Starflower

All week I've been taking pictures of this little one, but I was never happy with the exposure. I'm still not thrilled, but at least now it looks like Starflower, Trientalis borealis, the species formerly known as T. americana. I wish I knew why there was a name change!

Seven petals is the most common configuration, but five or six does comes up. Just like the books say, I found this one with company in the shaded woods--they spread with underground rhizomes.



Here's a gang of grackles I found hanging out just before sunset.

Common Grackle

When I sit still near water's edge, it won't take long to notice a grackle or two poking around. Either that or one swooping down from close by and immediately getting into that same behavior. I'm not sure what they're after.

I'm still trying to capture them in flight. It's so cool the way they hold their tails when sailing by, kind of like a V shape.

Then there's that blue iridescence that I find so attractive. There's nothing common about this grackle.