COSMOS AND A BUMBLEBEE FOUND IN NORWAY MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.

These have little white bands on their bodies. I found a White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum).

A very happy bumblebee with heavily laden pollen sacks on its hind legs. Only the female has these sacks but I would appreciate hearing from our bee experts among our blogging friends to tell us for sure.  Hi Erika, I always enjoy those interesting posts on your bee hives.

Those bee sacks are on the middle part of its hind legs, so I read.

More found on a Google search.

🐝 

“Writers, naturalists and philosophers across history have expressed deep admiration for bees, celebrating their profound connection to nature, their selfless labor, and their vital role in creating harmony and life on earth.

Throughout history, literary and philosophical figures have honored bees for their selfless labor and vital ecological roles, often using them as symbols of harmony. Key themes in these reflections include the following: 

Wisdom and Devotion: St. John Chrysostom praised the bee’s selfless labor, while Leo Tolstoy linked caring for bees to approaching people with love. Henry David Thoreau likened beekeeping to directing sunbeams.

Connections to Nature: Khalil Gibran described the relationship between bees and flowers as an ecstatic exchange of life. Elizabeth Lawrence called the hum of bees the “voice of the garden,” and Emily Dickinson expressed admiration for their nature.

Wonder and Reverence: Albert Einstein (often cited regarding the ecological impact of their disappearance) and William Blake both delighted the profound, industrious nature of bees.” 

🐝 

Thanks for looking and I wish you a great day.

GREEN SPRING GARDENS 7-10-26 - GREGG'S PHOTOS

We had a lovely walk on the 10th at the garden. It got a bit hot and humid the longer we were there though, and we knew when it was time to go home. In the meantime, we took lots of photos of our surroundings. I thought I would share what Gregg took today. When I got home and downloaded his photos, I saw a small bug on one of the flowers. I tried to identify it but didn't see any that had its exact pattern of markings. Maybe someone might recognize it. I cropped it for a closer look, a bit fuzzy.

These are supposed to be False Sunflowers, maybe these?  I have added links for more information. Below there is a milkweed plant at the bottom.

We found another bench nearer the greenhouse area and sat for a while. This was the pattern on the back. I will have the whole bench in one of my other posts. A shady area that was very welcome.

More White Coneflowers. It is called White Swan Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'), native to North America, a cultivated variety of the common purple coneflower, a species naturally found throughout the central to southeastern United States.

Here is another skipper. I didn't see a lot of butterflies again, maybe one cabbage butterfly. Hopefully there will be more as the summer progresses.  I asked Google about this one and it said it is a Sachem (Atalopedes campestris), a type of grass skipper commonly found in North America. Another interesting bit of information was that I read it appears to be a female as it is darker with lighter markings in the center of the wing, lacking the prominent stigma found in males. I was also given the information on the flower it was feeding on - a Globe Amaranth, which is commonly planted to attract pollinators like butterflies.

Next is the house we both love and always take photos of and share. It's not a cottage but this would definitely be imaginary home. I have always loved this place.

Purple Coneflowers

There will be more from this garden sometime.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - SHE’S NOT AVAILABLE TODAY…

 

A cute quote, I found it on Pinterest and it appealed to me. No, I am not out with the wildflowers. I will be patiently waiting until next spring to see them again. Today I am adding a few collected from my old blog.

The first photo is Wrinkleleaf goldenrod, botanical name Solidago rugosa. You can click on the link of each flower for more information. I was so focused on the bee I didn't notice the caterpillar until I got home.

These are from my archives. The first three were taken at Big Meadows along Skyline Drive. The others were found at Manassas Battlefield, both in Virginia.

Field Thistle, botanical name Cirsium discolor. A little blurry but better photos at the link.

A favorite, Dutchman's Breeches, botanical name Dicentra cucullaria.

Yellow Trout Lily, botanical name Erythronium americanum.

Just a few today, most you will recognize. It is always fun for me looking back at my old photos. They take me back to places I always enjoyed, and are great memory joggers.

I have turned the comments off today as I am trying hard to catch up with you all. 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day and week ahead.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - BUTTERFLIES AND FLOWERS

More pretty flowers and butterflies, this time from Meadowlark Gardens in August 2011.

I could sit and watch butterflies for a very long time. At Meadowlark there is a garden especially designed to attract them. There were dozens on this occasion. In the photo above you can just make out two almost in the center, their fluttering around us was almost like a ballet of carefully synchronized movement, which was mesmerizing.

A butterfly says, "The caterpillar-me is history,

My metamorphosis a mystery, and today...

Today is a present my struggle gifted me.

~Manali Oak~

"Butterflies...flowers that fly and all but sing."

~Robert Frost~

And what's a butterfly? At best he's but a caterpillar at rest.

~John Grey~

Did you know that there are about 28,000 butterfly species in the world?

Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees, or so I read. Any experts out there that can verify?

I saw several on my walk and I noticed that some had had a very tough time of it. In the picture below if you look closely at the butterfly on the right, something seems to have taken a bite out of its wing. There were quite a few with battle scars. 

Do you see it? It looks like it had a very lucky escape.

A butterfly is a miracle,

A divine creation that fleets,

After propelling the caterpillar within,

An array of predators it cheats.

~Dr. Maisie~

As you can see, I had a wonderful time taking photos of butterflies back then. I haven't had as much success lately but hope to put that to rights next year.

It makes me doubly happy I have these photos to look back on.

I recognize the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and the Monarch, a couple of Skippers, but I am a bit fuzzy on my other butterflies. I think I have found the ID below. I believe it is the American Lady.  You can compare the outside wings at this link.

