Nature Notes: Wet and Green

With all the rain we've had this spring, I could use a bush axe to blaze a trail through parts of my backyard.

The bird on the left in the shot below is a female cardinal but I'm not sure if the one on the right is also a female cardinal.

The next shot is still in my backyard but closer to the deck and there is at least a path to move around unless a blackberry vine bites me.

The rufous-sided towhee stayed very still in my mulberry tree while I snapped a bunch of shots.

My hydrangea bushes are budding out nicely and growing like crazy.

I spotted the first blossom on my blackberry vines for this season.

I finally got a shot of the carolina wren. I always hear them but they move so fast it can be hard to photograph them.

I've started getting a lot of shots of the bluebirds this season.

They are such beautiful birds.

I love to watch them flying around but like many of the birds, I have the most luck with bath photography.

I have a ton of Queen Anne's Lace which I enjoy.

The hydrangeas are getting more color each day.

I don't know what kind of insect that is on the next Queen Anne's Lace shot.

It's interesting to me how much gray I see in wet male cardinal feathers while they appear mostly red in the trees.

My butterfly weed is starting to get some color in its buds.

Next is another shot showing off the variety of feathers in a wet male cardinal.

He has the funniest look below.

It's nice seeing the rushing water at Lassiter Mill Park.

I love how green everything is which is the reward for rain part of most days lately.

I think the American Robin below is a contortionist.

Next he's drip drying.

Then I am getting the "don't mess with me" stare.

Lastly I'm being ignored because the bath is too much fun to bother with the annoying human.

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