End of Month View, January 2015

At the end of each month I like to look back to see what has been happening in my garden.



Buds on the Spirea

The Spirea buds are almost ready to burst forth to cover the bush in a blanket of tiny white flowers.

Daffodils

The Daffodils are pushing their way up from a heavy cover of oak leaves
.

Hellebores

My Hellebores have a lot of new growth.  Some of the buds were killed when our temperatures dropped to 9F a few weeks ago, so I may not have as many blooms as in years past.

Privet Hedge, Ligustrum

The birds have stripped some of the berries from the Hedge, but there are still plenty left.

I think these Winter visitors are Pine Siskens.  They love Black Oil Sunflower seeds!

 What would a garden be without birdsong in it?

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more animal photos, visit:

Camera Critters  Click Here!
and
Saturday's Critters  Click Here!

For more end of the month views, visit The Patient Gardener:  Click Here!

Square-Pod Water-Primrose, January 28, 2015

Wildflower Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Lee county, Mississippi, USA

On one of my walks, these seed pods hanging over the edge of a pond caught my attention.  They were the most unusual looking seed pods I've ever seen.

Ludwigia alternifolia

When I got home and looked them up, I discovered they are commonly called Seedbox (easy to see why).  Their official name is Square-Pod Water-Primrose, Ludwigia alternifolia.  They can be found in the eastern and middle United States (as far west as Colorado) and eastern Canada.  Look for them in moist areas such as swamps and alongside ponds and streams.  We will have to wait until Summer to see them in bloom.

Have a wonderful day!

For more wildflowers, visit Gail at Clay and Limestone:  Click Here!

For more Outdoor photos, visit A Southern Daydreamer:  Click Here!

Cardinals, January 27-28, 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday and ABC Wednesday
C is for Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis

Male Cardinal, December 25, 2014
Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Cardinals are frequently seen at bird feeders in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.  They were named for the red robes worn by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.  They raise their crest feathers when alarmed or defending their territory and lower them when they feel safe and relaxed. 

Female Cardinal, December 25, 2014

Both males and females sing all year, not just in the breeding season as some birds do.  The female lays three or four pale green eggs, spotted with red-brown, in a deep nest concealed in a bushy thicket.  Incubation takes 12 to 13 days. Two or three broods may be raised each year.

Update from last week:

Male, Belted Kingfisher, January 21, 2015

If you remember last Wednesday's post about the female Belted Kingfisher (Here she is),  you will be interested to know that I spotted a male near where I saw her.  In this photo you can clearly see his "belt."  I do hope that they are a mated pair and will be able raise a family in the Spring.

Have a beautiful day!

For more bird photos, visit Stewart for Wild Bird Wednesday:  Click Here!

For more photos featuring the letter C, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

Mushroom, January 26, 2015

January 21, 2015, Lee county, Mississippi, USA

I was walking the Natchez Trace trail near Tupelo, MS, when I spotted this huge mushroom.

Happy Monday!

For more macro photos, visit Macro Monday 2:  Click Here!

For more photos featuring Yellow, visit Monday Mellow Yellows:  Click Here!

Canada Geese, January 24, 2015

It was a quiet, peaceful afternoon until...

Tishomingo county, Mississippi, USA, January 20, 2015

the sentry sounded the alarm...

and they are off!

Across the lake to safety!

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more Camera Critters, Click Here!

For more Saturday's Critters,  Click Here!

For I'd Rather B Birdin'  Click Here!

Bay Springs Lock and Dam, January 22-23, 2015

Good Fences and Sky Watch Friday

Good Fences

Tishomingo county, Mississippi, USA, January 20, 2015

Taking advantage of the milder weather, my husband and I drove over into Tishomingo county to walk the nature trail at Bay Springs Lake on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

I thought this was a wonderful fence that added to the scenery, much better than the metal railings you see along many roads.

The paved walking trail wanders alongside the lake.  There was a lot of moss to add cheerful color to Winter's greys and browns.

These Canada Geese were the only water fowl we saw close enough to identify, but there were ducks far out on the lake.


