Surprise Visitors, May 14, 2016

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

Saturday's Critters and Camera Critters

Toad with Marigolds, Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA

I bought four six-packs of Marigolds and just set them down on my porch temporarily. I had a surprise visitor before I found time to plant them!

I'd Rather B Birdin'
Another surprise visitor to our area

Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA, May 11, 2016

The Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, can be found in rivers and lakes, and along coastlines. They are experts at diving to catch small fish. They are migratory birds, and this one is probably on its way north to their breeding grounds. The double-crest will appear with its breeding plumage. (This may be a female or a juvenile).

Have a beautiful week-end!

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Friday's Hunt, January 8, 2016

Sky Watch Friday, Floral Friday Fotos, and Friday's Hunt

Sky Watch Friday

Tennessee River, Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, USA, January 4, 2016

Our weather this week has been mostly cloudy, with brief periods of sunshine. Temperatures were below freezing at night; days were cool and windy.

Floral Friday Fotos

Oxalis, Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, December 6, 2015

Oxalis blooms are very small, but what they lack in size they make up for in hardiness, blooming almost non-stop.

Friday's Hunt
The prompts for the Friday's Hunt this week are:
Starts with B, Week's Favorite, and Outside

Starts with B
Booneville, Mississippi, USA

Student Services Building, Northeast Mississippi Community College, Booneville, MS, USA

Booneville, located in the northeastern corner of Mississippi, has a population of about 10,000 people. The Community College, a two-year institution, was established in 1948. Students are trained in health sciences (nursing, etc.) and various technological fields, or they may take a wide variety of classes (math, history, literature, etc.) to transfer to a four-year college.

The Rails and Trails Museum occupies the old train depot built in 1913. It houses an extensive collection of historic records and artifacts.

Vietnam memorial, Booneville, Mississippi, USA

This 1967 Huey helicopter on the courthouse lawn is in honor of and a memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War.

Week's Favorite

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, January 6, 2016

Good thing this calf has on its winter coat as temperatures are dropping below freezing at night. (Yes, it does have shelter from the wind and rain, and has plenty of hay to eat).

Outside

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA, January 7, 2016

With this week's dreary weather I knew that to get an interesting outside photo I would need to include animals. The Canada Geese at Ballard Park posed beautifully for me!

Happy Friday!

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

For more photos of flowers, visit Floral Friday Fotos: Click Here!

For a variety of interesting photos, visit Friday's Hunt: Click Here!

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

Great Blue Herons, December 12, 2015

I'd Rather B Birdin', The Barn Collective, Camera Critters, Saturday's Critters, and
Saturday Silhouettes

I'd Rather B Birdin'

Pickwick, Tennessee, USA, December 7, 2015

If you visit my blog often, you already know that the Great Blue Herons are my favorite birds (until the Hummingbirds return in the Spring!).

I set my camera for continuous shooting whenever I am photographing birds. I get a lot of duplicate photos, but occasionally I get an action series like this.

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I think this is a female Great Blue Heron; the males are already putting on their breeding plumage.

The Barn Collective, Camera Critters, and Saturday's Critters

Tishomingo County, Mississippi, USA, December 7, 2015

I had noticed this well-kept farm before, but we were always in a hurry to get somewhere. Then this past Monday we had extra time and no traffic on the road, so I was able to stop and get a photo.

There are several donkeys in the pasture with the cows to raise the alarm if coyotes come near. I have no personal experience with donkeys, but people say donkeys bray loud enough to scare predators away, and will kick like the devil if they get within range.

Saturday Silhouettes

Itawamba County, Mississippi, USA, November 25, 2015

Replicas of Christopher Columbus' ships, the Pinta and the Nina, made a stop at Mid-Way Marina on their way to the Gulf Coast.

 

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by."

John Edward Masefield, English poet and Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967.

Hope you are having a wonderful week-end!

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

Four Horses Barn, December 5-6, 2015

Camera Critters, Saturday's Critters, and The Barn Collective

Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA, December 3, 2015

Now that the cold weather is here, our neighbor's horses are staying closer to the barn.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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

Cicadas, May 23, 2015

Cicada on Thistle, Prentiss county, Mississippi, USA

When Cicadas emerge from the ground they climb the nearest thing to shed their shells, but I was surprised to see one on a thorny thistle plant.

Cicada shells on Crepe Myrtle leaves

We have hundreds of the 13-year Cicadas this year. Their mating calls are loud and continuous. Very annoying, but it is only for a few weeks.

Have a great week-end!

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NOTE: Do not use my photos without my permission.

Sky Watch Friday, May 22, 2015

Lee County, Mississippi, USA, May 21, 2015

I'm sure these cows thought Summer had arrived (I thought so, too), but this week's rain brought in cooler temperatures.  We've had to turn the heat back on at night.

Happy Sky Watch Friday!

 

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


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

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!

Birds and Bees and Turtles, December 30-31, 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday, ABC Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Wild Turkeys, December 25, 2014, Prentiss county, Mississippi

We often see wild turkeys in the fields after the crops are harvested.  Turkey hunting is popular with bow and arrow enthusiasts during the 6 week Spring hunting season and a 4 week season in the Autumn.  The Mississippi Department of Wildlife estimates our state's wild turkey population to be 250,000 birds.


