My buddy has her own study going on this summer!
Check out her backyard adventures here:
My Summer Place
Check out her backyard adventures here:
My Summer Place
Growing and blooming in my backyard:
My buddy has her own study going on this summer! Check out her backyard adventures here: My Summer Place Growing and blooming in my backyard:
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And recently, the bird poop in my yard has turned to a shade of blue violet. Based on the amount of activity I saw in a particular tree today, I think I know why. Here are some other shots I caught today... *Click photos to enlarge and reveal captions Today was all about flying creatures. They were everywhere flying high, flying low, soaring, bouncing, protecting, searching, and even landing on me! Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me much of the time. I hoped to catch the bluejays and the cardinal, and the high flying butterflies, but there will be other days for that. I did catch these: And I'm not sure, but one of these may be this robin: This momma answered my question from a couple days ago. She's quite fierce. I watched her protect whatever is in that nest for almost an hour. I'l have to keep an eye on this nest! The butterflies were everywhere today! I noticed how differently they fly. There were many white ones that have a bouncy, floppy flight pattern. They never stop. The yellow one above had a more direct pattern and would stop briefly from time to time and spread its wings. The one on the left landed on me! This one hung around my hydrangeas and the cement. I wonder if it's a moth? I need to start digging into my research! Above is a better shot of a woodpecker. I wonder if it's the same one that is creating holes in the side of my house. And do you see the crazy invasive vine I was talking about the other day? It's everywhere! I visited my caterpillars today. There seem to be more of them. The web they are in seems to be getting thicker. What are these? I'm watching the growth of these spots as I planted wildflower seeds about a month ago. Hoping to draw more butterflies and hummingbirds. We will see how they do! Below is the rock I sometimes sit on. It gives me a great vantage point in the middle of the yard. I sat here for a while today and waited and watched. On many occasions I felt a tickle on my hand, arm, and legs. When I took a look, I noticed so many different insects had decided to say hello. I then looked carefully at my rock. I realized there was a whole world of living things. I could do an entire study of just the inhabitants of this seemingly lifeless boulder! I will be sure to carry out some research here! ![]() A Closer Look! Until next time!
Gus and I took to the too long grass today in search of the tiniest creatures. It was still very damp from last evening's rain, but it was soft and I wondered why I don't spend more time relaxing here. We seeded our yard at the end of last summer. I was glad to say so long to the muddy landscape and looked forward to this green expanse all winter. I'm not sure which type of grass they used, but it seems to have a different texture on the north side of my house. Did they use the same seed everywhere? Does it grow differently in the shade than in the sun? I decided to take on the perspective of a small mammal like a rabbit. From this view I feel tiny and sneaky. The grass looks thick and you don't notice the bare areas where the seed didn't take. I don't think I have laid belly first in the grass since I was a kid. I see tiny spiders and ants moving around, but my camera isn't capturing the images well. I hear something large moving in the woods to my left. I know it isn't a squirrel or a bird as they produce a more busy, rustling sound. From listening closely, I have learned that the smaller the creature, the greater the sound. Maybe because they move more quickly? I was right. It's Bob. Bob does a lot of wandering. The neighborhood is his home. He comes by often to sniff around, deposit his business, and check things out. Usually, I have Sanford and Gus on a leash, but I have been giving Gussles more freedom as he has demonstrated his willingness to listen and come when called. I underestimated his instinct to protect, however. Protecting me trumps listening to me. And so our quiet observation and exploration time quickly turned to this: Which subsequently turned into a chase through the woods. Gus after Bob. Me after Gus. Once the two had squeezed through a small opening beneath some dead logs, I knew I was going to have to take the car to the other side of the trees. When I got to the opening on the other side, I saw Bob lounging in the sun in his own yard. I didn't see Gus anywhere. I ran to the woods and called for him, but he never came. I returned home and entered the trees to follow the path they had taken before. I finally saw Gus crouching next to an old log. He was camouflaged, but I could see his little eyes staring at me. He seemed hesitant to move back through the small opening, but with some encouragement he did.
Observations over. Will try again tomorrow! I love my backyard. It's part wild, wooded, untamed, and part landscaped with plants I thought were pretty, but know nothing about. Some of what I planted seems to be thriving. Some seems like it's trying really hard, but the struggle is real. Other things I planted look sad and like they might cry. The area that is natural is lush and requires attention so it doesn't become overgrown and ugly. There's a crazy vine I can see everywhere and it seems to be strangling many of my trees. Even the honeysuckle is losing to this beast. Some of the weeds are growing on me. Ha! While I know they aren't desirable, they really aren't terrible to look at. The ground ivy looks like lily pads and one weed has tiny yellow flowers that add some great color.
I've started collecting images as I will include below. I'm excited to continue to collect over the year and document my questions and research here. At the start, I am very curious to learn about the bats I have seen a lot of, and the butterflies and moths. Also, I saw a gorgeous yellow and black bird today of which I have never seen before. I did a little digging and I think it may be a type of warbler. Hopefully it will show itself again. Here's what I caught today... *click each image for a larger view and caption. |