Dewy -- No Decimals

This time of year, the morning dew can be so thick that Piper is completely soaked by the time we get home. She goes stalking through the yard to look for chipmunks and bunnies and then goes bounding through the tall grasses and underbrush. 

She's soaked to the skin by the time we get home (so am I - I have to change my jeans and socks!). 

There are other interesting effects along the way, too. These spruce trees are adorned with spider webs that have caught the dew and early morning sun makes the webs shimmer. It's like Christmas on the last day of July. 

The spiders spin decorative flocking, making the trees look snow-kissed. 

I just thought it was a fun midsummer nod to wintertime on a hot, humid day! 

How it Started and How it's Going...

 Remember when I posted this delightful little discovery a few weeks ago. 

I wanted to keep track of the nest and see how things progressed. The trick was to be able to get close enough for a picture while keeping Piper successfully contained. 

I also didn't want to disturb mom or the youngsters, so I kept more distance and tried to get a few pictures after they hatched. I didn't get them while they were teeny, but I wanted to make sure they all remained unruffled and in the nest. Here they are hatched and growing like mad. 

After a few more days, they started looking very tightly packed and I expected them to leave their cozy quarters quite soon. 

Sure enough, a couple days later, they were out of the nest and perched in the bush, looking alert and ready to take the world by storm. 

They're gone now and the nest is empty. I miss checking in on them when we walk by in the morning. That's the way of all children, though, isn't it? They fly off to their great adventures. 

Fruits of the Field

 Summer sweets are available along the trail for the observant hiker. 

Raspberries are in season and I found a nice patch to raid along the way.

I did a carving of these guys a few years ago with three different blocks and colors, because they're not only delicious, they're visually interesting. 

Baloo loved raspberries and would race me to the treats, so I had to teach little Piper about the joys of berry picking. It didn't take her long to catch on to the goodness. 

She can't reach as high, though, and sometimes asks for a little handout.

This wood satyr butterfly seemed to like hanging out in the brambles, too. 

There's Gold in Them Thar Woods!

Here's the first picture of gold. I was hoping I would find some of these while Piper and I were out walking in the woods. I was quite excited. 

Can you see what made me so enthusiastic? You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it. This was a great find. Of course, I'm one of those odd people that will eat things I pick up off the ground. :)

And this was only one of the blooms I found. 

Here's another batch I found farther from the trail in a different area. 

Here's more glorious edible gold. Chanterelles are such a choice mushroom, with a marvelous, meaty texture and a flavor that blends that earthy umami flavor with a little bit of fruity goodness. 

It's also a good mushroom for a beginner to identify, since once you know what it looks like, it would be really hard to mistake it for anything else. 

Here's a beautiful, big bowl ready to slice and sauté. I was able to put three 8 ounce bags into the freezer for later use and still have a few left over for my scrambled eggs. Woo hoo! 

The Little Things

 Sometimes, it's just the little things that make me smile along the way. 

Seeing a green heron fly by against a backdrop of fluffy clouds, for example. 

I believe I have correctly identified this dragonfly as a midland clubtail. You can see how the end of the tail gets wider. Apparently, the eyes can be either gray or turquoise. This one seems to have opted for gray. 

Green frogs are really, really good at blending in with the muddy edges of the marsh, but their croaks give them away. You always know when you hear a loose banjo string sort of sound that there's a green frog nearby. 

See? Nothing particularly noteworthy, but I hope you enjoyed the little things, too. 

Further Flowery Foolishness

I have a few more of the neighborhood flower pictures ready to post. Piper was very good while I was taking them (although, she has been trying to photobomb a few while trying to figure out what is capturing my attention). 

Black-eyed Susans might be simple flowers, but I find them cheerful. There are a couple spots with large patches of them and they're like little fields of sunshine. 

This butterfly weed makes a great addition to a pollinator garden. As the name suggests, it's very popular with the butterfly population. The garden these grow in isn't quite a classic pollinator patch, since it has a lot of more traditional flowers as well, but the butterflies (and bees) don't care.

Here's a daylily - the colors and patterns are just brilliant - and the frilly, crimped edges on it are the perfect finishing touch.

Here's another lily, but it blooms in clusters, rather than individual flowers. The color really is that intense.  

Daisies! Who doesn't love daisies? Well, other than my sister who thinks they stink. She likes them well enough outside, but no daisy bouquets for her. I've been thinking of carving a daisy (or group of daisies) and this handsome specimen might provide some inspiration. 

Pansies always make me think of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the garden of talking flowers. 

Last for this installment, but definitely not least, is the humble blanket flower. I love all the color and pattern variations with these beauties - and they're another excellent pollinator garden plant. 

