In the Nick of Time

The last time I went down to the family homestead to pick beans and tomatoes and otherwise puddle around in the gardens, the zinnias were absolutely glorious. 

The brilliant colors and beautiful blooms were a feast for the eyes. 

I'm so glad I took a moment to snap a few pictures of our wondrous row. 

Why? Well, we got nailed by an unexpected frost. So, all these amazing plants are now brown and wilted. 

They were amazing while they lasted, though! 

The Commuters

This time of year is always bittersweet. I love the crisp air, clear skies and autumnal colors. 

On the other hand, my favorite birds, both large and small take flight and head south. The sandhill cranes are molting, exchanging their rusty summer feathers for their winter silver gray plumage. This particular pair has been coming to our family property for several years now. They've gotten to know us well enough that they don't fly off as soon as we show up at the field. Unfortunately, they weren't successful at raising a colt this year. That always makes me sad - we really enjoy watching the family groups and love seeing them bring up the next generation. These two will soon fly away south and I will miss these tall beauties until they return in the spring. 

I miss the tiny ones when they abandon us for warmer climes. There are only a few left and I will be leaving the feeders out and ready for them until at least a week after the last one departs, just in case there's a late commuter desperate for some extra energy. 

They're such amazing little emerald gems - the miles they fly on those tiny wings boggle my imagination. 

The bright side is that winter visitors will soon arrive to take up residence for the cold months. Nature would never leave us bereft of beauty! 

Trail Cam Thursday

I love it when the trail cameras capture the candid antics of various creatures wandering around on the family property. 

This doe looks like she was caught while totally absorbed in pondering the mysteries of the universe, staring at the heavens and thinking deep thoughts. 
 

The twins look like they're discussing mischief and finding a way to sneak some extra snacks. It's always tempting to try and get one over on mom, after all! 

We have to look through hundreds of far less interesting pictures to find a few that are delightful, but it's worth the effort! 

Hail to the Queen

Queen Anne's Lace, that is. 
 

These amazing and unique beauties are in full splendor these days. Each blossom has its own special design and character. The one above has a brilliant red center standing out against the lacy white petals. 

Piper has a tendency to try to photobomb almost everything I stop to photograph. She's always curious about what I've found. 

This blossom still has pink around the edges as it unfurls. I love the way the spotted knapweed in the background complements and brings out the color.  

This one has the look of a twisting spiral. I can almost imagine it spinning like a pinwheel. 

I've already done a carving of one of these flowers, but they still call to me. :)

Another Little Dear

But, this one is a deer.  

Piper and I were out walking in the big field and this sweet little fellow came walking up to us bleating hungrily for its mother every step of the way. It came within about ten feet of us and was clearly curious about both Piper and me. 

Piper sat beside me, behaving beautifully and after giving us a good perusal, the little spotted buddy turned around and continued its bleating march back in the direction from which it had come.

It was a magical way to start the day. 

Little Deer

 ...Killdeer, that is.

There are a couple spots along the shoreline where Piper and I walk most mornings that seem to attract killdeer. They nest nearly every year somewhere near there and I love getting to see them going about their business.

The picture above actually has both parents in the frame. One of them is taking full advantage of its camouflage ability - can you see it? 

For some reason, these birds always look worried to me. (Of course, I'm usually walking the dog, so they probably have cause.)

I love their markings. I have a feeling that one of these will eventually become a carving. They're just too striking to resist. :)

And Another Chipper

It's a chipmunk this time! This busy little critter has been stuffing its face and storing food for winter just as fast as its legs can carry it to and from its nesting area. 

These greedy guys may vastly increase my bird food bill, but they're cute enough to get away with it. 

Seriously, who can resist that earnest little face?? Not I! 

Of course, Piper does give chase from time to time, if she happens to see one before I do. 

Oh, Chipper One

 I've been busy with family stuff again and have fallen way behind in ... well, just about everything. 

Here's a little chipping sparrow singing its heart out at the tip of a small spruce tree. It made me smile and I hope gives you a grin, too. :)

Many sparrows head farther north in the summer to nest, but these cuties stick around pretty nearly all year. Some will head south for the winter, but some are hardy souls that brave the cold and snow. 

Sparrows might be plain brown birds to some people, but I find them quite delightful, with markings and habits that make them anything but plain. 

A Different Kind of Mystery

I had a beautiful little sparrow foraging in my yard and I am not positive who it might be.  I was leaning toward it being a female white-crowned sparrow, given its size and head markings, but the streaky breast isn't right for an adult and it was far too early in the season for an immature to be scratching around for goodies. 

I've been consulting all the bird books and online identification guides I can get my hand on and have still not come to a definitive identification. I have considered the possibility that a swamp sparrow strayed a little from the wetlands and landed in my yard to snack for a few days.  
 

I have also considered that it may be a Lincoln's sparrow on its way north to nest. But I can't absolutely convince myself one way or another. The Sibley bird guide does say that they're closely related, so perhaps my inability to decide isn't without cause. 

Any birding experts or enthusiasts out there that can help me pin a name on this little cutie? It's a small bird - I'd say in the 5-6 inch range. 
 

Ducking and Diving

Usually, when I try to catch a picture of a bufflehead duck, I get a ripple of waves. 

Or maybe a disappearing rump as it dives into the lake. (I do love the spray of water droplets, though.)

I got really lucky with this pair, though. They were swimming and diving close to shore and that gave me a chance to focus a little faster than I usually do. 

