Whitesbog Blueberry History

Historic Whitesbog 

We both recently had the pleasure of going on a photography outing to support the New Jersey Pinelands with Richard Lewis, a fine art landscape photographer. After spending a day with him on a fun group photography tour at one of our favorite parts of the NJ Pinelands, Franklin Parker Preserves, I started following Richard on social media. 

Soon after, Richard posted some amazing autumn photographs of sunrise and a red rainbow at a place called Whitesbog. How is it that we've lived in South Jersey all our lives and never visited Whitesbog? Thanks to Richard's post we found our way to Whitesbog with our cameras. The historic 1857 farm and village is located in Browns Mills NJ. Whitesbog is in part of the Brendan T. Byrne state forest.

It was here at Whitesbog that Ms Elizabeth Coleman White showed the world that blueberries could be cultivated. Ms White's very interesting skill set included nursing, agricultural research and hands on experience in both cranberry and blueberry farming.

I was saddened, but not surprised, to read that when Ms White's Father died, in his will, he did not make her President of his company even though she contributed so much to expand the business for their family. The Whitesbog plantation grew from 600 to 3,000 acres.

The legacy of this special area is cared for by the Whitesbog Preservation Trust who is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. You can find more information and maps to several walking trails on their website (link below). The landscape is very peaceful and beautiful as you can see from my photos shown. We look forward to visiting again soon!

References and Related Links

Whitesbog

NJ Women's History 

History of Blueberries

Fall at Whitesbog in the NJ Pine Barrens

Blog post and photographs Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

@PHSgardening Philadelphia Flower Show 2022 and Photography Competition!

 Philadelphia Flower Show

In Full Bloom

We loved the 2022 Philadelphia Flower Show "In Full Bloom"! The show is open to the public from June 11th to Father's Day, June 19th. This was the second time outdoors in the historic FDR Park located in South Philadelphia.

We took public transportation, which wasn't a great experience. Patco was strangely very light in ridership. We were thinking perhaps from so many people working from home. 

We encountered the homeless problem at 13th street station and could not walk underground to connect with the Septa line to get to the show; we went above ground and walked further down. Thankfully, we managed to get ourselves to Septa and on to the NRG station to get to the show. 

There was so much to see once we got there. Of course, we stopped at the Photography exhibit. Harry and I both had photos that made the show! Congrats to Harry for his spectacular photo of sunset taken in the New Jersey Pinelands at Franklin Parker Preserve. My image was a macro shot of an Italian Anemone (shown below). 

Anemone blooms are very interesting and quite beautiful. Out of the 48 accepted photos into the exhibition, of the 6 that got accepted in the category of Macro Blooms, two were Anemones! That is incredible considering there are thousands of varieties of other flowers that could have been photographed. 

 

We really enjoyed visiting the children's exhibit by Fresh Artists. The kid's comments about their artwork was heartwarming. What a wonderful innovative, nonprofit program. See below link for more information. 

There were so many gardens that we ended up missing a lot. As always, it is impossible to see it all in one visit. The pollinator gardens were great. Hopefully more people replace a patch of their lawn grass with a mini meadow with pollinator and native plants.

This year we made it to the Olmstead Pavilion and Wow! what a sight. Valley Forge Flowers created quite an impressive display loaded with cascading orchids.

My pictures don't do it justice. It really was spectacular and was still in great condition by the near end of the show when we saw it. 

I also loved that the flower baskets surrounding the walkways on the show grounds included my favorite coleus, Inky Fingers or a variety similar.

As we were leaving we saw people getting a watering can sprinkle of water to cool off from the 90+ degree heat of the day! All in all it was a terrific show and we can't wait to attend again next year. 

Special thanks to all who worked so hard in organizing the flower show and everyone who participated in the competitions - the creative works are inspiring!

Related Links

Young Fresh Artist and their Art Bloom Big at the Flower Show

Photographs and blog post Copyright (C) Wind. All rights reserved.

