Rattlesnake Saloon, June 30, 2015

Rattlesnake Saloon, Colbert county, Alabama, USA, June 26, 2015

The Rattlesnake Saloon is a unique family-style restaurant built in the mouth of a cave near Tuscumbia, Alabama (1292 Mt. Mills Road).  If you don't like the idea of eating in a cave, there is an indoor dining room available.  The food is delicious - a dozen or so different sandwiches with chips, fries, onion rings, or potato salad. Beverages are soft drinks, tea or coffee; beer is available after 5:00pm. Oh, I almost forgot the appetizers.  We tried the 'snake eyes and tails' - fried sliced jalapeno peppers and fried green beans.  Yummy!

There is a short (but steep) walkway from the parking lot down to the restaurant, or you can take the free 'Saloon Taxi' down the hill and back up again.

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

To see photos of a lot of interesting places, visit Our World Tuesday:  Click Here!

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Wildflower, June 29, 2015

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, June 25, 2015

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Have a Wonderful Week!

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Vultures for Saturday Silhouettes, June 27, 2015

Turkey Vultures, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, June 8, 2015

Two vultures got into a dispute over who gets to sit at the very top of a dead tree. The third vulture looks like he is about to fly away and leave them to it.

I don't usually post twice on the same day, but Nick has a brand new meme, Saturday Silhouettes, and I wanted to get in on the ground floor, so to speak.

Have a great week-end!

For more Silhouettes, visit NixPixMix:  Click Here!

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June Bugs, June 27, 2015

June Bugs, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, June 25, 2015

Wikipedia describes June Bugs as New World Scarab Beetles, and adds that there are over 260 species.  They are very common here in the southeastern United States.  I don't know why they often have one leg stretched straight out. 

The plant they are eating is Wisteria (it will recover magnificently - nothing kills Wisteria here).

Have a wonderful week-end!

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Milkweed Rescue, June 26, 2015

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, June 25, 2015

On Tuesday we went to lunch at a local diner, and on the way back home we saw the highway department mowing machines slowly moving along our road.  Near our house a milkweed was blooming in the road ditch.  We knew we had to act fast!  When we got home, we grabbed a shovel and a bucket and walked to where the milkweed was growing. We dug it up (with as much dirt as possible) and toted it home just in time!  We found a sunny spot in our yard, set it out, and watered it well.  I'm not sure exactly which milkweed/butterfly weed it is - it really doesn't matter.  I am just hoping it will survive being dug up and transplanted while in full bloom.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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Wild Birds and Wildflowers, June 24, 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday, Wildflower Wednesday, and Wednesday Waters

Wild Bird Wednesday

Great Blue Heron, Lee county, Mississippi, USA

I enjoy watching and photographing Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias).  They are such beautiful, elegant, graceful birds.  Their large size means they are easy to see and easy to focus the camera on, and they stand completely still for minutes at a time.   So much easier to photograph than all those small birds that constantly flit around!

Wildflower Wednesday

Butterweed, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, April 27, 2015

Butterweed, Packera glabella, is a tall (knee-high or more) wildflower that grows in much of the eastern United States.  It prefers wet soil and lots of sun.

It blooms from Spring to mid-Summer (April/May here in Mississippi). An identifying characteristic is its hollow stem.

Small bees and flies visit for nectar and pollen.  The plant itself is poisonous, causing liver damage.  Deer, rabbits, and other wild animals seem to know to avoid it, but it has been reported to cause poisoning in domestic livestock that eat it.

Wednesday Waters

Tennessee River in northwest Alabama, USA, June 14, 2015

Have a beautiful day!

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

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Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly, June 20, 2015

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, June 18, 2015

I think this is Limenitis arthemis astyanax  Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly.

It was enjoying the Butterfly Bush Buddleia at my house on Thursday morning.

Most of the red spots are on the undersides of the wings. The top sides are a deep purple with shades of blue around the edges.  So pretty!

Have a wonderful week-end!

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Baling Hay, June 19, 2015

Lee county, Mississippi, USA, June 17, 2015



Storm clouds began to move into our area Wednesday afternoon, and the farmers had to rush to get their already cut hay baled before the rain.

After the hay is cut it is left in the fields to dry in the sun.  An instrument to measure moisture content may be used to tell the farmer when the hay is dry enough to bale. Then the dry hay is raked into rows.

The baler follows the rake to gather up and compress the hay into round bales, and it wraps the bales in plastic.  The plastic will protect the hay bales from the rain.  The bales may be sold straight from the field or moved into storage to be sold later.

Happy Sky Watch Friday!

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

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Birds on Fences, June 18, 2015

Robin on chain-link fence, Booneville, Mississippi, USA

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Mockingbird on barb-wire fence post, Lee county, Mississippi, USA

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Eastern Kingbird on weathered board fence near Tennessee River in northwest Alabama, USA

Good fences are even better with birds sitting on them!

