The Elusive Photo - Hummingbirds

     These little buggers drive me crazy. I love 'em - they're beautiful - they're enchanting - but they are a huge challenge to photograph. For years, I have tried with no real success; the rapidly beating wings and constant flitting defeated me every time, precluding a crisp, clear image. (My goal as always is the use of natural light and background, and no photoshop filters or effects.) This morning, I took my coffee and my camera outside, sat on a porch step behind a patio chair and took aim. After waiting patiently, I was rewarded with a visit from this guy. He didn't stick around long but I got about twenty  quick shots, holding my breath the entire time. These two photos were the best of the lot - not very good but still better than any taken previously. 

I am still on a mission...I am determined to conquer this challenge!

Sunflower Field at Columbia Bottoms

     A reprieve from the sultry weather of July prompted a trip to Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area, which is just a sixteen minute drive from home. It is remarkable because it was created to maintain and view the bottom land plains, forests and waterways that subsist at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. There are 4,318 acres, including riverfront and an island - which boast a variety of wildlife - especially during migration times. But on this cool morning, the sun was rising on a perfectly clear sky, so it was the sunflower fields that were the main attraction. Planted by a Missouri Department of Conservation team, the field beckons photographers and bees. It was such fun to capture these images and share the time with other photographers. The low sun, the blue sky and the brilliant yellow flowers combined to make an exceptional opportunity for some creative images.

Garden Welcome

     Our average-sized suburban back yard is nothing too special. There is a lawn of mixed types of grass that is pretty lush this June, thanks in part to the recent generous spring rains and to the removal of a very large ash tree that was split by lightening last year. We've always been limited to total shade plants so the additional light has also allowed us to include a few sun-loving flowers to the garden areas as well. Our very small vegetable garden, which was restricted to a strip on the side of the garage, has been extended along the fence line a few more feet. These are small but significant changes for us. Of course we still enjoy the shady expanses - the three hosta plots, the begonia beds near the pond, the "snowball corner" that is lined with hydrangeas, and the patio with comfortable chairs that always boasts a leafy canopy and a breeze.

     

     A gray picket fence and gate separate the backyard from the front. I think it is appealing in its simplicity and it begs a sneak peak beyond more so than a privacy fence would allow. So perhaps the small bejeweled oval sign that says "Welcome to My Garden" should include in fine print, "That is Very Special to Us"!

Eastern Bluebird

     It was Easter. It was also April Fools Day. We were enjoying a sunny morning on the patio but snow was forecast for the afternoon. So why were we surprised to see the first ever bluebird at our feeder?

     

     On this day of incongruities, when a flash of vivid sapphire flew across the yard and lit on the feeder, I immediately ran into the house for my camera and was amazed that the chap remained in place long enough for a very focused photo. I was pretty sure this little guy was an Eastern Bluebird but my supposition was confirmed when I uploaded the photos and was able to fully distinguish his field marks - which included a white belly, rusty throat and short bill. I've seen bluebirds in non-urban areas but never inside the city limits. Our pretty pint-sized visitor didn't stay long and we haven't seen him since but we certainly enjoyed a little Easter April Fool!

Winter Visitors - Juncos and White-Throated Sparrows

     Several days of sub-zero temps kept us in the house (except for a dog walk around the block). To combat seasonal depression, we keep the drapes drawn wide open on the sliding back door and let the sun shine in. We also keep the bird feeders full because the winter visitors are quite entertaining. 

     It is amazing that the tiny little legs and bodies of these juncos don't freeze! I know it has to do with altered blood flow but these happy guys are always moving too - darting and flitting at top speed!

     Some new faces joined the group this year - a family of white-throated sparrows. Their faces have a disgruntled appearance, something like Grumpy Cat.

August Morning Color

    On weekend mornings, I go exploring in the gardens with my camera. Why? Because there is no time during the work week to pay any attention to the growing elements, so with the passage of seven days many changes occur - some subtle and some striking - but all intriguing. Today I found one of my favorites, an artemisia at its peak, lush and feathery and fully living up to its name, Silver Mound. The purple petunias behind and the white alyssum to the front contrast nicely.

     Yellow banana peppers are bright but glow even more when highlighted by the rising sun. I hate to pick them because the plants have such a delightful appearance, tall verdant greenery hung with myriads of peppers, almost like a summer Christmas tree!

Elephant Ear Drop

    

      A very light rainfall this morning was not enough to quench the thirst of the dry gardens and lawn, but it was enough to create this charming little drop on a newly-formed elephant ear. I was enchanted with the reflective mini-sphere and had to run back into the house for my camera.

