Wednesday in the garden: Before the rains came
I was doing some tidy-up pruning in the garden today before an afternoon shower drove me inside. But before the pruning, I documented with my camera some of the things I saw around the garden.
There was a bit of activity at the bird feeders. These Blue Jays were checking out what was on offer at the table. They look a little disheveled because they are beginning their molt. They'll be losing all their old worn feathers and growing bright new ones.
This juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker hasn't got his distinctive red head and belly feathers yet, but he's learned where he can find a tasty meal.
In the goldfish pond, the water lilies are flourishing.
This Giant Swallowtail butterfly was very busy on the blooms of the 'Pride of Barbados'.
These flowers are favorites of many butterflies.
The Sulphurs seem to prefer the flame acanthus (Anisacanthus wrightii) blossoms.
Sulphurs are numerous in my garden in late summer and fall.
And the Gulf Fritillaries are numerous throughout the year.
They like the flame acanthus blooms as well.
A red skimmer dragonfly came calling.
And in the pond, the newest resident decided to show himself. I think I'll call him Jeremiah.
I've been trying to get a decent picture of this bullfrog for several days, but he's never bothered to cooperate. At least today he showed me his back, and I was surprised to see the colorful pattern that the camera revealed. From a distance of ten to fifteen feet and with my naked eye, the frog just looked gray-brown.
He decided to take a stroll into the variegated lirope that borders the pond.
But he no sooner made it into the grass when his visit was cut short by Rudy, the Mighty Hunter, and he had to jump back into the pond.
And then the rains came and Rudy and I had to take cover, too.
There was a bit of activity at the bird feeders. These Blue Jays were checking out what was on offer at the table. They look a little disheveled because they are beginning their molt. They'll be losing all their old worn feathers and growing bright new ones.
This juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker hasn't got his distinctive red head and belly feathers yet, but he's learned where he can find a tasty meal.
In the goldfish pond, the water lilies are flourishing.
This Giant Swallowtail butterfly was very busy on the blooms of the 'Pride of Barbados'.
These flowers are favorites of many butterflies.
The Sulphurs seem to prefer the flame acanthus (Anisacanthus wrightii) blossoms.
Sulphurs are numerous in my garden in late summer and fall.
And the Gulf Fritillaries are numerous throughout the year.
They like the flame acanthus blooms as well.
A red skimmer dragonfly came calling.
And in the pond, the newest resident decided to show himself. I think I'll call him Jeremiah.
I've been trying to get a decent picture of this bullfrog for several days, but he's never bothered to cooperate. At least today he showed me his back, and I was surprised to see the colorful pattern that the camera revealed. From a distance of ten to fifteen feet and with my naked eye, the frog just looked gray-brown.
He decided to take a stroll into the variegated lirope that borders the pond.
But he no sooner made it into the grass when his visit was cut short by Rudy, the Mighty Hunter, and he had to jump back into the pond.
And then the rains came and Rudy and I had to take cover, too.
What a great stroll around your garden! The colors are exploding everywhere. Love the butterflies and the flowers. I think some of your knowledge on birds is rubbing off on me because I identified those blue jays above. Pinterest has helped too in that regard.
ReplyDeleteThere's a website I can recommend for identifying birds. It's called All About Birds and it has pictures, sounds, and information about virtually all birds found in North America.
DeleteI so don't like your latest garden guest, but hopefully Rudy will keep it in check. :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, at least he'll keep him mostly in the pond. Personally, I think Jeremiah is kinda cute!
DeleteJeremiah Bullfrog is super cute! I rescued a small frog from one of our new portable buildings this week. I love frogs! Wonder where that comes from?
ReplyDeleteWelcome Jeremiah! I did not know that blue jays molt. Loved all the butterflies and the dragonfly.
ReplyDeleteAll birds molt at least once a year, usually in late summer and fall. Those feathers take a beating in the course of migration, nestbuilding, raising young, defending territory, searching for food, etc. By the end of summer, they are truly worn out and the bird needs a new set to protect him through winter. So they gradually drop the old ones and grow bright, shiny new ones.
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