End of the Month View, March 31, 2015

At the end of each month I like to review what has been happening in my garden. Although March has been cold, I have a few flowers blooming.

Flowers and Shrubs

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

I've had lots of daffodil blooms in various combinations of yellow, orange, and white, but I think this one, Tahiti, is the prettiest.  

Flowering Almond

This Flowering Almond is full of tiny blooms.  My mother called these small shrubs Rosy Almond, and I think of her especially in the Spring when it is blooming.

Flowering Quince

Flowering Quince is another Spring blooming shrub.

This small tree is known as Tulip Magnolia or Saucer Magnolia. Many hybrids have been developed with bloom colors ranging from a deep, dark pink to a pale, cream color. 

Vegetables 
I did not plant a Fall/Winter vegetable garden, but I have started Spring planting.

With 40 onion bulbs I am planting 10 at a time with 2 weeks between each planting.  That will spread out the harvest so we will not have more onions than we can use at any one time.  Also I have potatoes chitting that will be ready to plant soon.

Happy Gardening!

For more End of the Month Views, visit Helen at The Patient Gardener's Weblog:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Old Barn, March 29, 2015

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

I noticed this old barn on the way home from the grocery store on Tuesday.  I had to stop and get a photo; it may not be standing much longer.  The sign says: Posted. No Trespassing, No Hunting.  I stopped the car beside the road and made the photo from the car window using my zoom lens.

Hope you have having a wonderful day!

For more of Straight Out of the Camera photos:  Click Here!

For more barn photos, visit Rose Street Reflections for The Barn Collective:  Click Here!

For more Weekly Top Shots visit The View From Right Here:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Sleepy Bee, March 28, 2015

Early one morning I noticed this bee drowsing on a daffodil; it must have slept there all night.

Have a beautiful week-end!

For more Camera Critters:  Click Here!

For more Saturday's Critters:  Click Here!


NOTE:  Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Trees are Blooming! March 26-27, 2015

Good Fences

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Spring is here!  The Ornamental Pear trees are beginning to bloom, but other (more prudent) trees are waiting awhile. The evergreen trees in the background are Pines.  This fence is at least twice as long as the section you see here, and looks good in all seasons.

Sky Watch Friday

Ornamental Pear trees, March 24, 2015, Booneville, Mississippi, USA

We have had beautiful sunny skies all week, with only a few clouds.

Have a Beautiful Day!

For more fence photos visit The Run-A-Round Ranch Report for Good Fences:  Click Here!

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

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Killdeer, March 25, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, and Wildflower Wednesday

Wild Bird Wednesday and
ABC Wednesday - K is for Killdeer, an American plover that has two black bands around the upper chest.

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, March 11, 2015

Killdeer are permanent residents across the southeastern United States.  Though they are considered shore birds, they are often found inland near lakes and ponds.  Their breeding range includes the entire United States and most of Canada. 

Killdeer eat beetles, grasshoppers, boll weevils, ants, caterpillars, dragonflies, spiders, snails, centipedes, ticks, and worms. If near shallow water, they may catch and eat small shellfish. They build their nests on the ground, and their young are capable of some independent activity as soon as they hatch. They can fly 25 days after hatching.

Their call is a shrill kill-dee, kill-dee or killdeer, killdeer.


Wildflower Wednesday

Spring Beauty, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, March 24, 2015

This tiny bit of perfection is the wildflower Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica. 
Happy Wildflower Wednesday!

Have a Wonderful Day!

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

For more photos of wild birds, visit Stewart for Wild Bird Wednesday:  Click Here!

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

NOTE:  Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Spring! March 23, 2015

Daffodils, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, March 19, 2015

 

Have a Beautiful Day!

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

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

And on Tuesday, visit Our World Tuesday:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, March 2015

Northeast Mississippi, US, zone 7
This past month has been rain, rain, and more rain, interrupted now and then by sleet and snow.  But the weatherman has promised sunshine for tomorrow!

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Almost all the daffodils are in full bloom.  I hope that I will have a few late-blooming ones to show for April.

I don't remember the name of these beauties.  Their stems are not as strong as the others, and the rain has bent them over.

Double Daffodils

This double Daffodil is commonly called 'Butter and Eggs.'  As you can see, the buds are really green, but they bloom out a rich buttery yellow.

Hellebores

We call these Hellebores 'Lenten Roses.'  As the season progresses their colors will fade but they will still be beautiful.

Tree buds

I believe this tree is a Red Maple.  I really need to learn more about the trees I have here.

Spirea shrub

The Spirea is going to burst into bloom at any minute!

