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Today’s pre-dawn walk may be the only dry window in the next 24 hours of rain. It’s just me, a few cars, five rabbits and a lot of robins. Any minute now, rain will flush new waves of worms for the latter. I love when robins on the street give me the eye but stay put and let me pass. 💦 #robins #nightwalks #lookaround #nearbynature #turdusmigratorius #floodwarning #nashvillenature

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 22, 2019 at 4:07am PST

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Bradford pears weren’t supposed to have babies but they do, and the offspring revert to the nasty, thorny, invasive, hard-to-eradicate Callery pear (from China). (And they are all infamous for splitting apart in high wind. And oh my, how the flowers REEK!) But Bradfords right this minute—today only, perhaps—when pale pink and sweet green buds are fluffing and swelling, when they look like nosegays painted on antique English teacups, they sure are pretty… ⚠️ #invasivespecies #invasiveplants #bradfordpear #budburst

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 18, 2019 at 8:08am PST

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American elm budburst started last week, then silver and red maples, and now cherry. Glad she’s got food during these February warm snaps. 🍽 #budburst #honeybee #streettrees #urbancanopy #nashvilleurbancanopy #pollinators

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 16, 2019 at 4:06pm PST

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A heart (and heartwood) of Eastern red-cedar. As seen at Couchville Cedar Glade, where the land is actively managed to balance the best mix of glade, stream, barren, thicket and forest. I suspect this cedar was felled to promote streamside habitat. Boy, I would've loved a bunch of tree cookies cut from this tree: little hearts, all in a row. Don't you love those heartwood colors of cedar? And these are varnished with rain. 💚 #valentinesday #treeheart #naturalheart #easternredcedar #redcedar #cedarglades #nativetrees #juniperusvirginiana

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 14, 2019 at 9:01am PST

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American elms are blooming. You can barely see the rust-colored fluff on those high twigs. Actually, I can barely see at all because of wind-borne pollen! (Good food for early insects, though.) #ulmusamericana #springtrees #treeflowers #nativetrees #pollinators

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 13, 2019 at 5:34pm PST

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We don’t really do Valentine’s Day at our house, but suddenly I can’t stop seeing hearts everywhere. This one’s a battered smilax leaf floating in a Radio Flyer. 💚 #valentinesday #cordateleaf #smilaxtamnoides #leafhearts #catbrier

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 13, 2019 at 7:23am PST

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After a rain, Eastern Hemlock cones queue up on the way down. (They’re headed for a storm grate unless *someone* bags a bunch for a show and tell…) 💦 #convergence #stormwater #tsugacanadensis #threatenedtrees #adoptastormdrain #richlandcreekwatershed

A post shared by Joanna Brichetto (@jo_brichetto) on Feb 12, 2019 at 5:45pm PST