Back to school time. Labor Day weekend always feels this way to me, even though I’ve been out of school for quite a few years now. I’m sad to see summer coming to an end, I also relish the opportunity to start fresh in a new year. So, among other getting organized tasks, I took some time this weekend to…
First Butterfly of the Season – Finally!!!
I’ve been waiting all summer, hoping that butterflies would come and visit my flower plantings on the upstairs deck.  However, up until this past weekend, I really hadn’t seen any of the larger butterflies, only a couple of cabbage whites, sulphurs, and skippers. On Saturday, a couple of swallowtails finally came by for a visit!  In addition to the Spicebush pictured above,…
Kayaking the Ghost Fleet
Earlier this summer, some friends and I went kayaking around the Potomac River Ghost fleet.  It was such an interesting paddle – snippets of history and local culture, as well as great wildlife viewing.  A bit of a drive from Loudoun, but well worth the trip. The Ghost Fleet consists of a number of long-abandoned World War I wooden steamships that had been…
Live Music – Loudoun Summertime 2014
Now that we’ve passed the Memorial Day weekend, it’s starting to really feel like summer. Â To me, that means pool time, cookouts, and outdoor concerts. Â Kicking off my shoes and listening to good music under an open sky – a perfect way to spend a warm summer evening! I’ve found a number of concert schedules already posted, but please let…
Butterflies, Biking and Other Blurbs
A couple of items that I thought might be of interest… Helping out Monarch Butterflies Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has scheduled several Butterfly-friendly plant sales for this weekend thru early June.  Monarch butterfly populations are decreasing, so the Conservancy is promoting Monarch waystations, which include both milkweed plants – that provide food for monarch caterpillars, and other nectar plants that provide food…
A Trio of Trillium
While up in Pittsburgh over Mother’s Day weekend, my  Dad and I decided to go out for a short walk on the Armstrong Trail, along the Allegheny River near Kittanning, PA.  Our main purpose was to work off some of puppy-monster’s energy, but we quickly noticed that the border of this trail was just jam-packed with trillium – bonus! As I was driving back towards Virginia, I…
Dog-Friendly Shade Gardening
I’m starting a number of gardening projects this year, but landscaping the backyard is first on the docket…and by far, the biggest challenge. The backyard is a fairly small (~23’x23′) space, which I’m hoping will serve as an extra outdoor room during the warm weather months. I’ve been envisioning a small, private hideaway, rather like the secret garden in Frances Hogdson…
Spring Flowers at Red Rock Regional Park
Puppy and I went for a short hike at Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park in Leesburg. What a perfect day for a springtime wildflower walk! Spring Beauties were absolutely carpeting the forest floor – so lovely.  We also saw some bluets (Houstonia caerulea), also known as Quaker Ladies. My bluet iphone photos didn’t turn out so well, so I’m including…
Packing Up to Ride: Stuff to bring on bike rides
It’s been a productive week for me!  Among many other chores, I finally got around to re-stocking my bike for the warm weather riding season.  So, I figured that I might as well be extra productive and write a post about the items that I find useful to have along while I’m out for a ride. I’m not a gear head…
Garden Daydreaming: upcoming classes, flower shows, and garden tours
As I watch the sleet knocking the remaining blossoms off of our flowering cherry tree out-front, I have to remind myself that this present gloominess shall soon pass. So, I wanted to highlight a couple of upcoming Garden events – I find that thinking  ahead is sometimes enough to distract me (a little bit) from the present gloom. CLASSES The…