End of The Month View April, 2017

Instead of showing all my garden, I am posting just a few photos of new additions.

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 26, 2017

Wouldn't this six-pack of red Salvia be pretty growing with the Hosta? But no it can't be. Hostas like shady places, and I will set out the Salvia in a sunny flower bed where it will be happier.

Another recent purchase, a six-pack of Moss Rose, Portulaca grandiflora, needs to be set out in a sunny spot, too.


Now for the absolute best thing I have purchased for my garden this month...

...a garden kneeler to help prevent back and knee pain. You can see how desperately I need it to pull all these weeds out from around my Turk's Cap, Malvaviscus.

And when it is turned over it becomes a seat. See I told you there was Turk's Cap back there!

Have a wonderful May!

For more End-of-the-Month views, visit The Patient Gardener: Click Here!

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The Barn Collective, April 30, 2017

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, April 22, 2017

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Your bird for today is...

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, March 9, 2017 

...the Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos (many-tongued mimic).

Have a blessed day!

For more barn photos, visit Tom for The Barn Collective: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Good Fences: Squirrel, April 27, 2017

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, April 11, 2017

An old fence in front of a retaining wall with just a glimpse of the Tennessee River

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Have a wonderful day!

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

I will be away for a few days at Camp Bluebird for Cancer Survivors.

Have a great week-end!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Wildflowers: Mayapples, April 26, 2017

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, April 3, 2017

Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, are wildflowers found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. They are woodland plants that multiply by underground rhizomes to form large colonies.

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, April 3, 2017

Though they bloom in April or May, the Mayapple fruit does not appear until in the Summer. Mayapples, generally considered to be poisonous, are grown as a ground cover and for their cute little flowers and umbrella-like foliage.

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 4, 2017

Please do not dig them up from their natural habitat. You can find them at garden centers that sell wildflowers. I bought these two plants last year, and I am delighted to see them again this Spring. I plan to buy more to create my own small woodland garden.

Happy Wildflower Wednesday!

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

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ABC Wednesday: Preening, April 26, 2017

ABC Wednesday and Wild Bird Wednesday
P is for Preening - A bird straightening or cleaning its feathers with its beak

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, March 30, 2017

European Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, are natives of Europe that have spread around the world.

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, April 7, 2017

Killdeers, Charadrius vociferous, are plovers that live in both North and South America.

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, March 30, 2017

Great Blue Herons, Ardea herodias, are large North American Herons. They sometimes winter as far south as the northern parts of South America.

Have a wonderful day!

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

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

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Clematis, April 24, 2017

Macro Monday 2 and Through My Lens

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 7, 2017

Clematis, a flowering vine that originated in China and Japan, has been extensively hybridized to produce a dazzling array of petal arrangements and colors.

The Housefly, Musca domestica, is a world-wide pest that spreads diseases. Swat those flies!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

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

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Through My Lens: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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The Barn Collective, April 23, 2017

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 8, 2017

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Your bird photo for today...

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 8, 2017

... a Hawk!

Have a Blessed Day!

For more barn photos, visit Tom for The Barn Collective: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Dragonfly, April 22, 2017

Saturday's Critters, Camera Critters, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 10, 2017

The Common Whitetail Skimmer, Plathemis lydia, is a dragonfly seen across much of North America. This is a male; the female has a brown body and a different wing pattern. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and other small flying insects.

Doesn't it cast a pretty shadow!

It knows how to use camouflage. If I had not seen it light there, I would have never noticed it.

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

For more Camera Critters: Click Here!

And on Sunday, please visit Shadow Shot Sunday 2: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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GF: Chipping Sparrow, April 20, 2017

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, April 11, 2017

Chipping Sparrow on a Split-Rail Fence
Click Here for an explanation of split-rail fence construction.

Chipping Sparrows, Spizella passerine, can be found all across the United States and in many parts of Canada. They sometimes winter as far south as Mexico.