Monarch Migration underway! Today in our NJ garden a Monarch was born! #WindPhotography

Monarch Migration Underway

Today, September 23rd in our New Jersey Fall garden, a beautiful Monarch butterfly was born! All a monarch needs is Milkweed for mama Monarch to lay her eggs on and for caterpillars to munch on before their magical metamorphosis. It can be a small area in your front or back yard that you do not mow. Native plants like Common Milkweed can be encouraged to grow there and viola, you will soon be supporting habitat for Monarch's!

I noticed a sea-foam-green, opaque, chrysalis in our Milkweed meadow on September 11th and was watching it and photographing it daily, while counting down until the big day. According to Journey North, the chrysalis stage takes 8-15 days; this miracle arrived just as expected.

Last night I noticed that the chrysalis was starting to turn blackish at the bottom. The chrysalis eventually turns transparent and the butterfly's vibrant wing colors of orange and black can be seen. When this happens you know that the butterfly will emerge soon. 

Sure enough, the monarch butterfly ripped through the clear, thimble-sized chrysalis this morning! What wasn't expected was for it to arrive on my birthday! Yahoo!! What a great gift! It all happened before 9 am. I was glad that the timing worked out to be hours before the rain storm.

According to Journey North, most Monarch's are born in the spring and summer and live for only 2 to 6 weeks. This late summer/fall Monarch butterfly lives longer and it will migrate all the way from our front yard milkweed meadow in New Jersey and fly 2,000 miles to overwinter in Mexico.

Monarch's born in the Fall are the special generation that migrate to Mexico. See the links below to see my photos on Fine Art America and to learn more about this popular endangered butterfly.

Happy Fall!

Related Links 

Sightings Flowing In

Monarch Lifecycle

Link to my photo of Monarch Chrysalis

Link to Monarch Water Bottle photo

Blog post and photos Copyright(C) Wind. All rights reserved.

Today in our South Jersey garden: beautiful blooms, Milkweed, Monarchs, Figs and ants! #GardenCuizine

Today in Our NJ Garden - zone 7a (was 6b)

September 5, 2021

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. "End of Summer" seemed like the perfect title to my above photograph taken today in our front garden of Black-eyed Susan's with Sweet Autumn Clematis. 

The highlight of my day today was to see both a Monarch caterpillar AND a Monarch butterfly!! The monarch caterpillar was resting on Common Milkweed in Harry's Milkweed Meadow and the Monarch butterfly was visiting a small patch of native hardy Ageratum. Of course, both got reported on Journey North's website as fall Monarch migration is officially underway! 

I snapped a few photos of the Monarch caterpillar and butterfly with my cell phone and when I went back with my good camera to get better pictures later in the day, they were gone.

Today, our veggie garden is bursting with blooming garlic chives, zinnias and cannas. We also have dahlias (not blooming yet), chia and peppers and heirloom tomatoes that will keep producing here and there until the first killing frost.

This is our best year ever for figs! Figs have to be picked as soon as they ripen. Both trees are producing figs. Today I picked two huge figs from our littlest fig tree (variety unknown). One fig had to be sacrificed to the ants; they beat us to it.

One quick note about when to pick figs. I had this question, "Will figs continue to ripen once picked?" I read that figs do not ripen after they are picked. However, we just discovered that they do continue to ripen. Our Chicago figs continue to ripen and get sweeter after they are picked. Now, we just need to improve our timing of picking figs before the ants march in.

Happy Labor Day!

Related Links

Journey North - report your Monarch Sightings!

Photos and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Enjoy the Outdoors this Summer! Check out my nature photos taken yesterday in the NJ Pinelands #Happy4th @ConserveNJ

Enjoy the Outdoors!
 

Another great weekend to explore South Jersey and take a walk in the NJ Pinelands. And, as always we took our cameras.

Our happy place is Franklin Parker Preserve with its pristine wetlands. Below are a few of my photos taken on our walk yesterday. Harry took some photos too. He may post some of his on Fine Art America. 

Take a look; the clouds really add to the photos; what do you think? There was a lot of bird activity too, especially in the wetland grasses; even baby birds being fed.

As the sky was darkening, we made our way back to the car before another round of much needed rain.