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

To see what is blooming around the world, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Red-Tailed Hawk, March 14, 2015

Lee county, Mississippi, USA

I finally got a photo of a Red-Tailed Hawk that clearly shows his reddish-brown tail.  This tall dead tree is alongside the highway north of Tupelo.  It seems to be a favorite perch for hawks scanning the ground looking for their next meal.

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more Camera Critters:  Click Here!

For more Saturday's Critters:  Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

WBW - Mockingbirds, March 10-11, 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday, ABC Wednesday, and Outdoor Wednesday


Wild Bird Wednesday
Northern Mockingbird

February 24, 2015, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

The Northern Mockingbird's scientific name, Mimus polyglottos, means many-tongued mimic.  They are excellent imitators of other bird's songs.  Their range covers much of the United States and the extreme southeastern parts of Canada.

Northern Mockingbird

They can be found in residential areas, parks, and open country with thickets. For nesting they build a cup of sticks and weed stems in a bush or low tree.  They usually raise 2 or 3 broods per season.

 

They eat insects, worms, spiders, fruit, frogs, lizards, and small snakes.  You can attract Mockingbirds by planting berry-producing plants, providing water, and hanging suet feeders.


ABC Wednesday
I is for Inclement: cold, wet

I think inclement is too mild a term for last Thursday's sleet that covered the ground with a solid sheet of ice.  Businesses and schools were closed.  Thankfully it began to melt the next day.

Our dog loved it!  She would roll over on her back, wiggling back and forth to slide around on the ice.  It was so funny to watch!

Prentiss county, Mississippi, March 5, 2015
 

Outdoor Wednesday

Hardin county, Tennessee, USA

I saw this interesting bird house near the Tennessee River.

Have a wonderful day!

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

For more "I" photos, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

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


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Tree Following, March 2015

Lucy at Loose and Leafy has a great meme called Tree Following that opens on the 7th of each month.  The idea is to select one tree and take photos of it once a month, following it for a whole year as it goes through the seasons.  I am following a "Bradford" Ornamental Pear, Pyrus calleryana, that grows in my yard.

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, March 6, 2015

A native of China and Viet Nam, the Ornamental Pear was introduced into the United States to beautify city streets and parks with Spring blooms and Autumn leaf color.  Although they are resistant to disease, there is a problem - the branches are prone to break during storms.  Last year this one lost a section on the right side that left a large scar.  I am anxious to see how it survives this year.

Ornamental Pear fruit, January 2, 2015

The fruits are very small and hard.  However, after they are softened by frost, the birds feast on them.

Buds, March 6, 2015

February was very cold with snow and ice, but the buds seem to be okay.  I am hoping it will be in bloom for the April Tree Following post.

Have a beautiful day!

To see what trees others are following, visit Lucy at Loose and Leafy:  Click Here!


NOTE:  Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Sleet, March 5-6, 2015

March 5, 2015, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

We awoke Thursday morning to the sound of sleet hitting the windows.  This is the view from my front porch looking towards the road.  It looks like snow, but it is ice - very slippery!

Have a wonderful week-end!

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


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Hawks and Herons, March 4, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Water World Wednesday

Wild Bird Wednesday
ABC Wednesday - H is for Hawks

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, a windy day, February 5, 2015

The Red-Tailed Hawk is the most common and widespread American hawk, with a range that covers all of the United States and most of Canada.  We often see them perched on the power lines in the Winter.



When the Hawk saw me, he flew farther away from me to this bush at the edge of a field.
When it flew I could see the reddish-brown tail feathers that give it its name.

Small rodents are the Red-Tailed Hawk's main source of food. They watch the ground intently, ready to pounce on the smallest movement in the grass.



.

Its reddish-brown tail feathers are more noticeable in flight, but you can see the edges here.


Outdoor Wednesday and Water World Wednesday

March 2, 2015, Shiloh, Tennessee, USA

Monday was a cloudy day with intermittent rain - not a promising day for photography, but I always take my camera with me.  This Winter it seems that everywhere I look I find another Great Blue Heron.

Caught a fish!

I was surprised that this small pond had such a large fish in it.

Swallowed it whole!

You can see the bulge in its throat as the fish goes down.  Amazing!

Have a beautiful day!

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

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

For more outdoor photos, visit Outdoor Wednesday:  Click Here!

For more photos of water, visit Water World Wednesday:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.

Our Barn in the Snow, March 1, 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

The snow began Wednesday afternoon, a welcome change to our usual winter weather of sleet, freezing rain, and "wintery mix."  The snow began to melt on Friday, and today's rain washed away the last of it.

Have a great day!

To see more barns, visit Rose Street Reflections for The Barn Collective:  Click Here!

For more SOOC shots, visit Straight Out of the Camera Sunday:  Click Here!


NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.