Picture of the Day for May 6, 2016

On a very warm May day, it is hard to think about May snow storms that can occur but hopefully we will avoid that this year and the only white on the ground is from wildflowers. The Great White Trillium is blooming and I was able to get a couple of pictures before the deer eat them. Trilliums are a favorite of deer and the blossoms get smaller if the deer continue to graze on them and some of mine which have been eaten several years in a row won’t have blossoms this year.They don’t bother the Nodding Trilliums very much as the blossom hangs underneath but the large blossom of these are hard to miss.

Surviving Great White Trilliums

Surviving Great White Trilliums

Picture of the Day for May 3, 2016

My lawn was full of yellow color from the dandelions, but some other yellow could be found in the ditches and other wet area as the Marsh Marigolds are in bloom right now. A blossom can produce up to two hundred seeds and when its seed pod open, it forms a splash cup so that when a raindrop hits the wall of the seed cavity, the seeds are expelled. And as the plants are often growing in or near water, the seeds have a spongy tissue which allows them to float on the water so the seeds can wash up on land to grow.

Golden Yellow from the Marsh Marigolds

Golden Yellow from the Marsh Marigolds

Picture of the Day for May 1, 2016

In the era when a majority of adult children lived in a fairly close radius around their parents, Sundays often included dinner at grandma’s house. But now families are scattered around the country and world, so the weekly visit to the grandparents are no longer common as recreation and other activities fill the Sundays instead. It doesn’t look like this old house has had a Sunday dinner for a while.

No More Sunday Dinners

No More Sunday Dinners

Picture of the Day for April 30, 2016

A cloudy morning is keeping the blue sky hidden but there is some blue and with pink tones in the Virginia Bluebells which are currently blooming in the woods giving nectar to the butterflies. The blossoms start out in pink but when it matures and ready for pollination, it increases its alkalinity to change the red pigmentation into blue pigmentation, a color that is much more attractive to pollinators.

The Blue of Virginia Bluebells

The Blue of Virginia Bluebells

Picture of the Day for April 29, 2016

The little house wrens returned more than a week ago, but you didn’t hear their loud singing during the cold, rainy week. Now that the sun returned today, the yard is filled with their song again and soon they will start building their nests.  The House Wren has one of the largest ranges of any songbird in the New World so many yards see the fierce little warrior.

Noisy Little Bird

Noisy Little Bird

Picture of the Day for April 28, 2016

Even though it is just barely above freezing this morning, the precipitation falling right now is snow so the white seen on the ground maybe snow or the little Wood Anemones. The plant tends to grow in thick mats, spreading via rhizomes and a single plant can take five years or longer to bloom. When the sun is out, the blossoms will open up wide like a rounded pointed star, but with the lack of sun, they close up tight.

Other White Besides Snow

Other White Besides Snow

Picture of the Day for April 27, 2016

April showers bring more than May flowers, as it will also bring May planting and the field by this barn will eventually be sown when the ground warms up. But with snow in the forecast tonight and tomorrow, the soil won’t warm much in the next few days. This old wooden barn has a nice paint job but it isn’t a hundred years old yet as it was built in 1931.

Red Sentinel

Red Sentinel