Christmasy Clay Pot Tower

     Flower towers are popular for patios and yards during the summer months. I chose to create this holiday tower after the plants in the largest pot died back from cold. That pot was the centerpiece of a garden that I established to  hide the stump of a recently removed tree (see below). The petunias, basil and sweet potato vine were very pretty but zoysia grass crept in over the tree root area pretty quickly, as I had hoped. However, I liked the low wide pot in its place atop the smooth flat stump, so I decided to try a winter theme.

     On my daily walk I gathered pine cones from a neighbor's yard and snipped some berry-laden holly branches from several shrubs that border the parking lot at my office. The evergreen fronds were clipped from a couple of arborvitae that have grown quite large in my own backyard. The only money spent was at the Dollar Tree Store for a package of shiny red ornaments. So on an almost warm Saturday afternoon when I should have been raking leaves, I dug through my collection of pots on a shelf in the garage, picked out two of graduated size and filled them with gravel and potting soil. Assembling was the fun part - first placing the pine cones and solar light, then the holly, the fir branches and finally the ornaments. I love the naturalistic look of my clay pot tower and can't wait for the first snow, which will cover the leaves and brown grass and highlight the holiday colors!

Tim & Lydia's Pumpkin Patch

     Neighbor Tim and his children planted a couple of pumpkin seeds in the spring. The vines refused to be confined to a garden and crept into the front yard, overtaking a good third of the lawn. Now the growing season has reached an end and the last pumpkins need to be picked, the massive vines removed and the grass restored to suburban orderliness. (Surprisingly, the zoysia underneath survived unscathed and the only facelift needed was  a quick trim with a mower!)

     Lydia may be tiny yet but she is not afraid of work and she is quite proud of her harvest. She is also cute as a button!

 

Cooper's Hawk - Sharing the Backyard

     Large red-tailed hawks are not a rare sight in our suburban neighborhood. Usually they sail silently, high over the tree tops, but occasionally one will perch on a tree limb or phone pole while searching for prey. Yesterday I stopped to look out the big back window and just by chance saw a very large swoop of wings - a red-tail who flew down to snatch a squirrel off the trunk of an ash tree - and immediately vamoosed with its meal. It happened so quickly that even if I'd had a camera close, it wouldn't have been possible to catch a photo. (Once a feisty red-tail seemed to be perturbed by our Siberian Husky, who circled underneath him - I could swear the bird dropped an arm-sized stick at that dog!) 

     Anyway, lately we've been spotting a smaller hawk but never close enough or still enough to make an identification. Then I saw this guy on the neighbor's lawn, eating away at his lunch. This time the camera was close and I stepped quietly out the door, but he startled and flew up into a tree. However I was able to get near enough to use a zoom lens and capture a picture - not a great one but reasonably good - and I think finally his identity was revealed: a Cooper's Hawk. The size of him, his long legs, the squarish head and the tubular body were the clues. Just call me Sherlock!

Jack-be-Little Twins

     Here is the sum total of my pumpkin harvest - won't make a very big pie, will it?! Jokes aside, the little guys are appropriately named "Jack-be-Little"  and they were actually a bonus because I did not buy seeds to plant. A Halloween decoration that was overlooked in late fall cleanup, overwintered in a flower pot, rotted under a blanket of fallen leaves, and self-seeded in the rich potting soil. I transplanted a couple of the strongest seedlings into a sunny corner of the yard but they did not thrive in the early summer due to a prolonged spell of cool wet weather. In August, finally, the heat and sunshine established precedence, the vines grew sturdier  and a few yellow blossoms appeared.

     Moments like this make me thankful that I do not have to depend on my garden harvest to survive!

Late Summer Color

     Sometimes one has to look close for color at the end of summer - after weeks of  hot, dry days have sucked the vibrancy out of many flowers and leaves, and before the cool, shorter days create the brilliance of autumn foliage. Case in point are these gingerland caladiums and accent red impatiens that have thrived in a shady area of the back yard. A small shrub of rosemary is potted in front of the flowerbed and contributes a silvery green (and a lovely fragrance.)

     Three pots flank the open porch in one of the rare sunny spots available in the back yard. Black Pearl Peppers grow there and the pretty spheres are a shiny black-purple, soon to ripen into a deep red. Even the purplish green leaves are attractive.

