SANDHILL CRANES IN THE BACK YARD!

This is a first:  a pair of sandhill cranes in the back yard! 
When they first landed, they were calling to each other.  Their call is an unmistakable trill repeated numerous times to reassure each other.

The red squirrel doesn't seem too impressed.

 

Your Library Is A Vital Part of Your Community!


U.S. Coast Guard service members read to children at a library local heroes story time program.  
Photo credit:  Albert Fulcher.

Don't think the digital age has made your local library a thing of the past--libraries are as relevant today as ever!   With the proper support, libraries can acquire and offer many forms of media for all ages.  You don't need to spend your $ on expensive books that you read once and put on your shelf to collect dust.  You can check out the SAME book FREE from your library!
 
IDEA:  Once a month, donate the cost of a book you've checked out to your local library.  

Mr. Blue and Friend

The summer of 2018 keeps plodding on, drier than I like, but what can you do?  A bumper crop of bluebirds and hummingbirds keep the back lawn looking great in spite of the dry grass.  The wildflowers started out with a bang, encouraged by early rains, sunshine, and warm temperatures.

But already the acorns are developed and ready to drop.  And drop means Fall.  Autumn will be here before you know it.

The bergamot has been prolific this year.  Its tendrils of wavy purple give it a a delicate appearance, but the plant is very hardy.  Unlike the similarly-colored spotted knapweed which prefers full sun, bergamot prefers slight shade.

This is common mullein, the spires of its blossoms reaching as high as six feet.  It's a biennial plant, producing a low sprout of soft velvety leaves the first year (also referred to as "lambs ears").   The second year this same plant  produces the large stalk of yellow blossoms, which turn dark brown when dry at the end of the summer, and also provide long fibers for orioles to use in the construction of their hanging-basket nests the following year.  Mullein will become very prominent in areas burned by wildfire, because wood ash is a natural fertilizer much preferred by this hardy plant.

This chicory blossom was discovered with drops of dew covering its petals during one of the humid mornings of this summer.  Spider webs also become easily visible in dewy mornings.

These yellow cone flowers (commonly called black eyed Susans, mistakenly I think) seem to like the sandy soil and dry conditions in mid summer.

The anvil cloud of this thunderhead is prominent as it moves over the northwest corner of our pines.

One of the sweetest smelling blossoms in the wild, this is a closeup of the flowers of the swamp milkweed, the natural food of the monarch caterpillar.  The milky sap of this plant is toxic.  The toxins, which do not effect the caterpillar, pass on to the butterfly when it emerges from its chrysalis.  That makes the monarch a bad choice for hungry birds who are warned away by the monarch's bright colors proclaiming "danger!"

One of my favorite blossoms, the harebells come around mid-summer.  This one is laden with drops of dew.  The blossoms that are shaded will be a darker blue than those exposed to constant sunshine.

This is the 13-stripe gopher.  Not a true gopher, this ground squirrel is the size of the common chipmunk.  This is a gregarious creature, easily tamed with sunflowers.   They have an amazing sense of smell, and can find a single seed within a 3-foot radius just using their nose.  They can pack their cheeks full of seeds, and it can be quite funny watching them trying to hoard their stash.

This year's fawns are now much more independent and tending to range farther and farther from their mothers, though some can still be spotted nursing occasionally.  Very soon they will be completely weaned, but will stay close to their mothers until next spring, and even then will range in maternal groups the rest of their lives.