Sky Watch Friday

Bay Springs Lock and Dam, January 20, 2015

The skies were mostly overcast, but we enjoyed walking the trail alongside the lake.

Have a beautiful day!

For more fence photos, visit Good Fences:  Click Here!

To check out the weather around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday:  Click Here!

Belted Kingfisher, January 21, 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday and ABC Wednesday
B is for the Belted Kingfisher

The Belted Kingfisher's range covers most of the United States and southern Canada. They can be identified by their bushy crest, dagger-like bill, and a belt of blue-grey feathers across their breasts.  They like to sit on tree limbs that project over water to watch for fish, their favorite food.  They also eat crabs, crayfish, lizards, mice, and insects.

I have identified this Belted Kingfisher as a female because of the chestnut color of her belly.  Males have white bellies.  No nesting in trees for this lady. She will lay five to eight white eggs in a tunnel dug deep into the bank of a stream or river. 

Lee county, Mississippi, USA, January 12, 2015

I was hoping she would turn around, so I could get a front view, but she saw something in the water, dived for it, and flew away.  I am going to keep looking for her to come back to fish in the same spot.  Maybe I'll get a better photo next time.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

For more bird photos, visit Stewart for Wild Bird Wednesday:  Click Here!

For more 'B' photos, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

Tag! You're It! January 17, 2015

Today is sunny and mild. Everyone is outside having fun!

January 17, 2015, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Tag! You're It!

Our dog and cat love to chase each other around the yard.

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

For more animal photos visit:

Camera Critters:  Click Here!
and
Saturday's Critters:  Click Here!

Savannah, Tennessee, January 15-16, 2015

Savannah, Tennessee, USA

Last Friday was sunny but cold, a beautiful day for a drive up to Savannah. We went to a shoe repair shop in this shopping center to get new heels put on a pair of boots. 

Whatever you need, you can find it here!

One of the most interesting stores is Country Home.  It was the goat milk products that caught my eye.  It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.  (Sorry the reflection in the window is rather distracting).

Have a wonderful day!

To check out the weather around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday:  Click Here!

For more interesting signs:  Click Here!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day January 2015

Northeast Mississippi, USA, zone 7

Buds on the Hellebores, Lenten Rose, January 14, 2015

No snow here yet, but we have had very cold temperatures.  On Thursday of last week the early morning temperature was 9F (-12C). The high that day was 27F (-3C).  When I made this photo yesterday, the temperature was just barely above freezing with partly cloudy skies.

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

 

To see what is blooming in gardens, greenhouses, and/or indoors around the world,

visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens:    Click Here!

 

 

Another Heron, January 13-14, 2015

ABC Wednesday and Wild Bird Wednesday

A is for another, an addition - more than the former number of things
After spotting a Great Blue Heron in a drainage ditch last week, I've been keeping a close eye on the ditches.  And it has paid off!  Another Great Blue Heron! A wonderful addition to my bird photos collection.

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias,Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 11, 2015

Isn't it shameful and disgusting that people throw out their trash along the roadsides?

Such a handsome guy! or a beautiful lady! (Males and females are almost indistinguishable in appearance).  

Have a wonderful day!

For more on the letter A, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit Wild Bird Wednesday:  Click Here!

Mushrooms and Murals, January 12, 2015

Macro Monday

December 21, 2014, Lee county, Mississippi, USA

December 21, 2014, Lee county, MS, USA

January 6, 2015, Prentiss county, MS, USA

I don't remember ever seeing a mushroom turn its cap up so completely as this one.  Up close like this, it looks like a monster from a horror movie, but it is actually a rather small mushroom.

Monday Murals


Mural on the south side of the Cherokee Town Hall near US Hwy 72, Cherokee, Alabama, USA

This mural was painted by 13 of Mrs. Burns art students at Cherokee High School in October 2012, depicting the Native American Indians (the Cherokees), the farming community (cotton), and the Tennessee River.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

For more macro photos, visit Macro Monday 2:  Click Here!

