Tag: Pawpaw

Dealing With Rainy Days And Mondays

Color Photography, wildlife
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Pawpaw Flowers 42821a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Cold air spills into my window as I listen closely to my Carolina wrens chattering in the rain. They say that if you don’t like the weather in West Virginia all you need to do is wait a few minutes and it will change. Thanks to La Nina May hasn’t quite lived up to my expectations and a few minutes became a few weeks. The little wrens don’t even seem to notice the cold and have no problem with the soggy meal they find around the feeders. As for myself, I find myself less tolerant of the cold Appalachian rain than I used to be. Fortunately I have always held back a few photos for just such a rainy day. Back in April as I trekked out to Cathedral Falls I happened to look down at trail and found it was covered by chocolate colored pedals and that I was standing beneath a pawpaw in bloom. The tree was loaded with delicate bell shaped flowers with more coming on. This Fall visitors to the little roadside park will have access to one of the best treats in Appalachia. The oddly shaped fruit should be quite plentiful judging by the floral load on the tree. Scientists say that the pawpaw was once a tropical fruit that came here by way of wooly mammoth during the ice age and indeed the scenery here could put one in a prehistoric mood. Especially during a cool Spring day like today. As the rain waxes and wanes I occasionally peek out to see that wrens are joined by my woodpeckers and song sparrows. The littlest one has developed a routine of coming to sit on my window sill and peek in. Today I thought for sure that when he landed he was going to hop right onto my computer monitor and enjoy a little shelter but it seems that at the last moment he lost his nerve and flew back to the shelter of the mountain Magnolia and its giant leaves. We call it the umbrella tree for a reason. Rainy Days and Mondays and might get The Carpenters down but I have my little songbirds to cheer me up and a sunny day in my pocket. ( In the form of a photo).

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.

We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

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Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️

Forage Friday #80 Pawpaw

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Pawpaw Leaves In Fall 102020a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Please remember that Forage Friday is presented as trivia and not to be mistaken for medical advice.

“Pickin up pawpaws, put’em in your pocket.

Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch”

Every time I eat a pawpaw I hear my papa singing the old children’s song to us boys. I was fairly young but I remember sitting at the vintage art deco table eating his favorite breakfast of light bread and milk. During the Great Depression utilizing stale bread as breakfast cereal would have been a way to stretch out a precious commodity. And during the short season when they were available the pawpaws were a treat and probably eaten at multiple meals. In the Appalachian Mountains and throughout the South pawpaw trees were a popular part of the homestead. It’s an amazing fruit that has a custard like texture and tastes like a blend of Mango, Peach and Banana. And it may have come to West Virginia by way of Mammoth. The fruit is full of huge Chestnut brown seeds that have a thick leathery skin that would have allowed them to survive digestion. In fact In order to propagate a pawpaw from seed they have to frozen for about four months and then the coating knicked so the sprout can grow during germination. Scientists believe that as the mammoth migrated North the pawpaw hitched a ride in their bellies and eventually adapted to the climate of the mountains. They seem to be another edge species that thrives in partial shade and near water. And the biggest reason why we don’t see them in markets is because they have an extremely short shelf life. It’s only recently that some people are experimenting with them as a frozen product because the technology has advanced enough that they can be processed in the field. I have discovered that like bananas they tend to become sweeter as they age and I presume that is due to the breakdown of starch. I knew one person years ago that wouldn’t eat them until the ants became interested in them and then they were sweet enough for him to enjoy.

The entry in Petersen’s Field Guide To Wild Medicinal Plants says that Native Americans would grind the large seeds into a powder which was used to treat lice. As a defense against moths pawpaw trees produce chemicals that are toxic to insects. These chemicals known as Acetoginis are found in the leaves, inner bark and seeds of the pawpaw. In fact the only insect that I’m aware of that eats pawpaw leaves is the larvae of the Zebra Swallowtail.

The inner bark of a pawpaw is said to be good for making ropes and baskets.

Well, that’s it for tonight friends. Good night and be blessed throughout your days.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