Have a wonderful day!

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

And on Saturday, please visit Anni at I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Red-winged Blackbird, April 19, 2017

Guntown, Mississippi, USA, April 14, 2017

Red-winged Blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, can be found across most of North America.
The male is easily identified by its red shoulders and yellow wing bars.

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 23, 2016

The streaked brown female, looking like a large dark Sparrow, is less noticeable.
I am not 100% absolutely certain, but I think this is a female Red-winged Blackbird (on left)
with a juvenile.

During the breeding season the males aggressively defend their territories against predators and other male Blackbirds. Their primary food sources are insects in the Summer, and seeds and grain in the Winter.

Have a beautiful day!

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

For a variety of interesting photos, visit Wednesday Around The World: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Canada Geese, April 18, 2017

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, April 16, 2017

Papa Goose, Mama Goose and family...

... four goslings!

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

For a variety of interesting photos, visit Our World Tuesday: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Monday Mural: Crab, April 17, 2017

Booneville, Mississippi, USA, April 16, 2017

I found this mural depicting the Horseshoe Crabs of Delaware Bay on the side of a U-Haul rental truck. Did you know that the Crab's blood is blue?

To learn more about the Horseshoe Crab and why its blood is blue Click Here!

Have a wonderful week!

For more mural photos, visit Monday Mural: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Happy Easter, April 16, 2017

Rejoice Always!
I Thessalonians 5:16

I found this message on a Girlie Girl™ shirt.

Happy Easter!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, April 2017

Northeast Mississippi, USA zone 7

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA

Our Apple tree is attracting butterflies!

Black Locust tree

My Red Buckeye shrubs are blooming, and the seeds I planted last year are coming up!

The below freezing temperatures in March did not harm my double Clematis

Another Clematis vine

Oxalis

Geraniums on my front porch

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
and
Happy Easter!

To see what else is blooming, visit Carol for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Click Here!

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Sky Watch Friday, April 14, 2017

Sky Watch Friday, I'd Rather B Birdin', Saturday's Critters, and Camera Critters

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, April 11, 2017

We had cloudy skies all day Tuesday for our trip to Shiloh National Military Park. Can you see that black dot near the top of the tree on the right side?

It's a Bald Eagle!

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more weather-related photos, visit Sky Watch Friday: Click Here!

And on Saturday, visit Anni at I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

For a variety of animal photos, visit Saturday's Critters and Camera Critters

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Good Fences: Starling, April 13, 2017

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, March 30, 2017

Dead vines from last year will soon be replaced by new growth along this fence.

European Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, introduced in New York from Europe in 1890, are aggressive birds that compete with native North American birds for nesting sites and food.
But to their credit, they eat enormous quantities of insects.

Hope you are having a beautiful week!

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

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Great Blue Heron, April 12, 2017

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, March 30, 2017

Out of hundreds of Great Blue Heron photos that I have made, this one is my favorite!

Have a wonderful day!

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

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Crane Fly, April 10, 2017

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, April 7, 2017

Crane Fly on Daffodil

Have a wonderful week!

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

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

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Through My Lens: Click Here!

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

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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The Barn Collective, April 9, 2017

McNairy County, Tennessee, USA, April 3, 2017

As the trees begin to leaf out we have more shades of green than Crayola has colors!

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And now for your bird today...

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, April 3, 2017

...a Bald Eagle!

Have a blessed day!

For more barn photos, visit Tom for The Barn Collective: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Critters, April 8, 2017

Saturday's Critters, Camera Critters, and I'd Rather B Birdin'

Shiloh, Tennessee, USA, March 9, 2017

Squirrels are everywhere! This one was keeping an eye on me as it searched through the grass for something to eat.

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, April 3, 2017

And there are lots of Sparrows, too. This House Sparrow, fluffing and preening its feathers, made me smile!

I hope you have a beautiful week-end!

For more Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

For more Camera Critters: Click Here!

For more I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

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