B&W: Althea, June 30, 2018

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 17, 2018

Althea, Hibiscus syriacus, aka Rose of Sharon

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more black and white photos, visit The Weekend in Black and White: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Willy Nilly Friday, June 29, 2018

Willy Nilly Friday 5, Sky Watch Friday, Floral Friday Fotos, and Weekend Reflections
and on Saturday, Saturday's Critters

1. Full Moon Rising (Sky Watch Friday)

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, June 26 2018

The moon was rising in the east just as the setting sun cast a final glow on the clouds.

It is times like this that I think of getting a more sophisticated camera for better photos, but the weight of the larger cameras stops me from buying one. (I use a Canon PowerShot SX520 HS)

2. Good Food!

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 20, 2018

Santa Fe Tilapia at O'Charley's Restaurant: grilled tilapia filet (with pico de gallo) on a bed of rice pilaf with steamed broccoli. A bit spicy, but eating their wonderful home-made rolls will help cool down your mouth!

And for dessert - Apple Pie! (Wednesday's special at O'Charley's is a free piece of pie).

3. Phlox (Floral Friday Fotos)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 27, 2018

Phlox is a genus of 67 species found mostly in North America. I am not sure which one I have here in my garden. Phlox flowers may be light blue, violet, red, pink, or white. Butterflies enjoy their nectar. They are also a popular food source for groundhogs, rabbits, and deer.

4. A Gardener's Friend (Saturday's Critters)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 19, 2018

Toads will eat many insects and other pests found in your garden. They prefer a moist environment where they can find insects, earthworms, slugs, and snails. To make Toads feel at home in your garden, provide a source of water, do not use insecticides or pesticides, and leave an area of leaf litter with small sticks and other debris to give them a place to hibernate in the Winter. You will be glad you did!

5. After the Rain (Weekend Reflections)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 21, 2018

Delicious rain water!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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

For flower photos, visit Floral Friday Fotos: Click Here!

For reflections, visit Weekend Reflections: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Willy Nilly Friday 5: Click Here!

And on Saturday
For animal photos, please visit Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Cows, June 28, 2018

Thankful Thursday and Little Things Thursday

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, June 26, 2018

Today I am thankful for shade trees! And my neighbor's cows are thankful, too! I was an adult before we had air conditioning, and I still remember when the best relief from the heat was a good shade tree. I have wonderful memories of those childhood days, but my goodness, the Summers were hot!

Today's high is predicted to be 96F (35C). At 8:20am, it is already 80F with 85% humidity.
And yes, today I am thankful for air conditioning!

Have a blessed day!

Let us know what you are thankful for, visit Thankful Thursday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Little Things Thursday: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Thistle, June 27, 2018

The fourth Wednesday of each month is Wildflower Wednesday!

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, May 13, 2018

Thistle is the common name of a group of plants with sharp prickles on their leaves. This is Cirsium vulgare commonly called Bull Thistle or Spear Thistle, and it is widespread across North America

Though they are considered invasive weeds in pastures, they do provide nectar for bees and butterflies. And their seeds are favorites of Goldfinches, who also use the soft fibers of the spent flowers to line their nests. Note: Niger seeds that you buy for your bird feeders are not Thistle seeds. Niger is an entirely different plant

The Thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. As the tale is told, in 1263 a barefoot soldier from an invading army stepped on a thistle and cried out in pain, thus alerting the Scottish army that the enemy was near.

Hope you are having a great week!

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

For an interesting variety of photos, visit All Seasons: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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American Goldfinch, June 27, 2018

Wild Bird Wednesday, Wednesday Around The World
And on Saturday, I'd Rather B Birdin'

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 17, 2018

The American Goldfinch, Spinus trisits, is a strict vegetarian, eating seeds only. They nest later in the year than many other birds so that seeds are plentiful to feed their young ones. They can be found year-round in the mid-section of the United States. In the Spring some Goldfinch flocks migrate to southern Canada to breed and raise their young. Then they return to the southern United States and Mexico for the Winter. Here in north Mississippi, they stay with us all year.

Have a wonderful day!

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

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Wednesday 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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Elvis on Main Street, June 25, 2018

Monday Mural, Through My Lens, and Our World Tuesday

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 17, 2018

This mural is across the street from Tupelo Hardware where Elvis got his first guitar. The artist is ARCY (Ryan Christenson)

Have a wonderful week!

For more mural photos, visit Monday Mural: 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, June 24, 2018

The Barn Collective

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 21, 2018

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A wider view of the area
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Your birds for today are...

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, June 13, 2018

a male House Sparrow, Passer domesticus

and a female House Sparrow.

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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B&W: Dragonfly, June 23, 2018

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 9, 2018

A male Common Whitetail Dragonfly, Plathemis lydia

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more black and white photos, visit The Weekend in Black and White: Click Here!

For more animal photos, visit Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Willy Nilly Friday, June 22, 2018

Willy Nilly Friday 5, Sky Watch Friday,
and on Saturday, Saturday's Critters and I'd Rather B Birdin'

1. Summer Solstice (Sky Watch Friday)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 21, 2018

We woke up yesterday morning to a strong thunderstorm giving us 2 ½ inches (6cm) of rain. I thought, 'That's no way to officially start Summer,' but by noon the sun was shining!

