Photohunters: Empty and Water

 Empty

 Water

In the winter, the birds holler at me until I empty the ice out of the bird baths and give them fresh water.

The shots in this post are from last winter as it's too early to need to empty ice out yet.

Some of the birds peck at the ice blocks that collect when I empty the ice water out of the baths.

Click here for the empty photohunt and here for the water photohunt.

Nature Notes: It's beginning to feel like autumn

I may be weird but it's nice to have the weather getting chilly enough to wear a sweater inside.

I'm ready for fall and even winter this year.

We've had a lot of fluctuation in temperatures. Last night was in the low 40s F and today only got to  the mid 50s F.

Slowly but surely it's beginning to look like fall.

I like the mix and contrast in the trees below. Much of the green are the evergreens which don't change.

The dogwoods are a rainbow of colors as I look through the leaves.

I love how soft the male cardinals feathers are in the next shot. 

He's got a beak full of something below.

The berries on the porcelain vine are a popular treat.

The female cardinal is hunting in my gutters for food.

The mockingbird is all fluffed out.

The female cardinal's tail looks like a fan.

Click for the home of nature notes.

Today's Flowers: October

Hard to believe that October is already here.

These yellow wildflowers are still growing in the woods near my house.

The rest of the shots are from my yard this week.

The flowers above are fairy asters and the next two shots are lantana.

Our first frost is usually sometime at the end of October so the remaining flowers should be fine for a few weeks here.

Click for the home of Today's Flowers.

Photohunters: Hand and Kitchen

 Hand

 Kitchen

I took the shot below several years ago when my child was home giving me a hand in the kitchen.

In case you can't guess what was being prepared, it was a chocolate crèpe.

One more shot of my child's hand in the kitchen.

 

Click here for the hand photohunt, and here for the kitchen photohunt.

Nature Notes: End of September Beginning of October

We're having big swings in the temperature which is common in central NC.

It's also continuing to rain a great deal.

Still mostly green leaves although there are a few exceptions to that.

The stripes on the bee seem coordinated with the wildflowers.

The way the small trees fell in the next shot almost look like a frame for a wooden house.

I can't get over spotting a Great Egret at the creek near my house. I guess they heard from their relatives, the Great Blue Herons, that it was a good place to fish.

There's something especially appealing to me about reflections in puddles.

I am looking forward to the blaze of color than is around the corner on these walks.

It varies a lot from year to year but I don't expect most of these trees to change until much later in the month into November.

The North Carolina mountains change into their fall clothes long before we do in central NC.

We'll be heading to the mountains in a few weeks around peak leaf time there.

The next shot is the last one from the end of September.

The rest of the shots are from our very wet beginning of October.

The dogwoods are continuing to change colors well ahead of the other trees.

I like the red berries and how they brighten my yard even when its raining.

This morning was very foggy and the steam was rising up with a mist.

A single oak leaf has changed colors ahead of it's green siblings.

It was so foggy and steamy that I had to click fast as my lens was fogging up.

Click for the home of nature notes.