We also saw black-and-white (Mniotilta varia), yellow-rumped (Setophaga coronata), and Nashville warblers (Oreothlypis ruficapilla) and a Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula). We were especially surprised to see an indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) and a scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) – the first time we’ve seen either one in our backyard.

Click any photo for a larger image.

The grosbeaks spent most of their time eating sunflower seeds. The other birds appeared to be drawn by our small water feature. We know these birds are just passing through and it was exciting to see all of them in one day.

Though not showy, these half-inch flowers are quite distinctive. They somewhat resemble a meerschaum pipe, and the plant is often referred to as Dutchman’s Pipevine.

The unusual flowers also have a unique pollination method. Attracted by the strong scent, insects crawl inside the flower and are trapped by hairs inside the tube. When the flowers wither, the insects escape, visit another flower, and pollination is accomplished. Another example of nature’s amazing ways!

Pipevine is a hardy plant that does well in sun or shade. I grow it because it’s the only host plant (caterpillar food) for beautiful pipevine swallowtail butterflies (Battus philenor). In other words, without pipevines we won’t have pipevine swallowtail butterflies.

Thanks to this vine, we’ve had these butterflies in the backyard, seen them laying eggs, and found their caterpillars. And the unique flowers add to my enjoyment.

This one was half an inch long and a beautiful metallic green. It was easy to see when it was on the trail, but I lost sight of it when it flew to nearby greenery. This was the first one I’ve ever seen, although they are apparently fairly common to the eastern United States.

Once we got to the Rock Garden I was delighted to see a number of spring wildflowers. The Purple Phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida) was especially striking. The abundant bright-purple blossoms contrasted with the green foliage and the huge moss-covered boulders.

It was a beautiful setting and a lovely day to be in the woods. These two finds and other spring wildflowers were more than enough to fill my cup.

Note: Thanks for the comments on last week’s Red Admiral blog post. I was especially interested to hear of the Red Admiral sightings in northern Illinois and southern Ontario.

After some reading, I’ve discovered these butterflies often migrate south in autumn and north in spring, and I’m guessing that I was seeing part of their northward migration. This one was basking in the sun on a stone column.

The Red Admiral is one of our more common butterflies and is found throughout North America, as well as Central America and parts of Europe and Asia. The distinctive bright red-orange bands on the dark-colored wings with white spots make it easy to identify when you have a top view. The side view looks quite different.

The host plant or caterpillar food for Red Admirals is nettles. The adults feed on sap, decaying matter, and nectar. The ones I saw were feeding on the nectar of Schip Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’) sometimes referred to as cherry laurels.

These butterflies can be seen in Kentucky from April through September. Seeing several at the Arboretum was a special treat, and I’m glad to report that I’ve now seen one in our backyard as well.

What butterflies have you seen this spring?

This was the camera I used to capture my first Eastern comma butterfly (Polygonia comma) of the season. I used my favorite lens, a Tamron 18-27o mm zoom. I took the photo from 12 feet away and cropped it to get this close-up.

I also frequently use a Canon G12. It’s a sophisticated point-and-shoot camera that does quite well on a variety of automated and manual settings.

I often use this camera when I’m wandering in the garden, on a hike, or when I want to travel light. I recently used it to get this image of our backyard redbud (Cercis canadensis).

Although I prefer to hold the camera, I use a tripod for higher-quality images, especially for enlargements. For close-ups, butterflies and other fast-moving insects, I often use a 100 mm macro lens.

I enjoy using my equipment, but having any camera outdoors encourages me to slow down and see more. I end up deleting most of the photos I take, but taking them encourages me to look more closely and that’s reward enough.

With all of our recent warm weather, plants are a good two weeks ahead of their usual schedules and there were plenty of signs of spring.

We saw several scarlet cup mushrooms (Sarcoscypha dudleyi) including these three nestled together.

I also discovered devil’s urn mushrooms (Urnula craterium) for the first time.

We saw several butterflies, including a Mourning Cloak and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, but the only insect I was able to photograph was this impressive darkling beetle (Alobates sp.), that I met along the trail.