To see more murals, visit Monday Murals:  Click Here!

Mockingbird, January 10, 2015

Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos (many-tongued mimic)

They are outstanding mimics, able to copy many sounds (animal and mechanical) as well as other bird's songs.

Northern Mockingbird, January 5, 2015, Hardin county, Tennessee, USA

Hope you are having a beautiful week-end!

I am joining three memes today:

Camera Critters:  Click Here!
and
Saturday's Critters:  Click Here!
and
I'd Rather Be Birdin':  Click Here!

Pickwick Dam, January 8-9, 2015

Sky Watch Friday

January 5, 2015, Pickwick dam on the Tennessee River

After 3 days of rain, it was wonderful to be out in the sunshine. 

On the other side of this wall is the lock for boats to go up and down the river.

I was amazed to see a flock of gulls fishing in the turbulent water.

I was not close enough for a positive ID, but my bird book says Herring Gulls are the ones most often seen on inland waterways here in the southeastern United states. 

I really like the zoom capabilities of my new camera, a Canon PowerShot SX520 HS.  All three of the above photos were made from the same place on the riverbank.

Good Fences

Farther down the river where the water is calmer, there is a campground and boat ramp.  This heavy chain fence marks the river's edge. 

Beside the Tennessee River, January 5, 2015

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

To check the weather around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday: Click Here!

To see fences of all kinds, visit Good Fences:  Click Here!

Great Blue Heron, January 6-7, 2015

ABC Wednesday - Z is for zoology, the science or branch of biology dealing with animals. 
Great Blue Herons can be found near lakes, rivers and marshes.  They eat fish, frogs, small mammals and reptiles. They usually build their nests in trees (but sometimes on the ground) and lay 3 to 7 pale greenish-blue eggs.  Most Great Blue Herons that breed in the northern parts of the United States migrate to the southern states to spend the winter.  Other Great Blue Herons live in the southern states the entire year.

Today I'm also joining
Wild Bird Wednesday

Great Blue Heron, Tupelo, MS, USA, January 4, 2015

Last Sunday was cloudy with a cold wind blowing.  I didn't have much hope for a photo opportunity, but I put my camera in the car anyway. We were driving down a street in Tupelo when I spotted this Heron in a drainage ditch.  I made my husband stop the car right there in the street so I could get a few photos from the car window.

 

With its neck folded down and its shoulders hunched up against the wind, it didn't look any happier with the weather than I was.  There is some marshy land nearby that I would guess is its usual territory.

Hope you are having a great day!

For more bird photos, visit Stewart for Wild Bird Wednesday:  Click Here!

For more Z photos, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

Grass Seeds, January 5, 2015

December 21, 2014, on the Natchez Trace Parkway walking trail near Tupelo, MS, USA

Happy Monday!  Have a wonderful week!

For more photos featuring the color Yellow, visit Monday Mellow Yellows:  Click Here!

For more macro photos, visit Macro Monday 2:  Click Here!

Cattle Egrets, January 3, 2015

Lee county, Mississippi, USA, December 2, 2014

The Cattle Egret, bubulcus ibis, is a native of Africa that began showing up in the United States in the early 1950s. Cattle egrets have shorter legs and a more compact body than other egrets.  They follow cattle as they graze, eating insects the cattle disturb.  Besides grasshoppers and crickets, Cattle Egrets eat ticks, flies, spiders, earthworms, small fish, frogs and mice. 

Today I am joining two memes:

Camera Critters:  Click Here!

and

Saturday's Critters:  Click Here!

Hope you are having a wonderful week-end!

Sunny Days, January 1-2, 2015

Sky Watch Friday

Hay Field, Lee county, Mississippi, USA

We had several beautiful sunny days this week, but rain is in the forecast for this week-end.

 

Good Fences

Looking closer at the fence - four strands of barb wire on metal posts.
I wonder why the tips of the posts are white. Does anyone know?

Have a wonderful week-end!

To check out the weather around the world, visit Sky Watch Friday:  Click Here!

To see more photos of fences, visit Good Fences:  Click Here!