Flowers are the true stars of the growing season, and they shine in these reader snapshots.
With my trusty Nikon D5100 in hand, I headed out to photograph flowers early one morning while the dew still dotted the petals. I thought this purple iris bloom was absolutely breathtaking.
Lynn Erdely
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
A short afternoon stop at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate resulted in this lucky shot of cherry blossoms. The vivid color of the blue sky provided the perfect background for the delicate petals. I happily continued on my way to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Shannon Anderson
ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY
I visited a dahlia farm in Oregon last summer. This was one of their experimental varieties, and I absolutely fell in love with this small flower. It’s simple and elegant, with a great color combo. I just felt like it had personality. Lori Naanes
GOSPORT, INDIANA
This photo of a purple water lily represents summer for me. The vibrant colors of these beautiful blooms catch your eye as they stand out among the floating pads.
Marlana McTague BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA
This story is from the April/May 2019 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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This story is from the April/May 2019 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
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