Have a great day!

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Eastern Kingbird, June 17, 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday, ABC Wednesday, Signs, and Wednesday Waters

Wild Bird Wednesday

Eastern Kingbird, Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, June 1, 2015

The Eastern Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, winters in the tropics and migrates north to breed in the United States and southern Canada.  They are aggressive in defending their nests, even driving away larger birds such as hawks.

Eastern Kingbird on fence near Tennessee River in northwestern Alabama, USA, June 14, 2015

Kingbirds belong to the Flycatcher family, and their primary source of food is flying insects.

ABC Wednesday
W is for Wings

Turkey Vulture, June 8, 2015, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

Turkey Vultures (aka Buzzards) are ugly in the face, but aren't their wings impressive? 
I spotted this one right after a rain.  He held this pose for a few minutes as if he was drying his wings.

Signs, Signs

Eagle nesting area, Shiloh, Tennessee, USA

About once a month we visit the Bald Eagle nest at Shiloh.  The area is fenced off to protect the eagles, but with a zoom lens it is possible to get photographs.

Young Bald Eagle, June 1, 2015

When we were there in May, this young eagle was still in the nest. On our June visit, it was on a limb below the nest.  The eagle parents will continue to feed the young eagle as they teach it to catch its own food (fish).  It will be several years before it has the characteristic white head feathers of a mature eagle.

Wednesday Waters

June 14, 2015

Natchez Trace Parkway bridge across the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama.

Have a Great Day!

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, June 2015

Northeast Mississippi, USA zone 7

Basswood Tree (American Linden)

Gardenia

Day Lily

Hydrangea

Monkey Faces (Mimulus)

Bleeding Heart

Unknown tall shrub or small tree.  Can someone help with ID?

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

For more on Bloom Day, visit Carol at May Dreams Garden: Click Here!


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Critters: Frog, June 13, 2015

Lee county, Mississippi, USA

I could not make a positive ID, but I'm sure this is a rare and seldom-seen kind of frog!

Great Blue Heron, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 6, 2015

I did see some more common critters this week, like this Great Blue Heron that was trying to hide from my camera.

Canada Goose, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 6, 2015

This Canada Goose was not shy at all.  Many of the Canada Geese we see here have settled down and do not migrate.

Hope you are having a great week-end!

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Elvis Fest, June 12, 2015

June 6, 2015, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA



Last week-end we went to the Elvis Presley Festival in Tupelo. The weather was warm, but not too hot.  The tree blooming in the background is a Magnolia tree.  It is Mississippi's state tree, and if you are in Mississippi in early summer you will see lots of them in bloom.

We had partly cloudy skies with a light breeze that helped us stay cool.

I'm sorry I forgot to go back downtown at night to see the music notes lit up. But look at that beautiful blue sky!

Unidentified visitors at the Elvis Presley Festival

No matter what time of the year you visit Tupelo, be sure to go to Fair Park and get a friend to make your picture with the King of Rock and Roll!

Have a Wonderful Week-end!

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

Eastern Blubird, June 10, 2015

ABC Wednesday, Wild Bird Wednesday, and Signs Signs

ABC Wednesday
V is for View - to see or watch something

Elvis Presley Festival Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 6, 2015

We had a good view of the outdoor concert from a roof-top restaurant across the street.

Wild Bird Wednesday

Eastern Bluebird, Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, June 1, 2015

Eastern Bluebirds live in open woodlands and farmlands in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. The northern birds migrate south for the winter. Their numbers have been declining in recent years. The reason may be due to competition for nesting sites by European Starlings and House Sparrows. Bluebirds will nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes, and in bird boxes made especially for them.

Signs, Signs

Alabama Cattlemen's Association

I saw this sign on the back of a vehicle in Shiloh, Tennessee.

Have a wonderful day!

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Day Lily, June 8, 2015

Day Lily, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, June 6, 2015

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Have a Great Week!

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Tree Following, June 2015

Tree Following is a fun meme hosted by Lucy at Loose and Leafy. It is simple: choose a tree, photograph it once a month, and post photos. 

The tree I am following is a large Ornamental Pear that grows beside my driveway.  Notice that we have sunny skies after weeks of rain!

Looking under the low hanging limbs we can see the structure of the tree: numerous limbs branching off from the trunk near the base.  This growth habit makes it more likely to break during storms.

The bark is rough with fissures, and the Woodpeckers have drilled a lot of holes looking for insects.

13-Year Cicada, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, in the Ornamental Pear Tree

This is the year for the 13-year Cicadas. They have taken up residence in the tree, and their mating calls are loud and seem never-ending.  But soon the Cicadas will lay their eggs and be gone for another 13 years.

Have a beautiful day!

For more on Tree Following, visit Lucy at Loose and Leafy:  Click Here!

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