Monday, September 3, 2012

pecking order & webs




have you noticed the pecking order in nature.
this example has to do with a few birds.


looking out the back door
i see buzzards
on the ground.














then 
i see a hawk (the Red-shouldered kind).

he swoops down and chases the buzzards away.
(i wasn't fast enough to get a picture of THAT, you'll have to take my word for it)




then,
enter the crows.

who proceed to 
chase away the hawk.

they take over the yard.

one crow calls from the treetop...that the coast is clear!

for the time being...the crows rule the yard.
until they get tired of it and move along.
then the whole routine repeats itself!

maybe one day i'll see them ALL together!
getting along. sharing. 
tolerating.
(nah. i doubt it.)


~O~


it's that time of year
when the Banana spider (Golden Orb)
weaves her web between the trees.

oh.
lovely.
nothing like wandering through the yard or woods,
and getting slapped in the face by a sticky web.

then frantically brushing at yourself,
hoping the spider didn't land on your back or in your hair.


another good reason to carry a big stick...



waving it in front of yourself as you head down your path.





ok.
i'll leave you with a moon shot!



that moon shot is courtesy of Bart Simpson.

this one's from me.
1 sept 2012       9:17pm


"Let your heart guide you.  It whispers, so listen carefully."  
~Littlefoot's mother, Land Before Time



stay cool. be safe.
laura



Saturday, September 1, 2012

blue moon. RattlerHeronDragonButterHopperHawk.



once in a blue moon...you just might see a blue moon.
i thought i should probably save this for a 'friday's fringe' morph picture...
but i didn't want to wait that long.

here's the original. taken last night, 8.31.12  at  8:55pm

(i DID give a wink to Neil A.)



plumbago blooming in yard!!



last weekend was kind of crazy. and a little heart-thumping.

sam looked out the back door and saw milo in a stand-off with a snake.


we have lots of snakes around here, but this was the first time i'd seen a
Diamondback Rattler this close to home.
this big.  and in the yard.

milo and the rattler standing their ground.
un-moving.

without getting too close...sam got rid of the rattler and scared milo away.
she's such a brave...and hard headed...cat.
no matter how many times i tell her...
"stay away from the snakes with the big triangular heads!!" 
it go in one ear, and out the other!

it's nice to have that zoom option on your camera.



of course after seeing this big fat rattler...i'm a little more leery of wandering in the woods out back.
from now on i'll always wear my boots! and carry a big stick.



gardenia blooming in yard!  yummy scent!



last weekend, before the milo & snake thing...
sam and i rode the 4-wheeler across the street, into the field.
no special reason...just to feel the breeze and explore.
sometimes i find bones. not this trip though.


the 'mud pit' had water in it due to all the recent rain.
this is the first time i've seen a Little Blue Heron!!
(right?  you birders out there...is my ID correct?)


we were half expecting to see another Rattler over there, but we didn't.



there were so many dragonflies...some were BRIGHT red!!
unfortunately...they were just way too fast...by the time i zoomed in...poof! gone!

but i did get one of the dragonflies in another part of the field.
away from the water...where they don't dart around so fast.


on our way back home...a grasshopper doing stretches in the vines along the trail (see his back leg?)



back home...
a Red-Spotted Purple on the old hummer feeder.


another dragonfly...


and a Red-shouldered Hawk...hanging out in a tree.



if you're lucky enough to have monday off...for Labor Day...have a relaxing time!
and if you're working...well, i hope your work hours go quick...and your off hours, slow!


thanks for stopping by!

stay cool. be safe.
laura