ABC Wednesday
Y is for Yellow Jacket

Yellow Jacket on the side of my car, November 28, 2014

We think of Yellow Jackets as bees, but actually they are wasps.  I was very surprised to see this one so late in the year, as they are a lot more common during the warm weather months. Their sting is painful, but not dangerous except to people who are allergic. 


Outdoor Wednesday

Pond at Old Town Overlook, Natchez Trace Parkway near Tupelo, MS, USA

The weather on Christmas Day was so nice that turtles came out to sun themselves, giving me a great opportunity to use my new camera: a Canon PowerShot SX520 HS.

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

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

 

For more photos featuring Y, visit ABC Wednesday:  Click Here!

 

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

 

 





Squirrel, December 20, 2014

A raccoon tore the top off the bird feeder, making it easy for the squirrels to reach right in
and help themselves!

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more animal photos, visit Camera Critters:  Click Here!

And join Eileen for Saturday's Critters:  Click Here!

Wordless? You Must Be Joking! November 5, 2014

Booneville, Mississippi, City Park, October 24, 2014

For more Wordless Wednesday photos:  Click Here!

For more Outdoor Wednesday photos:  Click Here!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day June 2014

Mississippi, USA, zone 7

Day Lily
 

I have had very little time and no energy for gardening this year,
but I'm enjoying plants that require very little care like these Day Lilies.

Peahen

I had an unusual visitor on Thursday - a peahen!
None of our neighbors have peacocks, so it is a mystery where she came from (and went to).
She came right up to the porch, checking my potted plants for insects, I suppose.
The red and white bloom is a bleeding heart. The blue "bloom" is artificial.
In the top left corner is a peace lily (white blooms).

I've had two chemo treatments and there are two more to come. Thanks for your prayers.

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

Rabbit, January 11, 2014

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

I was very surprised to see a rabbit at the bird feeders near the house on Tuesday.
We sometimes see them at dawn or dusk at the edge of the woods, but this sighting
was near noon. I guess the very cold weather made it hungrier and bolder.

Have a wonderful week-end!

To see more animal photos, visit Camera Critters: Click Here!

For this week's best photos, visit Weekly Top Shot: Click Here!



Monarch Butterfly November 2, 2013

Monarch on Butterfly Bush, Straight Out of the Camera

October 26, 2013

This is the only Monarch I've seen this year
It stayed only a few hours before going on farther south.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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

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End of the Month View August 31, 2013

Trees and Shrubs:

Big Jay in the Pear Tree

Big Jay has decided that it is his job to protect the pears from the birds and squirrels.
But don't worry - he is too fat and lazy to actually catch anything.

Rose of Sharon

The Rose of Sharon shrubs continue to bloom well despite the Summer's heat.

Swallowtail Butterfly on Butterfly Bush

The Butterfly Bush is the most popular spot in the garden.

Vegetables:

My okra is growing so tall I can barely reach it.

We have two kinds of okra: 'Clemson Spineless' and 'Cow Horn'

Sweet Cayenne Pepper

The Sweet Cayenne peppers are out-producing the Jalapeno peppers.

'Improved Taylor' Beans

I first planted 'Improved Taylor' beans early in May and harvested in July.
This is my second crop, planted in mid-July.

'Super Fantastic' Tomatoes

The tomato vines are looking a bit ragged, but are still making tomatoes.
However, the tomatoes are not as large as they were in July.

Flowers:

Mums

It seems too early for Chrysanthemums to be blooming, but the buds are beginning to open.

'Homestead Purple' Verbena

I've been very pleased with this hardy Verbena I bought in the Spring.
It has really spread out and bloomed all Summer.

Encore Azalea

I'm excited to see that the Encore Azalea is blooming again!

Have a wonderful week-end!

For more Animal photos, visit Camera Critters: Click Here!

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We Have Figs! August 20-21, 2013

This post is for ABC Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday
F is for Figs

For a few weeks our trees produce enough figs for us to have some to eat every day

Figs, Ficus carica, natives of the Middle East and Western Asia, are now grown in many countries.

Outdoor Wednesday

Figs are also loved by wild animals like this raccoon that raided the tree last year.

According to Wikipedia, figs were one of the first cultivated crops.
To read article Click Here

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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Swallowtail Butterfly July 28, 2013

Swallowtail Butterfly on Buddleia, Butterfly Bush

Canon PowerShot G9, July 25, 2013, 9:41 am

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Have a beautiful day!.

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To start your week right on Monday, visit Monday Mellow Yellows:  Click Here!

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Butterfly Bush July 27, 2013

I went outside to prune off the spent flowers from the Butterfly Bush.

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And ran back inside to get my camera!

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We have not seen many butterflies this year.
So it was thrilling to see a half dozen Swallowtails all at once.

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Easy to see why Buddleia is called Butterfly Bush!

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Have a wonderful week-end!

For more beautiful flower photos, visit Today's Flowers:  Click Here!

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