2. Good Food!

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 11, 2018

Chicken Crispers at Chili's Grill Restaurant: fried chicken with honey-mustard dipping sauce, corn on the cob, and French-fried potatoes. Delicious! (and I had left-over chicken to take home).

3. Farming

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, June 11, 2018

Here it comes!
I like living in farming country, but meeting the farming equipment on the road is a bit scary.

And there it goes!
I was glad I was near a church parking lot so I could pull off the road to let it pass.

4. Leopard Moth (Saturday's Critters)

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 8, 2018

I found this Giant Leopard Moth, Hypercompe scribonia, on the Elephant Ear plant at the end of my front porch. I think this is a female; the males are larger. The caterpillar is a black 'wooly-bear' type with narrow red bands. I am still looking to find one of them!

5. Red-headed Woodpecker (I'd Rather B Birdin')

Bruton Branch, Tennessee, USA, May 11, 2018

The numbers of Red-headed Woodpeckers, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, are in a slow but steady decline as more forests are destroyed each year. They need old forests with dead trees to drill out their nesting cavities. They eat seeds, nuts, fruits, and insects. You can attract Woodpeckers by hanging suet blocks that have seeds mixed in.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Willy Nilly Friday 5: Click Here!

And on Saturday,
For more animal photos, visit Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

For more bird photos, visit I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Thankful: Blueberries, June 21, 2018

Thankful Thursday and Little Things Thursday

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 19, 2018

Today I am thankful for my friend Jan, and thankful for her Blueberries - a double blessing!

She invited me to come to her house to pick all the Blueberries I wanted. The three of us (my husband helped, too) spent about an hour picking them early Tuesday morning.

And I came home with three buckets of Blueberries! (what we call ice cream buckets, if you know what size that is). We are eating some of them as fresh berries, but most of them are now in my freezer, measured out in small packs as needed for my recipes. Thankful for my friend Jan!

Here is the fruit tart recipe that I use. You can use any kind of fresh fruit: Click Here!

Have a blessed day!

Let us know what you are thankful for, visit Thankful Thursday: Click Here!

For an interesting variety of photos, visit Little Things Thursday: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Green Heron, June 20, 2018

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, May 13, 2018

Green Herons, Butorides virescens, have a breeding range that covers most of the eastern half of the United States. In addition, there are breeding populations in northern California, Oregon and Washington State. They may be seen during migration in other parts of North America.

Green Herons are smaller than most other herons, and are easily overlooked when they keep their necks folded close to their bodies. But they look twice as tall with their necks extended!

Look for them standing along the edges of streams, ponds, lakes, marshes, and other bodies of shallow water. They eat small fish, crustaceans, snails, insects, and spiders.

Have a wonderful day!

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

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

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

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Elvis in the Alley, June 18, 2018

Monday Mural, Through My Lens, and Our World Tuesday

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, June 17, 2018

I found Elvis in the alley next to Kermit's Outlaw Kitchen in downtown Tupelo!

The artist who painted this 'Jailhouse Rock' mural is Kit Stafford, a local art teacher.

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Have a wonderful week!

For more murals, visit Monday Mural: 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, June 17, 2018

The Barn Collective and All Seasons

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 14, 2018

I have gotten used to the birds hiding from me when I have camera in hand, but now the cows are doing it, too!
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Your bird for today is...

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, June 13, 2018

a member of the Plover family of birds, the Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus.

Have a Blessed Day!

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

For an interesting variety of photos, visit All Seasons: Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Birds and Other Critters, June 16, 2018

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

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 14, 2018

Katydid on my Purple Coneflower

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 12, 2018

I am finding Grasshoppers on my Strawberry plants. I think they are just nibbling a little bit on the leaves. I have not seen any damage to the berries yet. It looks much bigger here than it was!

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, June 13, 2018

I had only a brief glance at the underside of the wings, but I am pretty sure this is a Red-spotted Admiral Butterfly.

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, May 30, 2018

A male Indigo Bunting at one of my sunflower seed feeders.

The female Indigo Bunting is a brownish bird that I have probably seen, but did not recognize. I read somewhere recently that the reason many female birds are less colorful than the males is that drab coloring gives them better camouflage while sitting on their nests, and thus more protection from predators.

Have a wonderful weekend!

For more critters, visit Eileen for Saturday's Critters: Click Here!

For more birds, visit Anni at I'd Rather B Birdin': Click Here!

NOTE: Please do not use my photos without my permission.
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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day June 2018

In the northeast corner of Mississippi, USA zone 7

Purple Coneflower 'Pow Wow Wild Berry'

Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa

Hydrangea

White Bleeding Heart Vine, Clerodendrum thomsoniae, is hardy in USDA zones 8 - 11.

I grow it in a flower pot so I can take in indoors in the Winter here in zone 7.

Peace Lily - Also grown in a pot so it can go indoors in cold weather.

Day Lily

My Butterfly Bush, Buddleia, was slow to form buds but it is blooming steadily now.

The dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Soda Pop White' that I bought last year is just beginning to bloom.

My Japanese Magnolia has blooms in its topmost branches. I have heard this small tree referred to as Tulip Magnolia and Saucer Magnolia. I have had it so long, I have forgotten exactly what the plant tag said.

For foliage as pretty as a flower: Strobilanthes, an easy-to-grow annual for part sun / part shade.

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

To see gardens around the world, visit Carol for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Click Here!

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