There is a patch of these lemony yellow flowers at the entrance to the swamp I frequent.
It had just stopped raining and the sun popped out, lighting up the flowers and this Silver-spotted Skipper.
He was the only insect I noticed and well over 100 blooms were there for him to work over.
This Prothonotary Warbler’s nest is in that cavity, and the parent spent several minutes poking his head in, like he was moving something around.
I did not see if he brought something on this trip to the nest, like he did when I spotted the parent two days before: Prothonotary Warbler Bringing Food Home
The hole is about my eye level and I did see one chick beak when I passed by.
The parent did fly off with a fecal sac, something I hadn’t seen up close before.
Sitting just off the trail this Prothonotary Warbler was perched, but not singing, which is a common behavior. I didn’t notice at first that his beak was stuffed with lunch.
Not for himself, but he was taking this meal to his nest.
He quickly stuck his head in…
then flew off for another serving.
I didn’t hear any chicks so suspect he was feeding his brooding mate.
Narcissus of various types bloom in late December and into January in the South Carolina low country.
I spotted several bunches of these petite yellow ones on a recent walk around Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
They were in random spots with no other live vegetation around them which led me to a low key treatment.
This petite yellow wildflower stalk caught my eye, too.
The Prothonotary Warblers have returned to my area. Often you hear them before seeing them, even with this brilliant yellow.
These images were taken at Beidler Forest which has many of the features these warblers like: tree cavities for nesting, damp forest floor, dense undergrowth and both standing and slow moving water.
As I was leaving for the day one final Prothonotary Warbler crossed my path and perched on an open, if dimly lit, branch for a few moments.
The paths of the labyrinth at Mepkin Abby are currently created by a planting of yellow flowers, mostly Swamp Sunflowers, Helianthus angustifolius. Seen from the Abby’s entrance road it looks like an unkempt field of wildflowers.
As you get closer the entrance to the labyrinth invites you in, where you are surrounded by peaceful yellow. In many places the flowers were up to my shoulders.
In early October the sunflowers and grasses were heavy with blooms, some sagging into the path.
I saw the sign after I had exited the path. I could see I made it about half way before feeling closed in, stepping over the edge in a thin spot along the back. I didn’t realize how many insects there would be and how many unknown plants I would need to brush up against. Long pants and sleeves would have been a good choice for this journey except it was 90 degrees F (32 C).
From Mepkin Abby materials:
Mepkin Abby is a community of Roman Catholic monks established in 1949 on the site of the historic Mepkin Plantation on the Cooper River, north of Charleston, SC. The grounds and gardens are open daily to the public as part of their commitment to share their land.
This labyrinth is a seven circuit pattern and is a unicursal line that winds around itself with no dead ends. Follow the line all the way to the center, then reverse direction to exit.
