Rare Visitors - Sandhill Cranes

For the past week or so, Sanford has played host to a couple of winged wanderers from the north and west who appear to have lost their way and wound up hanging out with us for a while; Grus canadensis, Sandhill crane. 

We've only encountered this very large migratory species once before, on a visit to the Yellowstone Park area back in the days before Jay and Hunter came into the world, so to experience a visit from these amazing birds without having to leave Lee County was quite extraordinary.

Their spring migration north from Florida, Texas and Mexico typically follows a more westerly route, usually skirting the borders of North Carolina entirely, but occasionally over-flying the extreme southwestern tip of the state in the Cherokee area, on their way up to their summer breeding grounds. 

We may never discover exactly what brought this handsome pair to our neck of the woods, but we are grateful for the opportunity to sit with them a while, and we managed to assemble quite a collection of photos, more of which we'll share with you once we sort through them all. 

In the meantime, if you've never seen, or perhaps even heard of, a Sandhill crane, take a moment to Google them and learn more about these remarkable visitors of ours.

Fare thee well, Sandhill cranes...

Hunter's Eye

For forty years and more, I've wandered the Sandhills of Harnett, Lee and Moore. 

In youth, I was a hunter,

stalking and fishing and foraging 

for adventure and for food 

and for tall tales to tell.

I didn't take much notice of the flowers then,

but lately I've taken to wandering these hills with another Hunter along.

And this Hunter's got quite an eye for everything wild,

including the flowers.

And the more we wander, 

the more we wonder,

at all of nature, 

and her mysteries...

Mysteries, like how this humble eastern box turtle, 

deftly swept by Hunter from the path of an oncoming truck,

could have already wandered these woods for longer than Hunter has walked the earth.

Terrapene carolina carolina, quiet golden-headed keeper of his little half acre,

just recently emerged from a long winter's nap, 

pursuing his unseen but well-worn path through the pines,

perhaps upon a prickly pear this morning to dine.

Yes, Nature's mysteries abound on a sunny Saturday morn,

here in the hills of ancient sand, 

where tiny blue toadflax, Nuttallanthus canadensis, congregate along the lonely logging road

invisible to the busy motorists on the highway buzzing by,

but a cluster of pearls and amethysts to Hunter's keen eye.

And the brilliant sulphur-yellow sprouts of Baptisia cinerea,

gray-hairy false indigo, 

brightening these straw-covered slopes long before the first human hunters appeared,

but surely grabbing their attention when arrive they did.

Soon our intrepid Hunter's eye did spy another spiky-blossomed Fabaceae, 

this one as blue as the sky,

Lupinus diffusus, blue sandhill lupine.

Lupine and indigo and toadflax and orchids and box turtles, too,

proving again what we already knew;

that life in these Sandhills, 

though changing, it's true,

continues to thrive as only nature can do.

And I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse, as have I, 

of the Sandhills' true nature through Hunter's eye.

Pink Locust and the Tulip Tree

Between chilly showers on a Sunday afternoon, we spied this lovely tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, with blossoms just beginning to open, so we pulled over to capture the nascent inflorescence for our friends at Hoot Owl Karma. 

Much to our delight, a small colony of pink bristly locust, Robinia hispida, or perhaps a closely related cousin, had set up camp in a bit of a clearing just across the stream from our massive tulip poplar, so we slipped over and paid them a brief visit.

Skipper larvae nibbled on the crisp green leaves, 

while delicate pea-like blossoms danced cheek to rosy cheek with their partners, 

swaying rhythmically as they dangled from bristly stems,

 blushing under a gentle rain of kisses from above. 

Later, the clouds parted, 

just before dusk,

drenching these tulip tree blossoms in the golden light of the setting sun,

illumining the pastels of the petals and their diaphanous, still-unfurling edges

like little faerie lanterns,

or a host of living ornaments, 

illuminated by the spirit of the tree itself, 

exuberant,

celebrating two score such flower-filled springs, 

and craving four score more...

...Violets Are Blue, or Not?

Exalted in popular culture by the all too familiar lines of the clever Valentine, 

"Roses are red, violets are blue...," 

the humble violet is a stalwart of the woodland margins and rural roadsides of the Tar Heel State this time of year. They are so ubiquitous, in fact, that it is difficult to venture into any natural area in mid- to late-April and not encounter a patch of these lovely blue sprites.

A careful reading of the popular rhyme, however, reveals that the poem refers to violets plural, 

not violet singular, 

thus highlighting a most important truth about this little blue star of the botanical realm...  

According to various sources, North Carolina is home to more than twenty distinct species of violet, all found in the Genus Viola, several of which occur in multiple varieties, and a fair number of which hybridize readily with neighboring species.

Yes. Violets are blue, 

but which violet?

Just this week, within a few miles of home, 

we've encountered Viola affinis, Viola brittoniana, and Viola pedata; 

sand violet, coast violet, and bird-foot violet.

All lovely, all violets, all blue.

Wait, wait, not so fast! 

Hunter says no way this flower is blue...

it's violet!

So which is it, violet, 

blue or violet?

Another of nature's little mysteries, 

waiting for you just outside the door...

Woodland Wildflowers - Pink Lady Slipper Orchids

Cypripedium acaule, a favorite woodland wildflower here at Hoot Owl Karma. 

A late April visitor every year in the pine woods of Harnett County,

and every year we look forward to a brief visit.

They're looking good again this year,

and there's a decent chance you may have a few popping up in the pine woods near you.

Why not take a walk this weekend and see...?