SUMMER SPLENDORS

[grapeman]

I watched a nest of them this spring for a month before they hatched, The mother would stay on the nest and screech at me when I would get about 2 feet away. The dad would run and play wounded. Finally they hatched and ran around the vineyard all day annoying me with their screeching and carrying on.Edited by: appleman

 

[NorthernWinos]

Well...they eggs are gone....Not surprised...will like to think they hatched out and the parents took them down to the pond.

Had a nice shower last night, only ¼", so not going to do much...took the dust off and perked up everything....got a tad steamy too...might get another shower today.

Picked the Strawberries and took a walk through the yard......will share it with you....

The Roses are beautiful...

But their beauty is fleeting...so sad to see the spent blossoms drop...

The Peonies are intoxicating, not only in their beauty but spicy fragrance..[had to quit bringing them in the house]

And so the seasons pass....you have to be out everyday to admire the beauty or you will miss something....

The best sights are the summer sunrises and sunsets...

Life goes on and remains very GOOD!!!!


Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[grapeman]

The Kildeer probably did hatch and take off to escape the local residents(dogs).


Beautiful flowers NW. I love seeing them.


Surprising it is a bit dry where you are- We certainly aren't. There is a slight chance of a thunderstorm late today. Geez what was that rumbling outside going on from 1:00 to 2:00 this afternoon? And how about that .22 inches of rain in five minutes? Tomorrow chance of thunderstorms, Sunday major thunderstorms, Monday thunderstorms, Tuesday thunderstorms.................................... 6 months from now- thundersnow...
I am glad it is sandy where I am! Life is good and so is adequate rainfall.

 

[NorthernWinos]

The best things in life are free....
And wild......
And, hiding out there....
Waiting for you to find them......

Catch them while you can....

 

[Jack on Rainy]

NW,
I haven't visited this thread for a while so have really enjoyed your recent flower picts! Our showy lady slippers are blooming now too. Sure beats the white stuff!
Happy 4th.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

All of the flowers are truly stunning NW, must be a sight to behold!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Had to go out and get some fresh flowers for the tables today, so took the camera along.....

The perennial garden has a new show....the summer flowers are coming on now...There was a bunny out there keeping things trimmed down....

The roses still have a special place in my heart...despite the deer trimming they are putting on new growth and buds...

Despite any lighting I just can't capture the velvety color of those dark reds...

The tiny miniature roses are very elite in their own way...

I missed catching the full flush of roses on my experiment of lateral cane placement...it was awesome last week, Hope to get another flush of flowers on the new growth.

The days slip by into weeks and months...and the flowers bloom and are spent...the season is passing....and Life is Good!!!!



Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Figured I should get some photos of the Hollyhocks before they meet the perils that Mother Nature might hand out....wind/hail/etc.

*Note...wire cage at bottom left of last photo.....Jim's been trapping rabbits out there....they seem to like the buds off of any low laying flowers....They have the whole world to eat, but risk their lives in my gardens....

Life continues to be good!!!!

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Waldo]

So NW, do you occasionaly prepare a nice rabbit stew for dinner

Your flowers are as beautiful as your spirit NW..thanks for sharing both with all of us.

 

[rgecaprock]

I only hope that someday I can have as beautiful gardens as NW. I guess it will take time and money starting from scratch. I don't have any gardens to show you, just a palette of color of some of my favorites. Ramona

Edited by: rgecaprock

 

[NorthernWinos]

Such tropical beauties you can grow...stunning!!!!

Thank You.

 

[rgecaprock]

I have been wondering what has been making these perfect circles in my rose leaves. I looked it up on the all helpful internet and found out that they are caused by the Leaf Cutter Bee. They are solitary bees, do not colonize but are very good pollinaters. I hadn't caught the little girl in action until today. It is very interesting....she cutsa perfect 3/4 in circle out of the leaf andcarries it back to the nest, which is in a crevice in my brick wall ( I saw her fly there after each cutting)folded up in her legsand makes incubation cells out of them. The leaves are not food, just nest material. They do sting but only if handled. I watched one today and it was so fascinating......she made the cut within seconds and folded it up in her legs and carried it to her home in a crevice in the brick wall. I have been trying to get a video. My day has been enriched by her.

She can have some of my leaves....she is helping with the all important task of pollination.


RamonaEdited by: rgecaprock

 

[NorthernWinos]

Interesting.....Nice to find out what she was.

In Mexico I saw a string ants carrying pink flower petals...it was single line of pink, it crossed a river on a downed branch and went to the other side...It was so interesting to see....like you said...it can make your day.

 

[rgecaprock]

If you look, you will see things.....this guy is about 1 and 1/2 inches long. He sees you and looks and turns his head and studies you and stays unless he preceives a threat then is off like a shot.....so human-like. He is a baby one.
Ramona

Edited by: rgecaprock

 

[smurfe]

If you look, you will see things.....this guy is about 1 and 1/2 inches long. He sees you and looks and turns his head and studies you and stays unless he preceives a threat then is off like a shot.....so human-like. He is a baby one.
Ramona

I don't have to look well here. We have those (what ever the official name of those are) lizards by the thousands here. They are used to us as we are to them. I have seen them 6"-7" long.They do keep the bug population such as the mosquito population down though. It is neat to see their throats swell up when the eat. Looks like a red/orange balloon.I'll see if I can get a pic of our resident toad. You would think he is domesticated. He is on the floor mat outside our front door every night. He doesn't scare off either. He just sits there and lets you pick him up. He is sitting there feeding from the bugs that fall to the ground under the outdoor lights.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I love your little lizard....

This little guy lives around the outdoor water faucet during the day....

Somedays he sits on the handle, kind of startling when you reach for the faucet handle...he is gray color when he is on the faucet. At night he is stuck to the window above the sink and catches bugs that are attracted to the light....He's kind of cute.

Have yellow and green frogs in the garden, I don't now what they do out there, but they are kind of pretty.

As well we have a few little snakes, yellow and black garden snakes and some brown ones...nothing poisonous.

Other than that we don't have much for reptile type critters up here.

 

[grapeman]

We have some flat round frogs that stay out by the pool in the spring and sing us to sleep at night. When it is lights out in the house, they are good and go to bed(sometimes). We have one that sits on the handle also NW! Amazing! It really surprised me the first time since it is round. I just about grabbed hold to give it a good turn! That would have been a surprise!

 

[PeterZ]

I have a friend, Bob,who lived in Singapore for 5 years. The houses there are all infested with little lizzards like Ramona's. They call them geccos. Another expat arrived in Singapore and asked Bob what to do about the geccos. Bob said, "Name 'em."

 

[rgecaprock]

LOL, I have seen the grown-upsand they look pretty prehistoric. One got loose here in the office and everyone was afraid if it so I volanteered to catch it and put it outside. When I did it latched onto my finger and to my surprise the bite didin't hurt but I felt a strange burning and tingling sensation in my finger so they must have a little venom of some type going on there. Edited by: rgecaprock

 

[Jack on Rainy]

Romona,
Good picts. We were recently visiting my sister in Tucson and were packing to go home and I almost got one of those packed live in my luggage. Imagine the fun Homeland security types would have inspecting that bag!