Note: After posting this, I had an email from my good friend Judy Burris, co-author of Life Cycles of Butterflies, suggesting my “darkling beetle” might in fact be a Bess beetle, (Odontotaenius disjunctus). I sent an ID request to BugGuide which confirmed Judy’s information. Thanks, Judy. I appreciate.

Wildflowers included anemones, bloodroot, spring beauties, and toothworts. However, I especially enjoyed the hepaticas (Hepatica acutiloba). Most of them were white but a few clumps were lavender, like this one that grabbed my attention.

Woods seem like enchanted places to me, full of mystery and magic and I totally enjoyed discovering the new signs of life. This was probably as much fun for me as an Easter Egg hunt is for children.

The cedar tree is this year’s annual Christmas tree for the birds. I’ve recently discovered a new way of using it as a bird feeder.

In winter I make suet cakes that I put in a suet cage. I’ve also found that melted suet can be dribbled on various surfaces to provide numerous feeding areas. I drip the suet on the cedar branches and have been pleased that it has attracted a variety of birds, including this northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).

I’m especially surprised at how suet in the cedar has attracted dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), who are usually ground feeders.

Yesterday I dribbled the suet on top of the snow. Instead of clinging to the branches, it solidified into small pieces. Some of the birds picked up the pieces and flew off to eat them elsewhere. And some, like this northern cardinal, (Cardinalis cardinalis) ate in the tree.

This is the suet recipe I use. I imagine the cakes you buy could also be melted and spread on various surfaces.

Easy Suet Recipe

• 1 cup lard
• 1 cup chunky peanut butter
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

Melt lard and peanut butter together. Add the cornmeal and flour. Mix well. Put in containers. Refrigerate or freeze.

We especially enjoy our birds in winter when there is very little going on in the backyard, and I like the added activity that the suet brings. How do you do to attract birds in winter?

I’ve updated my website and added some resources. I hope they will help folks who are new to native plants or those who want to add some natives to their existing gardens. There are new images of butterflies and plants in the photo galleries, and I’ve added pages about native plants, butterflies, and the story of our backyard.

Finally, I’ve created a chart of twenty-five of my favorite backyard plants. Here’s a sample.

I don’t meant that these are “the” twenty-five plants that everyone should plant. However, they would be a good addition to most any yard and there are plants that are attractive at various times throughout the growing season.

I hope this website encourages folks to do more with native plants. What else would be helpful?

Maxine Stone’s Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms and the Mushroom Expert were helpful in identifying them. The amusing name refers to the mushroom’s design and colors that resemble the tail of a strutting wild turkey.

Mushrooms seem magical and mysterious to me. They appear unexpectedly in all different places with different shapes, sizes, and colors. I’m intrigued by them but know very little about them.

I now know that Turkey Tail mushrooms are very common throughout the world. They usually grow on dead wood. These are growing on a stick of Dogwood from the tree we cut down last fall. They are edible and used in Chinese medicine. They are even being considered as a treatment for cancer.

According to Ms. Stone’s book, Turkey Tail mushrooms have pores instead of gills. When I checked the underside, I did indeed find pores and a different kind of beauty – click image for a closer view.

I especially like this close-up view.

I’ve seen these mushrooms many times in the woods and it was a special treat to find them in our yard. I like knowing their name and learning a little bit about them, and having this connection to woods all over the world.

We frequently see these birds  in the backyard, and in winter at dusk we often have ten or more feeding on sunflower and safflower seeds. During the day, they often come to the shelf feeder just outside our dining room window. If the light is favorable and I’m lucky, I can capture details that are otherwise difficult to see, such as the large orange beak and black face mask.

Cardinals do not migrate and we enjoy them year-round. Seeing and hearing them is especially welcome during the winter months. You can hear their “what-cheer-cheer-cheer” and “pretty-pretty-pretty” calls at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Wikipedia websites.

Cardinals are the state bird for seven states, including Kentucky, and the mascot for numerous athletic teams and schools, so evidently many other people like them as well.  I’m almost sure this one is saying “Happy Valentine’s Day!”