 I definitely need a refresher course. That's my aim this week. I will come back and ID if I can.

I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free.

~Charles Dickens~

Thank you for looking 

and 

Happy Sunday!

FLOWERS, BUTTERFLIES AND BEES AND A QUOTE

Back to a few summer flowers and their friends, and ours. My photos are when I visited Meadowlark Gardens a while back.  The bees were enjoying the Zinnia...

as was the Monarch enjoying this Purpletop vervain...

and lastly the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Pickerelweed. The bees were enjoying them also, but it is hard to see the one in the photo.

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

~Maya Angelou~

I hope you are all having a great week so far, and I thank you for stopping by.

"Maya Angelou (4/4/28 - 5/28/14) was born Marguerite Annie Johnson. She was an American memoirist, poet and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry and is credited with a list of plays, movies and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Ms. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experience. The first, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim." More can be read if you click on her name underneath the quote I used above.

A SWARM OF BEES

B hopeful, B happy, B cheerful, B kind,

B busy of body, B modest of mind,

B earnest, B truthful, B firm and B fair…

B watchful, B ready, B open, B frank,

B manly to all men, whatever B their rank;

B just and B generous, B honest, B wise…

B temperate, B steadfast, to anger B slow.

B thoughtful, B thankful, whate’er may B tide…

B pleasant, B patient, B fervent to all,

B best if you can, but B humble withal.

B prompt and B dutiful, still B polite;

B reverent, B quiet, and B sure and B right…

B grateful, B cautious of those who B tray.

B tender, B loving, B good and B nign,

B loved thou shalt B, and all else B thine.

“A Swarm of Bees”

The British Bee Journal, and Bee Keeper’s Adviser, 

February 1st, 1882

OLD FAVORITE

 

“It was the bumblebee and butterfly 

who survived, not the dinosaur.”

~Meriden Le Sueur~

Meridel Le Sueur (February 22, 1900 – November 14, 1996) was an American writer associated with the proletarian literature movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Born as Meridel Wharton, she assumed the name of her mother's second husband, Arthur Le Sueur, the former Socialist mayor of Minot, North Dakota.

A DRIVE ALONG THE SNICKERSVILLE TURNPIKE, VIRGINIA - FRIDAY, MAY 5TH, 2023 - PART 4

 I am taking a couple of days off.  I have left my comments on but will be very slow answering them.  However, I will answer all eventually.  Luckily I had a few posts already done and scheduled, which included this coming Saturday and Monday posts.  Hopefully I will be feeling better by next Tuesday, but if you don't see anything then, you'll know I am just resting up.  Gregg and I have Covid but we are being well taken care of.

We are looking across land that once belonged to the Phillips Family, dating back to about 1798.  It is part of The Waterford Foundation and a self-guided tour can be found here.

According to what I read on one of the signs, it said those line of trees are the Osage orange (also called hedgeapple) which were planted by farmers to create a natural hedge.  The signs I have included below may be difficult to read even when enlarged, so I will repeat the info as I go along, as well as adding other information I found, plus links if interested.  This is what an Osage orange looks like (all photos showing the fruits, including the bow, were found online).

When I read about them, I found that Native American tribes in the Plains quickly discovered that its strong yet flexible wood made superior-quality bows.  According to legend, a bow made from the Osage orange was worth as much as a horse and blanket for Native American traders.  Shown in the photo is obviously a modern-day one but made with that particular wood.

The fruits are 4 to 5 inches in diameter.  The surface is deeply grooved and rough, covered in wiry hairs.  Underneath the ridged surface, the flesh is dense, cream-colored to pale green, and contains 200 to 300 oblong, light brown, edible seeds. When the flesh is sliced, it releases a sticky, white liquid that can be irritating to the skin and may cause a rash. 

As read: "Osage oranges have a green, bitter flavor with a hint of cucumber and a fruity, citrus-like aroma. The flavor is generally unpleasant, unpalatable, and some may feel ill after ingesting the bitter fruit, causing many to deem it inedible." There is more here.

One last bit of information, its wood withstands rot and decay, making them ideal for fence posts. After the widespread introduction of barbed wire fencing, Osage orange remained the go-to tree for fencing use, but this time it was for the rot-resistant wood that could be fashioned into fence posts to hold the newly invented barbed wire. And my snowball rolling down hill is taking effect because I also found this interesting page on the history of barbed wire.  There is none used for fence posts showing the barbed wire below.  Well, enough of the Osage orange!

The Phillips family had an annual yield of 500 bushels of wheat, 400 lbs. of butter, 65 lbs. of wool and 60 lbs. of honey and beeswax.

Thomas and Rachel Phillips were Quakers and were against slavery and secession, which in this case meant the withdrawal of eleven southern states from the Union in 1860, leading to the Civil War.  More history on that subject can be found at this website.  The following photo is cropped from the one above.  It shows some of the artifacts found.

One of the facts I found very interesting was that the Phillips Farm is "a registered Monarch waystation.  Monarchs on their annual migration to and from Mexico, find nectar and host plants here.  Bees also thrive and produce honey just as they did centuries ago" and "Today, more than 200 years after Thomas Phillips began farming here, his practices of haymaking and beekeeping, continue on the farm."

Unfortunately, I didn't see the Belted Kingfisher.  There was no path or gateway that we could see. The Kingfishers and other birds can no doubt be seen along the creek amongst the trees.  (I found out later there is a trail that can be taken.)

I found the above photo at pixabay.com

Others mentioned were the Eastern Bluebird, the Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird and the Red-Tailed Hawk.

That's all for today.  I have another post after this, of Waterford Village.  It will be my last from our trip along the turnpike, and will be posted next week.