Spotted Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis

Spotted Jewelweed

Impatiens capensis

 

The same day I discovered the lovely cardinal flower I discovered the spotted jewelweed, also known as touch-me-not. This little orange flower is a native species to much of the eastern United States. Like the cardinal flower, it prefers wet soil and can found, like the ones I discovered, in culverts and wetlands.

 

The touch-me-not name comes from the flowers seed capsules which will burst open if touched. It is also known as jewelweed because of how water beads up on the plant's leaves. It is fun and beautiful to take a leaf and swirl it around a bowl of water!

 

Jewelweed, has also been reported as a cure for poison ivy. Just mash up the stems and leaves and then apply to the irritated skin. I have not tried this natural cure myself. According to discussions on the web, the jewelweed cure has mixed results everything from alleviation to doing nothing at all.

 

Orange spotted jewelweed flowers

 

 It looks like it might eat you

 

 

Water "jewels" on a leaf

 

http://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Impatiens%20capensis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_jewelweed

http://williamrwilson.hubpages.com/hub/How-Do-You-Treat-Poison-Ivy-Using-Jewel-Weed-To-Treat-Poison-Ivy



Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina

 

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

 

One June morning I placed a lawn chair in the middle of my driveway and from there captured as many birds in my field of sight. I was able to get a couple of nice shots of the American chipping sparrow collecting some material as it was returning to its nest in an azalea bush.

 

This sparrow is famous for making its nest out of horse hair earning it the nickname, hair bird. Being that Paradise Farm is a horse farm, it is no surprise to find these little birds creating homes on the property. As a child I'd collect these delicate little hairy nests that fell out of bushes in the autumn.

 

On the driveway

 

In the azalea it called home

 

It's hidden nest (with furry little chicks)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipping_Sparrow
Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds (2012)

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

 

 

As I was walking alongside a country road, this cardinal flower's vibrant color caught my attention. It was growing in a slow flowing culvert. When I got down in the culvert I was greeted by a slew of pleasant cardinal flowers off in the creek-bed.

White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus

White Tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

 

White-tailed deer are common throughout New York. They are famous for there distinctive white tail which can been seen as the deer run away. This white flag is to warn other deer of potential predators.

 

 

A spotted fawn seen near the side of the road