Pic(k) of the Week: Winter fiddleheads

  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Fiddleheads of Christmas ferns unfurl in late winter. Spring is nascent.

Glenn Creek Nature Preserve
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
12 March 2026.

***************

Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly denominated Christmas fern, is a perennial, evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas. It is one of the most common ferns in eastern North America, being found in moist and shady habitats in woodlands, stream banks and rocky slopes. Christmas fern has a tufted, clumping habit, with its fronds arising from a central growth point. It can form colonies, but frequently grows singly or in twos or threes. The common name derives from the evergreen fronds, which are often still green in winter, at Christmas.

— Wikipedia

🔥 Unlike Ostrich ferns, whose cooked fiddleheads are edible, the fiddleheads of Christmas ferns are NOT EDIBLE and can be toxic if ingested. Observe; don't forage!
— Old Farmer's Almanac.

***************

Wayne Shorter: Footprints

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: Poppy field

  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

In early morning, wild red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) bloom in an urban meadow.

Seen along the 19-mile Stone Mountain Trail — here, located on the Eastern Continental Divide in the City of Clarkston, Georgia, USA.

13 April 2026.

***************

Oliver Nelson: Stolen Moments

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: It's a hazy, hazy sunrise.

  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Looking southeast from the summit of monadnock Arabia Mountain, one could see a noticeable (yet lovely) haze just after sunrise, produced by a combination of high humidity, 50% cloud cover, and air rife with pollen.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (8:06 am EDT).

***************

Ella Fitzgerald: I'm Beginning to See the Light

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: Diamorpha daybreak

  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Tiny crimson diamorpha wildflowers, blooming at sunrise, near the summit of Arabia Mountain monadnock *.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (7:37 am EDT).

Diamorpha smallii — commonly known as diamorpha, elf orpine, or Small's stonecrop — belongs to the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), in the Sedum species of plants: succulents possessing thick, fleshy sections which retain water, allowing them to survive in drought conditions.

Diamorpha smalli is endemic to the southeastern United States, where the densest populations appear in Georgia, particularly in Panola Mountain State Park and the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. Two to four inches in height, Diamorpha smallii grows in areas with granite surfaces, appearing in vernal pools (seasonal puddles of water contained by rock or dirt) and solution pits (thin patches of dirt isolated on rock outcrops), adapted to survive in harsh conditions, including high temperatures and limited soil.

Hidden most of the year, Diamorpha smallii emerge in late winter, producing dense rosettes of tiny red succulent leaves. Then, in late March, the plants produce small white flowers (~ ¼ inch). As temperatures rise, the plants lose their bright red color, taking on the appearance of little brown stems sticking up from the ground, holding on to their seeds to forestall dessication during the hottest months of the year. The seeds drop and germinate in autumn.

— Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance.
— Scott Ranger's Nature Notes.
— Wikipedia.

***************

Dizzy Gillespie: Tin Tin Deo

-----more-----

Pic(k) of the Week: Piedmont sandwort

  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Looking down at tiny Piedmont sandwort wildflowers, blooming in a sandy, dessicated solution pit.

This is a close-up. These tiny blossoms — about 3 millimeters wide, on stems about 4 centimeters long— appear much larger in the photograph than they did in 'real' life!

Geocarpon is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae). It includes seven species native to North America, including Geocarpon uniflorum — commonly known as Piedmont sandwort (or one-flower stitchwort).

Geocarpon uniflorum is native to the southeastern United States, where it is primarily found in the Piedmont. Its preferred habitat is sandy or granitic rock outcrops. Prior to 2022, the plant was known botanically as Minuartia uniflora.

— Wikipedia.
— Flora of North America.

On the summit of Arabia Mountain
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026.

***************

Jaco Pastorius: Donna Lee

-----more-----