from Chris
The autumn leaves aren’t the only things around here showing their colors….
The bushes in our walking garden behind the Lodge have exploded with a lovely shade of red!…
An Egret Came A-Calling
from Chris
We get a lot of great blue herons that visit Stevenson Ridge’s ponds, but recently, we had a visit from a bird we’ve not seen nearly so often: a great egret.
Egrets are actually pretty common, but in all honesty, none of us could remember the last time we’d seen one at the Ridge.
Egrets are closely related to herons and have the same tall, thin build. They prowl the shallows in search of small fish—although in this …
Parasols by the Post Office
from Chris
I don’t know much about wild mushrooms, but I find them fascinating because of the wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors they come in.
These ones, which sprung up near the Post Office, are called parasol mushrooms:
The caps on the big ones are each as wide as my spread-out hand. They have gills underneath, which places them in a category of fungi called “gilled mushrooms” (creative, huh?).
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Northern Pearly-Eye
from Chris
We had a visitor flutter in for a stay at the Log Home the other day.
We’re fortunate to have a lot of butterflies flitting across the property every day. This species is called a Northern Pearly-Eye. You can find out more about them at butterfliesandmoths.org.…
Woolgathering and Rain Watching
from Chris
With another fall semester about to start for me, I took a little “personal retreat” time at the Log Home yesterday. Of all Stevenson Ridge’s cabins, the Log Home has perhaps the most epic front porch for passing the time. It’s a great spot for woolgathering with a cold beer or a glass of wine. In the mornings, it’s the perfect setting for that first cup or two of coffee.
We’ve had sweltering days this week, which finally …
The Five-Leaf Clover
from Chris
One of my super-powers, apparently, is my ability to find four-leaf clovers. I don’t go looking for them; instead, they tend to leap out at me.
I always think of the scene from the movie Rain Man when someone spills a whole box of matches and Dustin Hoffman’s character glances at them and then rattles off the exact number of matches on the floor. That’s sort of what it’s like for me spotting four-leaf clovers: i just glance, …
Goose Update
from Kellyn
On Tuesday, May 7, 2019, we spotted a few new arrivals on the property. We stood by our pond and watched as Mother and Father Goose led 5 goslings to the water. That makes today about as close to their one-month birthday as we can pinpoint!
Since then, our goslings have grown so much! They are busy following Mom and Dad around the pond, feasting on seeds and grass, and just being the cutest little things ever. We …
Our Geese and Their Goslings
from Chris
We’ve had a pretty few intense days here on the blog because of the 155th anniversary of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, so let’s turn our attention to something a little lighter:
We’ve had a pair of geese raising some goslings on the property this spring. The chicks have gotten pretty big already, too!
Here, momma and her four goslings are waddling from the Riddick House to the pond. Daddy goose was with the gaggle, too, but …
The Ridge in Bloom
from Chris
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A Thought for Spring
from Kellyn
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” — Eleonora Duse…