Garden Glory

I don't know about anyone else, but I can use something a bit uplifting and cheerful today.

When I downloaded these from the camera and prepared them for the blog, I discovered I have enough garden pictures that this post would be too long, if I used them all. So, there will probably be another garden stroll in a day or two.

The neighborhood gardens are all flourishing, except for mine, of course. The bunnies have completely destroyed everything I planted this year, except one lonely strawflower, which is starting to bloom. (Not the plant pictured above, which I looks a little bit rose-ish, but I don't know what it is for sure.) Anyway, while walking Piper, I have been taking pictures of particularly beautiful blooms. 

The hydrangea (or change rose, as it's sometimes called) blooms pink or blue, depending on soil acidity. these were interesting because the same bush had pink, blue and purplish blossoms all at the same time. 

It's very confused. I can relate to this! 

Daylilies dazzle the eye with their many varieties and colors. 

Hollyhocks are blooming, too, and this deep maroon one by an old, historic homesite seemed to evoke the era of the house, itself. 

I think these pink beauties are dahlias, but do correct me if I'm wrong, dahling. :)

Nasturtiums are flowering at the neighborhood restaurant. I wonder if they're using the peppery, edible blooms in any of their dishes this season. 

I do have one volunteer rose growing wild among the spirea bushes in my yard. I think the rabbits missed it because its stems are tangled in the woodier shrubbery. 

I hope this was a nice respite from the great, wide world. Sometimes it really is important to stop and smell (or at least look at) the roses and other beautiful things surrounding us. 

 

 

Field, Fur and Feathers

Open fields have so much going on and since I have highlighted the wetlands lately, I thought I'd give a little love to a few of the field dwellers we've seen on our walks.
 

Can you spot the shy little mouse hidden in the grass? Sometimes, it's just a tiny wiggle of a grass blade that gives the position away. Sneaky!

Yellow-shafted flickers often forage on the ground, and they also like to hang out with the robins. Piper and I frequently turn a corner and see a group of robins and flickers in the shorter grass of the trail looking for bugs. I wonder if they help each other watch for predators - many eyes make for safer snacking.

Cedar waxwings are such amazing birds and I was happy to see that a few stayed in the area for nesting season. I love seeing them!

Finally, this sweet nest caught my eye as we were walking past an autumn olive bush near the trail. Take particular note of the lovely decorative matching blue ribbon woven into the nest to compliment the color of the eggs. Perfect nursery decor! I snapped a quick picture and hurried Piper along the trail so that we wouldn't disturb mama robin too much. I'm hoping to be able to do a time-lapse of sorts as the eggs hatch and the little ones grow.

Miscellaneous Monday

I'm calling this post "Miscellaneous Monday" because the images seem totally unrelated, although they have the unifying theme of being from the same walk at the wetlands area where Piper and I often ramble.

Chalk-fronted corporal dragonflies were alighting on the overlook platform and posing for portraits.

Bright red bullseye spots on maple leaves aroused my curiosity and I had to look up the cause (of course). These are caused by midges, a sort of pesky fly, and it's called leaf spot gall. Happily, they don't seem to cause any lasting damage to the trees, even though they look pretty dramatic. (I always imagine the trees must feel itchy when I see something like this.)

At the second wetland overlook, Madame Red-winged Blackbird scolded us roundly for disturbing her nesting territory.

She watched us carefully until we left the area to allow her safe access to her babies again.

Tiny red-orange fungi were beginning to bloom on a rotting log. They're in the slime family somewhere, I think, though not the kind Piper stuck her nose in not very long ago.

The pattern in the bark at the base of this tree caught my eye. I love the crossing lines and especially the little rows of short cross hatches in between the longer diagonals.

Finally, Miss Piper did a good job of checking on everything and particularly enjoyed the chipmunks that chattered and scampered off into the woods.

 

Happy Independence Day!

This year, there won't be any fireworks or air shows in my Independence Day celebration post (or any of my Independence Day celebrations, for that matter). 

 

This year, there will be much quieter celebrations with little Piper, who thinks loud noises are very, very scary.

Piper will get to gnaw on a new marrow bone to distract her from all the booms and we'll be listening to music down in the relatively sound-deadened basement while I tackle a few chores (like slicing up some Tan-Z Kut and breaking down boxes). 

We'll take some nice walks early in the day - before the lights and explosions begin, making it a good day all the way around. 

But, America's birthday simply couldn't be allowed to pass without at least a small commemoration here on the blog!  We have a wonderful country filled with amazing beauty and founded on excellent principles. We're very fortunate. 

Happy Independence Day! She's a grand old flag - forever in peace may she wave.