Nature
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Today's photo is of a couple of blooming cacti. We have a lot of prcikly pear, pencil, barrel, and "old man" (pictured here) with pink bloom. There is an "old lady cactus" too. We have had workers in the past that asked if they could cultivate the edible fruit (red blooms) called "tunas" and the pads to eat. YUCK. Hannah once fell into a pencil cactus patch and for a week I pulled the little stingers out of her. If you even get near them, they shoot their stingers at you.
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Today's photo is of a Trumpet Creeper that I photographed in the parking lot of The Bluebonnet Cafe, which has been there forever. I have one growing on one of my lots out back. However, I am not about to go walking out there because I would be eaten up with chiggers. Because of all our rain this spring, the grass back there is almost waste high. I have a hard enough time working in the garden and mowing and filling up the hummingbird feeders without getting eaten up.
Trumpet Creeper may be the most famous hummingbird attractor. Not only are its big, showy red flowers a treat to look at, but hummingbirds will swarm them as fall migration begins. This vine can bloom as early as June, but usually peaks in August and early September. Make sure you give it space to grow, otherwise it can take over and grow on top of other nearby plants.
Trumpet Creeper is good for adding some vertical structure to your yard, since it can grow up high on trees, walls, roofs, or almost anything else, leaving plenty of space on the ground for other plants.
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Today's photo shows a Laredo Striped Whiptail checking me out when I was cleaning out the mower and weed eater. There are a number of these that are out during the day. The Laredo striped whiptail mostly relies on insects as their primary food source. They have a lot of energy and move quickly, which lets them hide quickly when they feel threatened. The striped whiptail has a dark green or dark brown body with seven yellow or white stripes. Also, they like to live in places with sandy soil and few plants.
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My photo of the praying mantis was featured in my bug guy's blog today! Pretty cool. He's having a photo contest too at his 4th of July party in Fredericksburg. We are planning to go.
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Heres the current Magic Puzzle called Crystal Caves we are working on. I am a big fan of the inner borders of these puzzles as finding border pieces is my favorite part of puzzle making and this is a challenging version of that task
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Today's photo shows not only the sentiment shown on the cup but also the delphiniums picked from the garden earlier this spring, before a storm was coming. I would rather they re-seed in the garden. Where does the name delphinium come from?
With a little imagination, you can see that the buds of the flower look like dolphins
. Hence the name delphinium, the Latin word for dolphin. If you already have delphinium in your garden, you can use the seeds from it. When your delphinium has finished flowering, wait until the seed capsules are completely dry. If you hold them upside down, the seeds will fall out. Store them in a paper bag in a dry, cool place and sow them next spring.
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Today's photo is of a Golden-Cheeked Warbler that visisted my bird bath. As you can see from their description below, they are Endangered, and my properties are the perfect habitat for them and is a big point in my protesting my real estate tax increases, year after year, especially since other properties around mine have been stripped bare of their critical habitat. I was so lucky to get these pictures, you don't know. Below is from Texas Parks and Wildlife site.
Texas Status: Endangered
U.S. Status: Endangered, Listed 5/04/1990
Description
Adult Golden-cheeked warblers reach a length of 4.5 inches.
Life History
Golden-cheeked warblers nest only in central Texas mixed Ashe-juniper and oak woodlands in ravines and canyons. Warblers eat insects and spiders found on the leaves and bark of oaks and other trees. They use long strips of cedar bark and spider webs to build their nests. They come to Texas in March to nest and raise their young, and leave in July to spend the winter in Mexico and Central America. Females lay 3-4 eggs during nesting season. Of the nearly 360 bird species that breed in Texas, the Golden-cheeked Warbler is the only one that nests exclusively in Texas.
Habitat
Woodlands with tall Ashe juniper (colloquially "cedar"), oaks, and other hardwood trees provide habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler.
Distribution
Distribution of the Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia)In Texas, golden-cheeked warblers are found in the Edwards Plateau and locally north to Palo Pinto County.
Other
Golden-cheeked warblers are endangered because many tall juniper and oak woodlands have been cleared to build houses, roads, and stores. Some habitat was cleared to grow crops or grass for livestock. Other habitat areas were flooded when large lakes were built.
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I have had this photo from Apollo as my background on every computer, laptop and phone ever since I could remember. I have always been fascinated by space exploration and could happily watch NASA TV (before it became a subscription channel) and learn something new every time. I remember the moon landing...and to this day I get updates on when the International Space Station is flying over and I will get up and go outside to watch it. Mike and I would sit outside at night during meteor showers and just be in awe. We have had solar eclipse parties and camp outs for people who had never really seen the sky. We watch the phases of the moon by glancing up at night from my balcony deck and we can see Venus and Jupiter right now low in the western sky. We are learning to use the telescope and can zero in on specific areas of the moon. I was a Carl Sagan fan long before it was cool! He awakened something in me that gave me my overall view and sense of where we are all on this "pale blue dot".
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I also follow the sun. FYI:
