Tried With Fire

The temperatures are going to dip again next week, so I wanted to capture the daffodils while they were still in their prime. I was concerned they wouldn't survive the crazy yo-yo weather this winter, but they weathered the storms rather well and put on a quite show for the first day of spring. Enjoy!

I was mowing the yard today and found some surprises. (Click the pics for a better view.) Wild cyclamen growing in a rather neglected flower bed Moths on the blue mistflower

Robin chick waiting to be fed  Brown thrasher chick - this was taken through the window next to my computer desk Freshly mulched bed  Unknown variety of rose

There is a little hollow in the sweet gum tree outside our sunroom window which makes a nice watering hole for the neighborhood critters.  I had taken a pic of the squirrels a few months ago, but I noticed the blue jay today. He/she posed very nicely for the camera.

I don't know what the ground hog saw, but this is what I saw in the garden yesterday. Update: Phil did not see his shadow.

It's interesting to see what plants are growing in the garden. Sometimes it's hard to know if it is a weed, volunteer, or intentionally planted by the previous owner. There was a large-leafed vine that I could not identify. I waited to see if it would produce flowers or fruit, but it produced neither. It was beginning to creep over the fence into my neighbor's yard, so it was time to say good-bye to the mystery vine. I still don't know what it is, but at least it wasn't kudzu. Here are a few more surprises: Mystery plant #2. The flowers resemble tiny rosebuds, and the stems are slightly thorny.

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his   span of life?   And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,   yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Matthew 6: 27-29

I marvel that gardenias can grow like shrubs in this part of Virginia.  My only previous exposure to gardenias were as very fussy house plants.  At our old house, my neighbor had several gardenia bushes.  When the wind would blow, we could catch a whiff of the fragrance. As I looked out my kitchen window last night, to my surprise, I saw the white tell-tale blooms on what I thought was just your average evergreen shrubbery. One blossom is now filling the kitchen with its wonderful fragrance.

We are getting acquainted with our new yard. The previous owner planted several roses. They're beautiful to look at, but they have no scent. Not even a faint whiff of anything remotely like a rose. My preference would be to have them look less perfect and smell more like roses. I think there may be a spiritual analogy here. One can look so good on the outside but when you get up close, there may be no fragrance of Christ at all. It's all just for show. I have been playing plant detective. There is a vine growing near one of the roses. The leaves look almost like wild grape leaves but not quite. I have checked Virginia Tech's dendrology site, but to no avail. If anyone recognizes this, let me know. I have also checked if it was a squash, cucumber, melon volunteer or even an ornamental bean like scarlet runner or hyacinth bean. I got word that my Mac is salvageable for a price. The mother board and the hard drive went bad and need to be replaced. However, the d...

It is a beautiful sunny day. We had summer-like temperatures in the middle of the week, so everything has burst into bloom, leaf, or pollen. I would be outside if I didn't have to pack and shred. There is a thick coat of yellow pollen outside which would have me sneezing constantly, so I have another reason to stay inside. I did venture out to take these pictures. My neighbor's wisteria has begun to creep into our yard. The fragrance is wonderful. This is Carolina sweet shrub. The flowers are an unusual reddish-brown. The fragrance is very sweet (hence the name) and reminds me of juicy fruit gum for some reason. I have been listening to two Welshmen today while packing. In addition to good preaching, I love the accent. First is Martin Downes , author of Risking the Truth . His talk Heresy Never Dies looks at Open Theism and brings it back to its historical root of Socinianism . Having believed some less than orthodox teachings and having people dear to me embracing less th...

Star magnolia

These are mini-daffodils, about 5 inches tall, still wet from last night's rain.

A pleasant surprise in the garden...

The saucer magnolia tree is confused. The branch tips are covered with fuzzy little catkins waiting to burst into bloom. The problem is, it's November. I hope the buds won't die when we finally get our first frost. We have had a very mild fall. It was sunny and in the upper 60's today, perfect weather for raking leaves. It's hard to believe that December is around the corner!

The yellow rumped warblers have returned to Virginia. These birds spend their summers up North and return here when the weather gets colder. We saw at least 10 warblers in the flower bed, looking for insects, and taking a dip in the bird bath outside the kitchen window. They blend in so well with the foliage. It is easy to miss them until you see the flash of yellow. I hope these little birds will find a safe winter home in our yard.

This is a Monarch caterpillar. It is eating climbing milkweed outside the schoolroom window. The larva is about 3 inches long and is gobbling the leaves at an amazing rate. The milkweed has taken over the flower bed which is bad for the hydrangeas but good for the butterflies which have been in abundance this summer. Milkweed is the favorite food of the Monarch caterpillars. When Monarch larvae ingest milkweed, they also ingest the plants' toxins, called cardiac glycosides. They store these compounds in their wings and exoskeletons, making the larvae and adults toxic to many potential predators. Vertebrate predators may avoid Monarchs because of their terrible taste. We're hoping the caterpillar will turn into a chrysalis. If it does, we'll bring it into our butterfly hatchery and observe its metamorphosis.

Bradford pear blossoms Our Bradford pear trees Early spring is a beautiful time in Virginia, especially before the pines and oaks drop their pollen. The Bradford pears are so pretty but their blooms don't last very long. Already, we see a shower of petal snow everytime the wind blows. The bees were taking advantage of the blooms. The trees were literally buzzing with activity when I took these pictures today.