white morpho
Wednesday's visit to Magic Wings introduced me to a new butterfly.
This is a white morpho; it wears a subtle beauty.
Wednesday's visit to Magic Wings introduced me to a new butterfly.
This is a white morpho; it wears a subtle beauty.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
10:12 AM
While this reminds me of Christmas cactus I believe it is a different variety of succulent.
It has large flowers and succulent stems; a real beauty!
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
3:35 PM
Today's visit to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory made me happy. It's always wonderful to stand among butterflies, to feel their touch, to see them in flight and at rest.
I think this is the first time I saw two butterflies of different types where one is standing on the other.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
5:31 PM
Yesterday afternoon's walk in Odiorne Point State Park was timed perfectly from a sky standpoint. The earlier pure blue sky was decorated by inbound clouds.
The small rounded rocks along the coast remained walkable and somehow I managed to stay out of the water.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
10:33 AM
I headed to Salem yesterday afternoon to see if there was any new art on the walls.
The wall housing small square murals that is usually repainted each year still shows work from 2021. It wasn't until late in my wander that I found a new mural (replacement), a full wall of wonder. I enjoyed the art on the walls, both old and new.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
8:27 AM
A sign at the end of a dock on the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, NH wears the words of Robert Dunn, the Poet Laureate of Portsmouth from 1999 to 2001. The words really appeal to me.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
3:37 PM
I hoped to find flowers when I visited the gardens of Long Hill this afternoon. While it's still early in the season I found tiny flowers scattered across the property. There were snowdrops, crocus, scilla, glory of the snow, winter aconite, and Lenten rose, all lending color and bringing smiles.
It's a good thing that the snow from early in the week has melted and the ground has had a chance to dry out because I couldn't resist getting down on the ground to get photos of the flowers! The flowers of early spring are wonderful.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
6:22 PM
Pink sand shows between the beach and the sand dunes at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I've seen this more often at the southern end of the refuge; today it decorated the northern end.
The shades of pink and purple come from mineral deposits of rose quartz and garnet.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
5:09 PM
I headed to Maudslay State Park this afternoon for a quick look before tomorrow's predicted snow hides the flowers that are in bloom. Snowflake flowers live on a hill behind a brick wall, and miniature daffodils and crocus are starting to peek out on another hill that is still half covered in snow.
It's always good to see and visit the early flowers of spring.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
5:16 PM
Meterological spring started on March 1st.
The first sign of spring (to me) is the emergence of color in tiny flowers. Today I saw my first crocus; it's spring!
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
3:51 PM
Early March is about the time each year when I feel that I need flowers and color around me. Luckily the spring bulb show at Smith College opens at that time, problem solved.
A friend and I visited the show on Monday. Communing with the flowers was well worth the drive!
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
7:00 AM
Today I drove west in the state to visit the spring flower show at The Botanic Garden of Smith College. Tulips and daffodils wore bright colors, a delightful glimpse of the coming season.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
5:15 PM
It was about an hour and a half before low tide when I arrived at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon. It was a perfect time for a walk by the ocean, a time to enjoy warming air, to listen to the sound of the waves.
The sky still wore blue although wisps of clouds were starting to solidify.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
6:40 PM
This afternoon was a good time to visit the sheep on the critter walk in Topsfield, MA. It's a 3-mile loop on lightly traveled roads that we have tagged with the name "critter walk" because of the animals that live there.
We were hoping that the sheep would come close to the fence so we could pet them. That didn't happen; the sheep preferred to stand in the field watching the 2-legged creatures watching and talking to them.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:25 PM
The weather forecast indicates that today will be the last day of spring warmth in winter for a bit. The temperature is predicted to drop tomorrow and it appears there may be snow later in the week.
Today was a good day for walking.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:36 PM
I often walk the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. It is narrow and often quite slanted.
Yesterday I walked the wide, flat beach at Jenness State Beach on the New Hampshire coast. I shared the space with walkers and dogs. There were even some people in the water with surf and paddle boards.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:29 PM
Magic light paints the land as I turned my back to the ocean to look at the sand dunes during my low tide walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:44 PM
As I walked in Maudslay State Park this afternoon I stopped to look at a hillside behind a low brick wall, a place where snowdrop flowers live. It's too early for the early spring blooming flowers but the leaves have started to emerge.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:21 PM
It was a happy surprise to see snowdrops in bloom yesterday. These flowers always seem to appear well ahead of the spring equinox.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
9:09 AM
As I walked in Valley Forge National Historical Park this afternoon the landscape appeared to be wearing layers of light.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:40 PM
From beach to dunes, the view from the boardwalk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge includes dune vegetation and trees.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
8:00 AM
Today was predicted to be the last day of unseasonable warmth for the week with tomorrow's forecast calling for a return to winter. Knowing that, I headed to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge after the morning rain stopped for a beach walk, arriving two hours before low tide.
I walked on firm sand, I listened to the song of the ocean, and yes, I did manage to get my feet wet.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
4:31 PM
Even though it was wet this morning I needed a walk by the sea. The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was calling to me.
I arrived about an hour before low tide, a wonderful time for a walk by the ocean. The sound of the waves and the skittering of the sanderlings made up for the windy and wet conditions.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
3:30 PM
The weather today was in a state of constant change, going from light snow to rain and back to snow again.
The forecast doesn't call for much accumulation; for now a light layer of snow coats the branches of trees.
Posted by
Denise Goldberg
at
3:43 PM