I don't think I can remember a greener spring.
Although we had some very hot days before cooling off again, the amount of rain we've been having has kept everything looking good.
The photos are going backwards starting with today (May 8) and ending with May 2. Below the male cardinal is flamboyant against the trees.
I'm starting with a wooded trail in my neighborhood where I walked before voting today.
My voting place is at the Optimist Community Center a short distance from my house and there is a park, swimming pool and trail.
I'm glad the machine took my ballot because I dripped sweat on it.
It was a cool pleasant morning, even so, by the time I finished my walk I was sweating and know I looked rather red faced and scary when I went into the building to vote.
I guess that would qualify as too much information, but sweat is a tool nature provides us with so heat can escape our body.
It's nice seeing water in this creek as it is often the first to dry up.
I heard ducks quacking but didn't spot them.
The rest of the shots are at my house starting with the money plant (Lunaria annua). For more information about this plant you can click here. When I found the link I thought it was interesting that wikipedia said it's called money plant in Asia but called honesty in English and in the U.S. they say it's called silver dollars or Chinese money or coins. I've never heard it called anything but money plant and I've always lived in the U.S.
I posted shots of its purple flowers but now the part that will dry and turn white is maturing as you can see in the shot above, although it's still green. Below are the leaves of the money plant (the large ones) since the shot above has it mixed with other plants so its hard to see its leaves.
Below you can see my blueberries in the early stages.
The Queen Anne's Lace is getting closer to full blooms.
The red-bellied woodpecker is beating on my drain pipes.
It is amazing how much noise they can make.
My bathing beauties continue to delight me. Below is an American Robin all puffed out.
The bluejay is showing off it's checked tail.
Next the bluejay is splashing up a storm.
The female cardinal seems to be giving me a warning look.
The catbird is taking its turn.
The mockingbird chased off the catbird.
The female cardinal below looks rather dashing in profile.
Next is a full face shot of the mockingbird.
Below is a house finch in profile.
Click for the home of nature notes.
Advertising campaigns try to zap their viewers with the message.
I think these old World War I posters illustrate both advertising and zap.
I would have thought that the next poster was a little risque for the early 1900s but it has been said that all is fair in love and war, although I don't agree with that saying. It almost looks like the woman is wearing her undergarments or at least the type of undergarments worn in the early 1900s.
From an historical perspective it interests me to see the advertising techniques of the U.S. war office during World War I.
The reflections made it hard to photograph these posters. In case you can't read the last line on the next poster, it says: leave nothing on your plate.
I've never thought it made sense to tell children to think of people that are hungry to encourage them to eat everything on their plates. It does make sense to tell them that eating less of certain foods helps if those foods will be sent to the people who need those foods.
Click for Sandy's Zap Photohunt and/or click for Gattina's advertising photohunt.
I wouldn't have spotted my garden's first dragonfly if it hadn't spotted me and moved to another spot.
It is almost perfectly camouflaged in the leaves.
The mulberries are ripening and the mulberry trees are full of birds, although you can't see any birds in the shot below because they were in a lower part of the tree well hidden by leaves.
The house finch was enjoying a bath.
I love the way hostas hold on to rain drops.
In the next shot the male cardinal is singing.
We've had a pleasant, fairly cool April but the first day of May has brought summer heat with it.
On the left side of the next shot the queen anne's lace is budding up. The purple flowers are on the money plant and some lenten rose (hellebore) is in the mix too.
Next is a sparrow bathing.
Following are some more of my hostas and the low creeping plant is wild strawberry.
One more shot of my hostas and in this one on the left side some butterfly weed is growing tall.
My abundance of honeysuckle is flowering like crazy.
I spotted a catbird in my mulberry tree below.
I think the American Robin was getting ready to dive in.
You can see the early bud on the butterfly weed below.
The bluejay decided to have a bath and a drink.
I love the way birds tilt their heads.
I wonder what the next bird was saying. Too bad I don't speak bird.
Click for the home of nature notes.
