Lady Beetle
I found a lady beetle today. She was nice and bright and crawling around on garlic mustard and mile-a-minute vine. Cute little thing, isn’t she?
Lady Beetle
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Beetle, Coleoptera, Insect, Insects, Lady Beetle
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Spiderwort
Spiderwort
This is the first bloom on our Tradescantia (spiderwort) out front in the shade garden. This one is lighter purple than most but still quite pretty. I especially like the deep purple stamen hairs and the yellow anthers. Apparently, when the stamen hairs are exposed to ionizing radiation they turn pink. Looks like were safe, for now.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Hardy Perennial, Perennial, Purple, Spiderwort, Tradescantia, Yellow
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Rain
Rain
It cleared up later in the day but this symbolizes the day for me.
Buckeye
Buckeye
his is a common buckeye (Junonia coenia), posing for me on a garlic mustard. An uncommonly beautiful butterfly, I think.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Buckeye, Butterflies, Butterfly, Insect, Insects, Junonia, Junonia coenia, Lepidoptera
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Maidenhair Fern
Maidenhair Fern
My dad had a maidenhair fern growing for years and when we bought our first house I dug up a small bit from the edge. When we moved I took some from that and it’s now well established in our yard here. So, this is “dad’s maidenhair fern.” (Adiantum pedatum)
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Adiantum, Adiantum pedatum, Fern, Fiddlehead, Maidenhair, Maidenhair Fern, Native Plants, Northern Maidenhair Fern, Pteridophytes, Spring
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Soap Bubble
Soap Bubble
Lea was blowing soap bubbles outside church this morning. Have you ever tried using autofocus on bubbles. It doesn’t work so well. Also, they move out of focus pretty quickly. I didn’t do a whole lot better on manual. Still, this one turned out pretty well.
Does anyone else see a face in this?
Chive Buds
Chive Buds
The chives I have in a container out back are about to start blooming. I love chive flowers and enjoy sprinkling them on soup or on top of a salad to add a bit of color.
Dandelion Seed Head
Dandelion Seed Head
I took a bunch more insect pictures today but Dorothy and Simone wanted me to post this picture of a dandelion seed head. For anyone interested, there are four new insect pictures in Extras.
Jumping Spider
Jumping Spider
After the heavy rain this morning I wasn’t sure I’d get out but it was a beautiful afternoon. I took more butterfly pictures but my favorite of the day is this spider I found. I think it may be a tan jumping spider, Platycryptus undatus.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Arachnid, Jumping Spider, Platycryptus, Platycryptus undatus, Spider
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Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley
I love these little bells. We brought lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) with us from George Street only to buy a house where there was a significant amount already planted. I’ve seen it forcing its way up through pavement, so it’s quite tenacious once it gets established. I could only wish the flowers lasted longer.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Convallaria, Convallaria majalis, Flower, Flowers, Lily of the Valley, Perennial, White
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Yellow Jacket
Yellow Jacket
I went out hoping to get a better butterfly picture today. I got a few but they aren’t enough better than yesterday’s picture to justify putting them here. So, here’s a picture of a yellow jacket on a garlic mustard flower.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Bee, Hymenoptera, Insect, Insects, Wasp, Yellow, Yellow Jacket
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Eastern Tailed Blue
Eastern Tailed Blue
These little guys don’t sit still for long and don’t like being approached but I managed to get a reasonable shot of one today. Eastern tailed blue, Everes comyntas.
Follow-up: I have two more pictures of this butterfly taken on April 27 in my Extras gallery.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Butterfly, Eastern Tailed Blue, Everes, Everes comyntas, Insect, Insects, Lepidoptera
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Lightning
Lightning
I know that this isn’t a particularly good picture but I’ve never actually caught lighting before and although it’s partially off the side of the frame, I’m still pretty stoked that I was able to get even this. It was a pretty but fairly hot and humid day and this storm came crashing in at about 4:00 PM. Totally awesome. Anyway, it’s my picture for the day. I’ll be posting a few more pictures from today in another gallery and I’ll add a link here when that’s done.
