at Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, Virginia
Turtle
Spring
The Belmont Eagle
Runners on bikes
May 26, 2020, Morrisville, Virginia: Trudy H, Edwin R, David L, Leslie K, Joanne F, during Covid.
Eastern box turtle
Walking the back fence path
Shadowbike
Eastern Redbud
On our neighbors’ front lawn at 95 Harwill Drive
Mayapple
I watch for these each spring in our back woods, and saw our first ones pop up two or three days ago. This morning, suddenly, there was a plethora. Didjaknow, just like the Aspen, their colony shares a single root? Mayapple is also called mandrake. It flowers in May, but its “apple” comes later. The fruit may be eaten in small quantities but only after it turns yellow, and only after removing the seeds. Linnaeus described this plant in 1753. See more at wildfoods.ca.
Our twin magnolias
Perhaps at their peak today. Blooms open about the same time as forsythia but they don’t last nearly as long. Rain, wind, or frost often decimate them overnight. For years we’ve called them northern magnolia (to distinguish from the more popular evergreen southern magnolia), but their correct name is probably saucer magnolia. They were 1993 gifts from David and Wena.
A camellia morning
Fredericksburg Baptist
Home to 50 years of Christmas Messiah concerts on Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia. And, from further away, the other side of the spire as seen from Chatham Manor across the Rappahannock River in Stafford County.