Tiny Tomatoes

     Our small garden is producing a boatload of veggies right now and we savor immensely the almost-daily harvests. When a thunderstorm is forecast, it is prudent to pick every ripe Sweet Million tomato or risk loosing them to high wind / heavy rain. So yesterday a large bowl of halved tomatoes was marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with a sprinkling of fresh basil added for additional flavor. We eat these as a simple side salad, or add them to chopped vegetables or greens during the week. It is amusing to see how the size of this variety shrinks with the ebb of summer.

I Spy a Cardinal

     Every year I do some pruning to this Japanese Maple to keep it from becoming overly large for the small garden area near the front porch. (Although it was labeled "dwarf variety" at the time of purchase, it has since aspired to reach a much larger stature.) This summer I discovered too late that I had unwittingly removed the leaves that hid a cardinal's nest, exposing it somewhat to the elements. I felt like such a plunderer, ravaging an avian home in such a manner. Therefore I was relieved when a short time later, a female flew in and settled on the nest, appearing unruffled and tolerably camouflaged.

 

    Later that day I was able to photograph these five beautiful eggs while the mama was away. A busy week intervened and I wasn't able to take another peek until the following Saturday. I was horrified and heartbroken to find the nest totally empty. Was it my fault? Did a midweek thunderstorm wreak havoc? Did a predator pillage the nest for a snack? I searched the ground underneath and found an eggshell fragment but nothing else.
     Poor mama cardinal - I mourn with you!

Polyphemus Moth

     A fluttering of wings on one of the hydrangea shrubs caught my eye as I prepared breakfast this morning. Thinking it was an unfamiliar bird, I grabbed a camera, crept out the door and moved close enough to see that it was not a bird but a giant moth. After snapping a pic, I went back inside and researched moth species, finding the fellow easily enough by his impressive size and appearance. The wing markings are striking but his legs are rather creepy!

Log Lips

     The first half of summer was just plain wet. Rainfall totals broke records and green things grew where they had never grown before. Even our firewood sprouted living appendages! These white half-circles (which looked like lips to me) are fungi and some research proved them to be a species called oyster mushrooms, and upon closer inspection, they did indeed resemble oyster shells. Supposedly they taste like seafood - we did not verify that first-hand...

My Life and My Herbs - Out to Dry

     Interested observers will note that I have not posted since April's end and it is now June. A  low mood and a persistent feeling of sadness seemed to cause a continual disinterest in my usual creative spirit, and the writer in me was repressed. So many things I'm trying to shake off: missing my family, the death of my mother, the perpetuation of racist claims by the media and the sensationalism of anti-police sentiment, weight gain causing depression and depression causing compulsive eating habits (and non-interest in exercise.)

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     So I'll stop there and with the beginning of summer, vow to improve what I can. First resolution is that I WILL write and/or photograph daily. Today involves the lovely task of cutting herbs from the garden and drying them on very low heat in the oven. The freshly cut oregano and basil leaves are so simple and attractive as they are arranged on a tray and soon the house has a savory smell that is quite pleasant. The gifts of earth can be very uplifting.

A Nod to Grape Hyacinths

     I have under-appreciated a small crop of grape hyacinths (muscari) in my front garden. Yes they are heralds of  mid spring, filling in between the early showy daffodils and the later peonies and iris, but I always viewed them as somewhat insignificant. However, after I photographed them, viewed them on a PC monitor and zoomed in on the plants, I was intrigued by the flower spikes and the delicacy of each tiny blossom (which look like grapes at first bloom but open into a bell shape as the flower matures).

Simple Seedling Markers

     In a week or two, the unseasonably cold weather should moderate and my portable greenhouse will stand ready for plant transition. Dozens of seedlings in my windowsill starters (see post on 2/28/11) are crying for more space. Case in point are these Sweet Million and Rutger Tomatoes, which were transferred into cells this morning before getting too spindly. In order to identify them come planting time in early May, I have found a frugal way of making plant markers from a recycled milk jug.  Scissors are used to cut up the jug into rectangles, and plant names are written on them with a Sharpie pen. These labels are durable and even reusable. Ah the smell of tomato plants - truly a token of summer!

Tomato Hornworm

     It is no pleasant thing to be picking handfuls of lovely cherry tomatoes and find the huge ugly larva of a spotted hawkmoth, better known as a tomato hornworm, lurking on a stem. Bad enough that this squishy fellow was as big as my pinky but he was also covered with what I assumed were white eggs. Alarmed, I disposed of him as quickly as possible. That was a mistake. Later I learned that the white "eggs" were actually the cocoons of the braconid wasp, parasites that would have destroyed the worm. I have found only one more hornworm in the past week and he also was infected with the parasite. I placed the worm and a tomato plant branch in a big jar and donated it to the local science teacher!