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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Nature Notes: Shared Environment

For this week's nature notes I thought I'd post a variety of shots I've taken recently of some of the animals that share my home environment with me. Not inside my home but outside in my garden.
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I get so much pleasure out of being able to listen to and watch a variety of wildlife in my yard and on my deck. The female cardinal below isn't as easy to spot as the bright red male ones I photograph more often.
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It's amazing to me me how much life can be supported by a home garden. The butterfly weed below is coming up all over my yard. I planted some years ago and at this point it covers large sections of my garden and the bees and butterflies love it.
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The wilder my yard gets and the less I tend my garden the more animals it supports in some ways. I remind myself of that fact when I feel down about how I don't have the energy to garden in the same way I used to. The rofous-sided towhee below is one of the few birds whose call I recognize because it's very distinctive.
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The carolina wren are usually too fast for me to photograph but the one in the next three shots gave me a number of clear shots for a change.
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I never realized how light and what a solid color the wren's stomach is before.
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I'm so used to spotting them because of the stripe on their head and the darker brown on their backs and wings.
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I'm happy to start seeing a lot of butterflies or perhaps they are moths.
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Reading about how to identify the difference between moths and butterflies isn't helping me much.
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The catbird cracks me up for some reason. They are noisy much of the time. The one below was staying rather still for me to take its picture.
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I took a ton of shots of this robin. She really cracked me up the way she looked at the water.
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Then she (or maybe he) turned around and warned off a brown creeper who also wanted a bath.
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Finally she jumped in for a long luxurious soak all by herself.
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When she finally decided she's had a long enough bath she let the brown creeper have a turn.
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For other participants in nature notes, you can go to Rambling Woods. The official nature notes and signs of the season day is Thursday.

16 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

I love seeing all the wildlife you have! Wonderful!

Dee said...

Wow, quite a variety. But better yet was your commentary!

NicoleB said...

That is one beautiful collection!
It's great when one can share nature with it's original inhabitants and even make Life a bit easier for them!

Smalltown RN said...

Wow what a variety of birds you have visiting your yard...what a treat. You have captured them all so well. I haven't seen to many butterflies yet nor bees for that matter..which isn't a good thing as you know.

My climbing rose bush is starting to bloom and so I know June and summer is close at hand.

Thank you for sharing!

Cezar and Léia said...

Lucky Carver,
your "visitors"are fabulous, loved that squirrel!
I remembered you dear friend, this last weekend we were traveling again and I visited an Island in Constance ( Germany ) and there is a schmetterlingshaus ( house of many, several types of butterflies ), wonderful, just adorable!I know you would love to visit there!
hugs
Léia

Squirrel said...

I'm simply in awe of these photo's - they are wonderful!

Caron said...

I needed this. Seeing the personality of that robin and the quality of your photos made me smile. And I really like what you wrote.

Gel said...

Terrific assortment. I feel like I visited you. Such a treat to see and read your fascinating narrative! I liked the first robin photo; it looks so contemplative. Those butterflies, birds, bugs, and more. The towhee

mommanator said...

this is spectacular! You and your camera!

Crafty Green Poet said...

what wonderful photos, all of them!

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Tammie Lee said...

such a wonderful post of all your animal friends.

MyMaracas said...

You do indeed have a lot of wildlife just outside your door! Loved the story of the robin guarding her tub.

eileeninmd said...

Loved all the wonderful birds and wildlife in your yard. Great photos!

Rambling Woods said...

I think those are butterflies and they look familiar to me. I will have to try and look them up. If you ever want to know, you can upload a photo to BugGuide and people there love to ID insects and you get an answer in short order too...I love watching robins taking baths or getting wet to get mud for their nests...Michelle

AscenderRisesAbove said...

I love those bees knees with the butterfly. We don't have a lot of butterflys around here so little chance of getting a shot like that in these parts.
I came by to also look at your skin can cer links; off to dermatology myself in the next week or so.