Franklin Parker Preserve Wetlands - by Diana Wind

Preservation Mirror - by Diana Wind

Wetlands Wonder - by Diana Wind

Free as a Bird - by Diana Wind

That's all for now. Stay well. Enjoy the holiday!

Happy Fourth of July!

ps: Also, just fyi, the email blog post service will be stopping soon from Blogger. I'm not sure what other service to switch over to. Any ideas, please let me know. In the meantime, to read future posts, you may have to log on.Thanks for reading! -DW

Related Links

Franklin Parker Preserve

Photos and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

@PHSgardening Philadelphia Flower Show! Congratulations Harry!

Outdoor Philadelphia Flower Show!

This year's Philadelphia Flower Show brings Covid19 full circle for us. Last year the show was our last publicly attended event and this year it is our first outing since Covid19 precautions. And, this was the first time ever outdoor Philadelphia Flower Show in their 193 year history! The theme as shown in the above photo is "Habitat: Nature's Masterpiece".

Yesterday's 95 degree heat was strong. Hydration was much needed. At first we worried if we would even get in to the show. 

Our prepaid parking ticket didn't help; traffic was at a crawl for over an hour to get into the main lot as one lane only filed in. As we approached the entrance closest to the parking lot, the volunteers advised us that the side gate was closed and the only entrance in was the corner entrance. 

We walked with over 10,000 (they predicted 20,000 people/day and I assume since the day was split in AM or PM tickets that we were among 10,000) other people. We slowly but surely all made our way to the security entrance. The wait was long and looped around and took us another hour. 

Feeling hot and famished, the first thing we did was find the food pick up. We got our prepaid food but didn't see any tables to sit on. The staff at the food pick up had no suggestions and wished us luck to find a cool spot.

We ate our late lunch behind a beautiful potted border of plants on the concrete steps in a small portion of shade. The food tasted good.

Congratulations to Harry for having one of his photographs make the show! Mine didn't make the cut this year, but was thrilled for Harry. As always, we really enjoyed this portion of the show! 

I was surprised that a first place landscape was for a bamboo theme. Personally, I hope people don't buy and plant bamboo after seeing that exhibit. Bamboo may be native to China, but bamboo is invasive in the US. 

Areas we especially enjoyed were visiting vendors that included one of our favorite spots: Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve. We picked up a few native plants, which included Common Rush (Juncus effusus) and Wood Phlox (Phlox divaricata).

The heat of the summer is here. Enjoy the show! Look for cool places under trees and by the lake and if you go. FDR park is a beautiful place!

Related Links

Bamboo Invasive in NJ

Photos and Blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

First Christmas without Mom #RIPmom

Best Wishes for safe, happy and Healthy Holidays!

Well, I was able to continue our family tradition without mom and prepared and baked her Italian lasagna last night for our Christmas dinner. Harry made a delicious side salad full of fresh Romaine and Arugula. We used Christmas plates and ate at the kitchen table instead of the dining room. We have plenty of leftover lasagna to freeze for future meals and memories. 

RIP mom, we miss you every day; we especially did yesterday, Christmas day.

Peace to all of us blessed with life and prayers for strength to those of us who have no choice but to move forward without our loved ones. I sure look forward to the hope that 2021 brings.

My photo above was taken on an outing with Harry in the NJ Pinelands as we tried to find Webb's Mill Creek. We never did find it! But found Pinelands beauty on the journey.

Photo and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

@ConserveNJ Sunset last night Franklin Parker Preserve - NJ Pinelands #wetlands #naturephotography

Pinelands Sunset photograph by Diana Wind

The biologically diverse, 9,400 acres of the beautiful Franklin Parker Preserve located in Burlington County, New Jersey is a serene place to visit to find peace, hope and joy.

According to the Preserve's brochure (link below), the land was once a former cranberry farm owned by the Demarco family; they sold it in 2003. The sale was the largest private conservation transaction in NJ state history. The NJ Dept of Environmental Protection purchased 40% interest in the land, which will help to preserve it forever.

