Category: Seasons

Beautiful Blossoms

Apple blossoms abound in Central Massachusetts this week!

Brookfield Orchards, North Brookfield, MA

It is a banner blossom year for the Baldwin apple tree in my backyard.

Another “Bluebird”

Tree Swallows, with their deep-blue iridescent backs, are the first swallows to return to Massachusetts in the Spring. They compete with Eastern Bluebirds for nest boxes. These swallows were perched on the bluebird boxes at Wachusett Meadow Audubon Sanctuary.

Winter Woods Gem

Encountering this unexpected “treasure” enhanced a recent Winter hike.

Beaver Bend Trail, Wachusett Meadow Audubon Sanctuary, Princeton, MA

Raspberries and Cream

Yesterday’s Spring snowstorm transformed my azalea bush.

April Banquet

Emergence

The onset of Spring is visible in abstract patterns on and below the surface of our local ponds, now free of ice.

A Meditative Encounter

The isolation and quiet dedication of a solitary fisherman in the middle of a frozen lake captured my attention. This turned a frigid February day into a welcomed experience of mindfulness.

-Rutland State Park, Rutland, Massachusetts

A Tree for All Seasons

This was originally posted in February of 2018.

The Baldwin apple tree in my yard is an old American variety and provides large greenish-red apples every other year.

But that’s only a start. Because it is larger than most apple trees, it is also a center for shade on a hot summer day, a hide for the the birds, an elegant statuesque centerpiece for the yard, and a winter frame to view the yard from a different perspective.

Blue Snow Morning

A fast-moving snowstorm passed through last night, leaving a thick coating of snow that sparkled with a variety of bluish tints in the early morning shadows.

February Sunset

Even within the short space of an hour, the Winter light in New England can intensify color dramatically.

Ice World

Winter has transformed the Wildlife Pond at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA. The beaver lodge has a chunky white coating, while other areas of the pond sparkle with ice ranging from rough and jagged to windblown and smooth. The red and gold vegetation at the pond edges lends a delicate frame to this “ice world”.

Winter Friends

Winter birds such as the white-crowned sparrows and dark-eyed juncos have been appearing at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA. Surprisingly, I spotted an eastern bluebird still hanging around with them. Perhaps he belongs to a group that has wintered here in recent years.

junco Version 2

Chipmunks’ Pumpkin Party

What could be sweeter for chipmunks than a jumble of perfectly ripe pumpkins at eye level?

stretching Boo!

Fall Walk

Photographs from a late afternoon walk at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA. There’s nothing quite like the gold, red and green of a New England Fall.

Winter Guest

This White-Throated Sparrow watched me warily from a nearby bush on a recent walk. It only visits in Winter, spending the other seasons in more northern woods. I think that its “lore” (the bright yellow spot near its eye) stands out just as much as its white throat. Unfortunately, I did not hear its unusual call: a slow whistle following the cadence “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody”.

Winter Walks

Happy Solstice!

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A Gift For the Birds

First Snow

First snow of the year: golden tree limbs and deep blue skies beyond, while puffballs decorate the garden pathways. It was a Currier and Ives morning!

IMG_3382 (1) American_Homestead_Winter_-_Currier_and_Ives

Before the Lights Came On

Tower Hill Botanical Garden in West Boylston, MA is well known for its astonishing winter color and light show most evenings during the holidays.

As I hiked the trails there this afternoon, I was immersed in the blue of Mr. Wachusett, the reds and oranges of the winter berries and the golds of the Wildlife Pond. Even the emerald of the famous Moss Steps sparkled with an overlay of red leaves. Throughout my walk, I was treated to a vibrant palette of colors even before the electricity was turned on!

#OptOutside

I was surrounded by a colorful group today as I opted outside for Black Friday. The Summer birds are long gone, but my Winter feathered friends enlivened the landscape with flashes of red, white, gold and blue.
A bonus: it didn’t take me long to find these birds. They all visited the bird feeders within the space of a half an hour as I sat quietly watching.