They are such quick, active ducks that they're almost always underwater by the time I zero in on them. 

Piper was a perfect little sweetheart, sitting patiently while I watched them dipping and diving, as I snapped picture after picture. 

They were a delightful couple and I hope they weren't just passing through. It would be nice to see tiny bufflehead ducklings bobbing along with them. 

There weren't very many good pictures, even after all that, but I was quite happy to get a few passable ones. :)

Breeding Bunny Burrow

There will soon be baby bunnies racing around the neighborhood. 

Piper and I encountered this sweet cottontail gathering dry grasses to line her nest. 

Piper wasn't the only one entranced by her efforts. We watched for a long time and Madame Cottontail finally hopped off into the underbrush to burrow in for the baby bunny birth. 

More Morel Mushroom Madness

The morel mystery had quite a few sharp eyed readers. Nice hunting!

Also, I mentioned a morel print I had made a few years ago and mushroom lovers seemed to want to see it, so I pulled it out and took a picture. 

I apologize that it's not a perfectly squared up picture. I tried to photograph it from straight on, but didn't manage to get it quite right. Anyway, it gives you a pretty good idea. I wanted to have the morels just a little bit hidden the same way they are in the wild, so they're tucked into the leaf duff, grass and twigs. It was a fun and challenging carve. :)

Feeling Fuzzy

Piper takes particular interest in furry friends. She goes on point for rabbits and squirrels and would love to follow them on a merry chase. I walk along beside her as she carefully stalks them, step by cautious step. 

Every now and then, they'll stay still long enough for me to snap a photo before they duck for cover or perch high enough in a tree to foil a curious canine. 

The rabbit looked particularly fuzzy, since it's shedding its winter coat and putting on sleeker wear for the warmer months ahead. Piper also sniffed out a couple of bunny nests lined with shed fur to keep the little buns warm. 

This black squirrel plowed through a spider's web on its dash for safety and got sticky silk and pine needles stuck to its head along the way. The pine needle just above its eye looks like an angry squirrel eyebrow. 

I thought we might have had enough feathers, flowers and fungus for a few days, so it seemed appropriate to give fur a turn. :)

A Minor Mother's Day Mystery - Mapped

Here's the clue from yesterday, if you missed it - or so you don't have to toggle back and forth to check for the mystery's subject(s). 

The subject in question at the moment is close to the middle of the picture. Not quite perfectly centered (there had to be a little photographic balance, after all). And there is more than one, but the others will be frustratingly elusive from this angle. 

Every year, our family would spend Mother's Day weekend wandering around out in the woods looking for treasure. It was a search to rival any Easter egg hunt and we children had as good a chance to make great discoveries as our parents, since our eyes were lower to the ground and provided an excellent vantage point. 

This is the one you should be able to spot in the mystery picture. I tried to get another picture at the same angle, so you can look for shape and shadow. It's the one that put me on alert. 

Once a little lower to the ground (children's eye level) in an effort to gather the first specimen, its friends were easier to locate. 

My brother and I harvested nearly two gallons of black morels in our afternoon of hunting, but a lot of crawling along on hands and knees through brambles was required to accomplish the feat. 

However, there's nothing quite like a pan of fresh morel mushrooms fried in butter for hors d'oeuvres as a reward for the effort. Yum!

I have made morel mushrooms the subject of one of my block prints, and it was fun to try to keep some of the mystery of the hunt in the final image. If anyone's interested, I can post a picture of it. :) 

A Minor Mother's Day Mystery

This little mystery is especially for BetsyLee (which, in itself, might be a dead giveaway). 

As always, you can click on the image to enlarge it. I left it as big as I possibly could. 

This is on my family's property and reminds me of the group outings we would always take on Mother's Day. The reveal will come tomorrow. :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Flowers that Bloom in the Spring - Tra La!

After a long winter of gray skies, snow covering everything and the only color being dark evergreens or the occasional cardinal, it's lovely to see flowers beginning to bloom and trees starting to bud.

There's a spot I always check to see if the snowdrops are blooming yet. They often come up through the snow. This picture was taken a few weeks ago, but I hadn't posted it yet and I love these little harbingers of spring. 

Piper and I discovered these purple crocuses out in the woods and I wondered if there had been an old homestead there at some point, or if a squirrel had maybe dug them up and transported them to their new home. 

Yellow winter aconite is another early bloomer - it may be toxic, but the color is a tonic for the eyes and it can also bloom through the snow. 

I've never seen this flower bloom in the snow but its name still gives away its tendency toward early emergence in spring. It's called Glory of the Snow and it's another little beauty. 

I love walking with Piper every day to see what's new in the world. Baby bunnies, new flowers and buds emerging, birds singing territorial songs and building their nests - every day is an adventure!

Sharp-eyed, Sharp-shinned

This hawk was calling, crying, complaining and otherwise expressing discontent with the world. 

It did, however, perch overhead and allow me to take a few pictures (although the brightness of the sky behind it makes it harder to see detail). 
 

With feather markings obscured, deciding if it was a sharp-shinned or Cooper's hawk was more difficult. Cooper's hawks have a more rounded tail and head, so the squared-off tail and flatter head brings me in on the side of sharp-shinned. 

I could be wrong - identification can be tricky, especially in poor lighting, looking into the sun. In any event, it was pretty special to see it so close and still, even it it was scolding Piper and me.