winter on the colder nights. I must be sure to get out and clean all the bird houses for they are safe sanctuary for our overwintering friends. One morning last winter I counted eight Bluebirds . . . one after another as they flew . . . flashes of cerulean and cobalt blue . . . out of the humble housing below.

Visual feasts such as these are fleeting and I savor the mouthwatering moments I look out on. While walking surrounded by a vivid landscape that soon enough will grow cold and much less colorful, I hold the images within like a fine wine or chocolate whose dreamy flavors I might swish around in my mouth before swallowing.

I hear it has been very wet in Sweden too. Visit Katarina for other mouth watery tales.

Blog Action Day and World Food Day 2011 #BAD11

2011-10-16T23:21:00.006-04:00

Here in the Pioneer Valley we know how lucky we are with many choices of local organically grown food. There are farmer's markets in the surrounding towns most every day of the week. If a person or family have no space to grow their own food, or if rabbits are too greedy, folks in Western Massachusetts can simply stroll into one of several markets for fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, eggs, goat cheese and grass fed 'humanely' raised meats. It truly is a paradise in many ways here in the valley and nearby hilltowns.

We all have the right to know where our food comes from and you can help one of the best food advocacy groups by going to their FOOD AND WATER WATCH facebook page and liking their page. They will get funding for every 'like' they receive in October.

One of my favorite farmer's markets is on Tuesday but I seem to have misplaced the photos. I love being able to buy organic and locally grown garlic and ginger from 'Old Friends Farm'.

Did you know that about fifteen years ago our country grew three quarters of the garlic we consumed but now most comes from China? When you are not able to go to a farmers market, please ask where your food is coming from. The more we ask and refuse to buy the sooner change will come. Why not take this quiz to see where some of your food choices come from. It is shocking to see how much of the food stocked on shelves in our stores . . . including, sadly, our food co-ops . . . is imported from China. Why not ask to have our food labeled as to what country they are grown in? Will you begin asking? We all must be vigilant about keeping GMO food out of our stores too or at least out of our homes. How can we when there is no labeling? Will you join in demanding our right to know? Monsanto's GE sweet-corn may be coming to a store near you soon. Please just say NO. Learn more about GE food.

More and more there are winter markets too, where seasonal root crops and greens are available. What a joy to have fresh greens all winter long!

Local fungi.

This Spring the green around our library became the site for a new farmer' s market.

Food is such a huge issue. I am focusing on what is happening here in the Pioneer Valley. As in the larger world . . . here in Western Massachusetts there is such abundance for some while others go to bed hungry each night. Healthy food is often too expensive for many and they can only afford less nutritious highly processed food, which in turn creates disease. Farmers in our area are aware of this and organized a new farmers market in a Northampton neighborhood where, in large part from donations from residents in the area, food stamps will have a double value.

Wealthy countries should be investing in sustainable agricultural practices for those in crisis the world over.

Sometimes there is live music at the markets adding a joyous celebratory feeling for all who gather to select fresh healthy food. Having such easy access to local organic food is indeed worth celebrating. Some would like to take that choice away from us by burdening farmers with hurdles that could make it hard for them to survive as small farms. Corporate agriculture would love to put an end to small family farms. Please learn about GIPSA and demand a fair farm bill. Thanks for calling congress and the president to protect small family farms. Reclaiming our food is one of the great changes growing today.

Let's all celebrate and support our local farmers by keeping informed and acting to protect them.

Berry Busy Fussy Birds

2011-10-11T11:52:00.001-04:00

"Whoa!" said the Cedar Waxwing to the Northern Flicker.

"Hey! Can you not see this branch is occupied???!! And don't you know you are a woodpecker!??"

"Sorry."

"Do not loose your feathers over it . . . I just did not see you for all the ripe berries luring me in. Yes! Of course I know I am a woodpecker, and if you were paying attention you would have noticed that I often perch rather than hold onto branches and trunks like some of my cousins. By the way, I saw Ms. Pileated Woodpecker on this Viburnum bush just last week! I am most often seen on the ground stirring up leaves and so forth using my somewhat curved bill to dig for ants and beetles, but I do so enjoy supplementing my diet with berries too!"

"Well, be that way . . . flying off in the middle of a conversation."

"All the more berries for me!"

"What are you looking at?? Do not tell me you too think I look odd perching this way?"

Admittedly I did think the Northern Flicker looked at bit out of its element, when coming in for a landing so near the outraged Cedar Waxwing. It was more humorous than anything except clearly NOT to the Cedar Waxwing. Both are beautiful birds even when they are fussy!

It was really odd to see a Pileated Woodpecker flying into the Viburnum weeks past now and seeing its large beak picking these small black berries.

The berries are long gone now and the lovely ridged leaves are a deep burgundy color adding to the brilliant fall colors on the hills and in the garden. I do not recall the name of this Viburnum but believe it to be a native species.

I hope you might visit 'Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens' to see my new post on native asters. It is a great site and I am honored to be one of the team that shares the importance of native plants and gardening for wildlife. There are many great posts on the site so look around, if you can spare the time and check back often, for a new article is posted daily.

A great OP-ED for Occupy Wallstreet