Sitting on the back patio recently, I saw four dragonflies buzzing across the lawn. Since then, I have noticed dragon flies seemingly everywhere. Maybe they’ve been there all along and I didn’t notice them, or maybe it’s just been a really good year for dragonflies. Whatever the reason, they are interesting creatures. I watched one dragonfly intently. He hovered like a tiny black drone, then … [Read more...]

Our hummers are buzzing. Whereas we usually have 2 or 3 at our back yard feeders, we have a half dozen or more this year and they are battling one another, as usual. But as always, they are beautiful and fascinating creatures. Got a nickel in your pocket? That’s how much the little guys weigh. Their nests are the size of a quarter. Hummingbirds are in a perpetual state … [Read more...]

Nancy took this shot of a lovely Swallowtail Butterfly enjoying the sweet nectar of our butterfly bush. We have had many visitors to this pollinator-attracting plant, even a few Monarchs, but by far, the most common is the Swallowtail Butterfly. Swallowtails look almost exactly like a monarch, except for its forked tail-like protrusions. That’s the easiest way to distinguish the two. There are … [Read more...]

My daughter, Angelin, and I went fishing early this week at a friend’s lake. The fish were not very cooperative, but still, a bad day’s fishing beats a good day of most anything else. I pulled up a chair at the lake’s edge, lit up a cigar and cast out a Berkley Power Bait Minnow in hopes of a bite.  Angelin was in a paddle boat, trolling a lure, then pointed to the bank and said, “Daddy, … [Read more...]

Most often, my resident bluebirds will nest twice, then call it quits. On several occasions, however, they go for a third try as mine did this year. I don’t know why they do this unless they lost one nest or had a poor survival rate with the chicks. I know that two babies were around after the first nest, but the second nest vanished before I could get head count. This year’s pair has been one … [Read more...]

Nancy has been planting flowers like Impatiens along the sidewalk leading to our back patio – with mixed results. Often, the Impatiens got dug up by chipmunks and squirrels and sometimes succumbed to the summer’s heat. They needed water practically every day. This year, she planted Zinnias and they are loving life. The lovely flowers add lots of beauty to the yard as well as seeds for the … [Read more...]

My wife Nancy spends a lot of time working in our yard and it really shows. She has watered and weeded regularly and keeps things trim with her edging and weed eaters. Throughout the yard, ourflowers and shrubs are lovely. But the ones I believe both of us are proudest of are the wildflowers she planted around our birdbath. They were perennials and are flowers like you would typically find in a … [Read more...]

Last week I posted a picture of the potted Amaryllis plant we have on our front porch with three lovely blooms. Then, Hal Hurka, who donated the original Amaryllis bulb to our cause, sent the above picture of his Amaryllis collection. “Wow! What beauties.” Our plant should continue to grow and spread, but I think maybe we should add another pot or two and maybe even some new colors. … [Read more...]

My good friend Hal Hurka gave us an Amaryllis bulb last year as a thank you gift for some Lenten roses we gave him. Nancy planted the bulb, and it bloomed the first year with two flowers. A week ago, it bloomed again with three flowers, and it is the epitome of beautiful – delicate, graceful, and inviting. It transformed our porch into an art gallery. In some places called an Easter lily, … [Read more...]

We had some unexpected company at our birdfeeder this week. A stunning male Rose-breasted Grosbeak stopped by to sample our sunflower hearts. He came in the morning and returned for another snack that afternoon. I am always super excited when a feathered visitor stops by. I had seen a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak once or twice in the past, and what a beautiful bird - jet black feathers on his … [Read more...]