The individuals in the NJ Conservation Foundation and all the people involved in the restoration efforts must be really proud. Just listening to the chatter of a colony of Great White Egrets perched in a spot along the 5,000 acres of freshwater wetlands says it all.

The park is named after Franklin E. Parker III who was the first chair of the Pinelands Commission. We're enjoying learning about the wonderful parks and natural beauty right here in the Garden State.

Related Links
Brochure for Franklin Parker Preserve
Take Action for Conservation
Pinelands Preservation Alliance 
Blog post and photograph Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Bald Eagle photobomb! Scenic walk in the NJ Pinelands #naturephotography

Weekend Walk in the 

NJ Pinelands with our cameras!

Bald Eagle Photobomb!

Dusk on our walk out...

Photographs Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

@ConserveNJ Some photos from our walk on the loop trail in Franklin Parker Preserve NJ Pinelands

 

Harry and I made time to get outside to take a nature walk with our cameras to explore one of the best New Jersey parks: Franklin Parker Preserve. The preserve is home to stately Great Egrets, Eagles, snakes, frogs and many species of birds. Below are a few of my photos from our recent walk on the loop trail. I did see an Eagle, but he was too far away and all I got was a blur in my picture. And, I did capture some Great Egrets; I'll add that photo later.

A sight to behold: Wetlands in the NJ Pine Barrens

Someone kept an eye on us!

5,000 acres of NJ Pineland Wetlands

Related Links 

NJ Conservation Foundation

Pinelands Facts

Photos and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

@USFWSRefuges Reed Reflections #WindPhotography Took a Covid-19 break with a walk at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

 

Reed Reflections

Nature Photography by Diana Wind

We have been indoors so much due to COVID-19 precautions, it felt so good to make time to get outdoors to enjoy a safe, nature walk. We packed our cameras and headed south towards Barnegat, NJ to explore Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge at Eno's Pond in Lacey Township. We also took our masks, but only had to wear them once when we passed a few people along the trail.

The well-groomed walking trail through the woods led us to a wooden observation deck at Eno's Pond. The view from the deck was obscured by overgrown weeds and trees. But, on the path near the water's edge, we were able to get a better view of the pond. The mirror image reflections of tall, green reed grass and trees were mesmerizing.

Standing along the water's edge, we could hear the reed grasses blowing in the warm, summer breeze. Every so often, we could hear and see circular water ripples coming from a fish or frog. 

The tranquility was just what the doctor ordered after mom died last month. It is hard to believe she has been gone for over a month already. RIP, Mom...

We look forward to more New Jersey nature adventures with our cameras.

Related Links

Eno's Pond County Park

 

Photograph Copyright (C)Wind. Reed Reflections at Eno's Pond August 22, 2020. All rights reserved.

Enjoyed our Riviera Holiday at the Philadelphia Flower Show #FlowerShow

Philadelphia Flower Show 2020

Riviera Holiday

Enjoyed our Riviera Holiday at the Philadelphia Flower Show yesterday, despite the fears of the Corona Virus starting to close in on us. The French Riviera located south of France runs along the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, the beautiful coastline from the same Mediterranean region that made the Mediterranean diet the healthiest diet in the world!

Port Norris Sunset - South Jersey Wetlands - photo by Diana Wind

We couldn't wait to see my photograph in the photography exhibit! It is an honor to be selected by the judges to be in the show. There were a lot of people enjoying all the photos.

As always, there is never enough time to see everything. The displays featured a lot of rosemary, thyme, lavender, salvia, lemon and lime trees. 

I especially loved all the pergolas, mosaics, stone, terra cotta and pottery seen throughout the show.

The PHS Flower Show paid tribute to the late Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco. A replica of Princess Grace's wedding gown was featured in a garden display adorned with roses in all shades of pink.

We were hoping to see the butterfly exhibit, but the wait was 45 minutes so we did not get to see it yet again. Oh well... maybe some other time.

Next years show sounds wonderful, "Habitat". My kind of theme. I imagine it will feature native plants suitable for pollinators such as butterflies and bees.

Related Links
Nature Photography on my Birthday

Blog post and photographs Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.