Epimedium x rubrum
Epimedium x rubrum
Since tomorrow is Easter, here’s a cross shaped flower — Epimedium x rubrum. If you’re looking for an interesting and different ground cover, this would be a good choice, although not really evergreen in our climate, it’s got beautiful leaves with red highlights and lovely flowers, although they are sometimes hidden by the foliage. There are also white and yellow varieties (see Extras for the white).
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Epimedium, Epimedium x rubrum, Hardy Perennial, Perennial
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Flowering Almond
Flowering Almond
We planted this flowering almond when we first moved into the house. It was given to Cathy by a friend. It never gets more than about three feet tall and dies back almost to the ground every other year. Still, when it’s in bloom, it’s pretty nice. And it doesn’t need any pruning.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Almond, Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowering Almond, Flowering Shrubs, Flowers, Pink, Shrub
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Karlee and Dorothy
Karlee and Dorothy
We don’t get to see Karlee nearly enough since her family moved to Virginia but she came and spent the night with Dorothy, which was a treat for all of us.
Dogwood Blossoms
Dogwood Blossoms
I know I’ve already done dogwood flowers but a) I never said I wouldn’t repeat and b) I like this picture. In the Extras gallery there’s a pink dogwood flower, as well.
Marking My Keys
Marking My Keys
I’ve been meaning to mark my keys for a while but I actually did it this evening. Each of the steel rods in this set have a different letter or number. They are placed on the surface to be marked and whacked with the metal hammer. I hate having keys and not knowing what lock they fit. You feel like you can never throw them away, just in case.
Forget-Me-Nots
Forget-Me-Nots
Getting close again today after a few days of not. The forget-me-nots are starting to bloom so I’m posting one now before I forget.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Blue, Flower, Flowers, Forget-me-not, Myosotis
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Zubbles
Zubbles
We spent an enjoyable afternoon visiting Iris in Baltimore for her birthday. It was pretty windy but Iris and Dorothy enjoyed blowing Zubbles on the ninth floor patio.
Did Someone Say Murder? (again)
Did Someone Say Murder?
After spending the morning editing pictures from last night, I spent the afternoon and evening at the Olney Theatre again. Here’s the cast and crew after today’s second and final performance.
Did Someone Say Murder?
Did Someone Say Murder?
Sorry for the delay in getting this up. Friday I went from the office to the Olney Theatre to take pictures before and after the WCA performance of Did Someone Say Murder? by David J. LeMaster.
Maple Samaras
Maple Samaras
What a beautiful day. Pity I couldn’t be out longer.
Bluebells
Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells)
Cathy and I walked to Bluebell Island after work today. Unfortunately the rains last night raised the creek too high and we couldn’t get out onto it. I turned around when the water was up to the top of my thighs and I wasn’t even out in the fast water yet.
We enjoyed the flowers on the near bank, anyway, including bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens), Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), and Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides).
This photo was taken with the camera on the ground looking up at the bluebells, which accounts for the white sky.
Categories: Miscellaneous
Tags: Bluebells, Mertensia, Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells
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Dogwood Buds
Dogwood Buds
It was quite windy this afternoon so I had a hard time getting a sharp photo but these dogwood buds are pretty cool.
It Isn’t Raining Rain, You Know
It Isn’t Raining Rain, You Know
….
It’s raining violets.
And when you see clouds
Upon the hill,
You soon will see crowds
Of daffodils;
So keep on looking for the bluebird,
And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.
Though April showers
May come your way,
They bring the flowers
That bloom in May;
And if it’s raining,
Have no regrets;
Because, it isn’t raining rain, you know
….
April Showers, by Buddy DeSylva, 1921.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Purple, Violets
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The Forests Have Eyes
The Forests Have Eyes
The trees are watching you.
Godspell
Godspell
We had an enjoyable evening today, capped off with the wonderful performance of Godspell by the teens at Covenant Life Church. They did a terrific job and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. If anyone seeing this knows any of these kids, please tag them.
Tap and Die
Tap and Die
When I demonstrated simple machines to the second graders a week or so ago, they asked how screws are made. So, I got out my tap and die set to show them how threads can be cut, both on the outside of a screw or bolt and on the inside of a hole to receive it.
Glowing Leaves
Glowing Leaves
These newly emerged leaves were beautiful against the blue sky this afternoon. I sure love color.