This week I have been helping out more at the campground. It's our busy season now that the warmer months are upon us. Today while I was on my way over to clean a cottage, a certain site caught my eyes. I saw the below foxgloves. I hadn't seen foxgloves in years! So,I took the time to "smell the Foxgloves". The closest I've come to seeing foxgloves, was when I watched the cartoon version of Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddle Duck a few weeks ago. In this lovely cartoon, as Jemima lands in a private wood to find a safe "haven" to lay her eggs, she happens upon the fox. The wood is surrounded by foxgloves! The foxgloves which initially caught my eye. I also noticed this beautiful plant's blue and violet shades. Just remarkable beauty!
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The last few visits to my sit spot have yielded some real West Virginian natural treasures. I've been having the opportunity to visit my spot at different times during the day since my schedule is more flexible. Yesterday, I found the most cunning striped Jack-in-the-Pulpit variety ever! These Pulpits are pale green with whitish stripes. Very nice. I don't recall seeing this variety back in Maryland. In Maryland, I saw the purple striped variety a lot, which is also very striking in appearance. Here you can see a view of the WV variety of Jack-in-the Pulpit, a wildflower. Check out the nice white stripes on the plant to the right. Today, I looked up in a tree and found the most adorable little bird's nest! I immediately felt it was a hummingbird's nest based on the size shape and the way the nest was seemingly "plastered" into the Y of the tree, but I am not sure. What do you think? I'm still looking at different hummingbird nests to see if any match up. Upon my first view, this is what I saw of the nest above my head about three feet. It sure paid to look up to see this treasure. I was thinking there might be eggs in this beauty, so I approached rather cautiously with my camera. And a little closer.... And finally a peek into the nest reveals......no little dears. They've probably hatched and left by now as I believe it's late in the season. This was a hard angle to get. I had to step on a stone which I stood up against the young tree to get this shot. I tried very hard to not be intrusive, but I just HAD to find out if there were any eggs inside as I stretched high and pointed my lense to get this shot above my head. Got it! Us humans are insatiably curious about our little fellow creatures and I'm no exception. Here we have a hummingbird's nest about the size of what I found. Photo compliments of Wikimedia Commons. Here is an old painting of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest with a baby hummer sitting rather tightly in its nest. These nests can be just little bigger than a quarter and my nest was definitely bigger than a quarter. Tonight I visited my sit spot at around 6 pm. It was a gorgeous and perfect spring mountain evening with a nice breeze, no humidity, slightly cool, around 65 degrees and beautifully sunny. Rochelle and I had been out for our evening walk and I parked her at the dog line and tied her up. My sit spot is not even 20 yards from the dog line. I sat on my rock and drank in the evening.
The birds were really deep in their songs and flitting about the trees. I saw a robin land on a branch with what looked to be a worm in its mouth. There was a lovely little tiny butterfly that was brown with white bands. When the butterfly would flutter about, it had such a unique pattern to its wings with the white bar flashing. Aaaah! What a lovely evening to sit back on my rock and enjoy the sights and sounds of this lovely spring evening! Yesterday at around 5pm, I decided to visit my sit spot. It was raining, so, I put on my slicker and headed to my sit rock. As I was making my way to my sit spot I saw something stunning! There were, glistened with raindrops, several stands of a new pink wildflower I have never seen before! I couldn't very well get photos of them in the rain, as I didn't want to expose my camera to so much moisture. It was raining quite hard. I had guessed correctly that they were a type of columbine and sure enough after googling "columbine", I found Alice's Pink Columbine! Wow! Alice is my deceased grandmother's name on my father's side! My father just passed last week, and now there is a flower here to remind me of my father's dear sweet mother, whom he has recently joined! I'm thrilled and delighted to get to know this lovely wildflower. Light Pink Alice's Columbine, a reminder of my grandmother Alice Johnson! The underside of Alice's Pink Columbine. Notice the famous 5-pointed star pattern found repeatedly throughout nature. Alice's Pink Columbine is actually called European Columbine, with Alice's being the pink variety. I found out that columbine is a dicot in the ranunculales order, same as buttercups! Here is direct information from my giant two volume set, Wildflowers of the United States, Volume One: The Northeastern States: "The name columbine come from the Latin columb, dove; the five spurred petals were apparently thought to resemble as many doves, clustered perhaps around a fountain. The Latin name is likewise of doubtful origin; it is sometimes derived from aquila, "eagle"; but why?"
I'm fascinated by this volume's eloquent writing! Isn't it just cunning? There's more too. "The columbines are familiar and beautiful garden flowers of many colors. Their distinctive feature is the hanging or horizontal flower whose five petals have long tubes - "spurs" - extending upwards or backwards. The sepals are brightly colored, like the petals or of a contrasting color. There are many stamens and five pistils. The ovaries become pods (follicles) which open along their inner sides. The leaves are much divided into small, stalked segments which are usually roundish and notched." I slept in today until like 10:30 am. Must have needed it after all the emotional ups and downs with my dad's passing. I managed to get outdoors to my special "sit spot" to connect with nature. I had a marvelous visitation from what I believe is a Phoebe. It perched in some trees about my head and made the most adorable chirps. I noticed it had a little insect in its mouth. I could see the wings of the insect poking out. I also noticed the wonderful "green smells" of the newly flowering earth and the leaves coming out. The leavs come out later here in the mountains, of course. I noticed some Cabbage White butterflies and the tumultuous activity of the insects about the ground and lower plants. What a lovely morning! I'm so thrilled I had the chance to get out there. I want to try to do it everyday for my 10-day sit spot challenge. The spot I go to I'm actually considering either getting a tiny house on wheels back there or building a tiny log cabin. We'll see. I'm saving up for my home now. I'm hoping to purchase materials and labor under $15,000. I also hope to live off the grid. That's my goal.
This week I was able to visit my sit spot twice in a week and this has been a very busy week for me here at the motel! I'm amazed. I've been getting there in the evenings right as the sun is going down at about 8:00 pm. The first evening, I marveled at the beauty of the spring flowers, the sounds of peeping frogs and the smell of these bottle-brush looking flowers on a shrub next to my sit rock. This evening when I went to my sit spot I was surprised by the ear piercing calls of the frogs! It was almost overwhelming. My ears actually hurt listening to them. I heard one frog that sounded rather close. I thought they'd all be living at the pond, but I think I heard frogs throughout the woods too. One day, I am going to purchase a tiny house on wheels. I want to live simply and avoid debt. Actually, there is a whole group of folks called "the tiny house movement". I thought about what it would be like to roll up my tiny house right next to my sit spot. It would make going to my sit spot that much more convenient. I have to walk about 200 yards right now to get to my sit spot. Below are some fun photos I took at my sit spot. My favorite photo of the night |
AuthorI'm Natureglo, founder of Natureglo's eScience! I'm an avid nature lover, photographer, hiker, full time camper and an online teacher. Categories
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