“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label wildlife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wildlife. Show all posts

Sunday, September 25, 2022

The Days of September


September is coming to a close, where did the time go?  But it sounds as though our October will be a lovely month, so I'm looking forward to it.  Our summer has been so hot and dry here I'll be enjoying the cooler weather. Here in our area we are still in a Severe Drought so my flowers and plants did not do well at all. The blooms were sparse and short lived. The image above is from a few years ago when we had ample rain.

The good news is that the winter is forecast to have plenty of snow, the bad there will also be plenty of extremely cold temperatures. 

Our yard has been a haven for the wildlife. We have had visits from many birds, rabbits, chipmunks, raccoons, and deer. Many of the wild areas have withered away and unfortunately most of the neighbors have nothing but grass and a few trees, so the wildlife has nothing to eat. They have been using our garden as an oasis! We put out shallow pans of water during the hottest and driest times and water our plants just enough to keep them going. The rabbits and deer have been eating our hosta plants more than anything else. We've never seen them this badly damaged. I don't blame the poor critters they are hungry and thirsty! Here are a couple of photos of the damage. It's never been this bad in all the 20 some years we've lived here.

Usually this flower bed is full of ferns, bloodroot, hostas and other wild plants. The bare stocks used to be covered with hosta leaves.


Another area where the small leaved hostas have been a favorite of the deer and rabbits. We've been watering when we can, but it is still extremely dry.

September was nice with:

Flowers, Cool Nights, Warm Days, Fresh Crisp Mornings...

 

source

 


 

Here's a beautiful image by children's book illustrator Elsa Beskow.

image source

 

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. We had many family activities going on and my attention was there for the last couple of months. I've also noticed that I really don't care for the new Blog Post Editor. They did away with the colored font options and it seems that the bar at the top is so large that I only have half a screen to edit and work on a post. Not good for someone who is visually challenged!

I really am becoming a little old lady! LOL!

Take care out there, until the next time. ~ Diane

 

Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Silent Night




Every spring I look forward to opening the windows at night so that I can hear the night sounds. The frogs always put on a serenade that helped me drift off to sleep.  I've been waiting and waiting and I finally realized the other night that it's summer and they aren't coming. The entire yard and the lake that is just outside my back door is completely silent.  Deathly silent.

No crickets. No Tree frogs or Spring peepers. 
Nothing. 
I have never experienced anything like this 
since I've lived here......  
Just utter silence. 

Last night I woke up and after our rain thought surely I would hear them, but no, nothing.  I did hear the wail of a train whistle far away, but that was all.  We have never had a lot of car traffic in our area and I think you literally could have heard a pin drop, it was so quiet. I actually went to the window thinking perhaps my husband had closed it for some reason, but it was open, there were just no sounds.

Most of you've seen my backyard before. Lots of big trees and shrubs, native plants and garden flowers everywhere.  We have a lovely little lake which fills with peepers every spring and the trees and bushes are full of green tree frogs. This year there's no sign of my tiny musical friends.  I searched my yard and they used to hang out on the window sill or I would find them sitting on a leaf in the garden.  My beloved little frogs are gone. As I searched the yard I counted 5 small bumblebees, 1 honeybee, 2 wasps and 2 dragonflies. This year my husband saw one small toad the other day.  So far this year I've seen one Monarch butterfly...  That's all..... I look at my red bee balm flowers and wonder, "Where are the Bees?", there used to be hundreds of these winged pollinators ....

At dusk, the area is usually alive with sounds. The crickets used to chirp and the Green tree frogs and Spring peepers (tiny little bark colored frogs that make a lovely chirpy sound) are gone. Everything is SILENT.


I'm heartbroken!! What is going on?! I have lived here for almost 20 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Was it the low snowfall amount last year that left them unprotected from the winter frosts as they hibernated? Is it some kind of pesticide or toxic chemical that has been sprayed around the neighborhood? Have the raccoons and other predators eaten all my musical friends?

This spring and summer has been strange. 
I feel forlorn, bereft and cheated. 
It hasn't felt like spring or summer without them.








Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer, from Anoka County, MN


The video and photo above are of the Spring Peeper, I very dull little fellow, until he begins to sing....








The other favorite frog that I used to see all the time in the garden is what I called a Green Tree Frog, actually it is a Gray Tree Frog. See the photo below and listen to him sing...


Cope's gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis 
The Cope's Gray tree frog can change from green to a mottled brown at will. They also sing. 





We've noticed the Bee and Butterfly populations have plummeted and since toxic chemicals and global warming have been linked to those I thought I would do a bit more reading about my froggy friends.

Let me backtrack for a moment though, I want to tell you that it is very likely that even though I or my close neighbors don't use toxic chemicals, they are still getting into our lake. This development was built during the early 1960's.  We had the good fortune to visit with the original homeowner who lived here for almost 40 years.  He told us that for the first 10 years this little lake was pristine. You could swim and even eat any fish that you caught out of the lake back then.

That all came to and end during the mid 1970's.  After development in this area started to get crowded and all the streets, driveways and parking lots were put in, they started having flooding.  The brilliant idea was to use the little lakes around the area as collection or containment ponds for the water run off from all of those polluted areas.  All of the trash that you see in the street or parking lots ended up washed into our lakes.... no filter, no settlement pond, just down into the gutter and right into our lakes. So all the chemicals put onto the yards is washed in along with all the other debris.   It is not hard to imagine that the lake has all sorts of toxic chemicals in it that are especially harmful to small delicate creatures like frogs and toads. So, I have to wonder......



Is this the reason?

Impact Of Neonicotinoids On The Environment And Wildlife And Human Health
(source- read full article here)


The AIDS in wildlife which is now upon us, in which massive epidemics of unusual infective pathogens have caused deaths and declines in a variety of wildlife: amphibians, bats, birds, invertebrates (including all pollinators) is caused, not by a virus, but by a chemical. To be precise, a variety of chemicals can cause it; but the main culprits are the NEONICOTINOID INSECTICIDES. Unlike human AIDS, wildlife AIDS it is untreatable. And the chemicals causing it are persistent in the environment.

Amphibians, particularly tadpoles, are considered to be an environmental indicator because of their unique sensitivity to pollutants. The WWF Living Planet Report 2010 has shown that biodiversity is declining faster in freshwater, than in any other biome, including coral reefs and tropical forests. In 2011, the study in Nature said that amphibian population declines far exceed those of other vertebrate groups. In 2011 Mendelson, who graduated in 1989, wrote: “I am a taxonomist and I have seen my career vacillate between the thrill of discovering new species and the chill of tracking extinction events – including species that I described”.

The image below is from yet another article....



For more information about safe gardening practices read this.....
Beautiful Death...








I will continue waiting for my little friends, perhaps I will hear some when the weather begins to cool again.  I hope this is just a temporary thing and not the end of a beautiful occurrence, something that I have to admit, 
I had become accustomed too.  



As they say, you often don't truly appreciate things until they are gone.

~ Diane ~




Monday, May 13, 2013

Miracles of Ordinary Life . . .







"I have never asked that nature
open any doors to reveal the truth of spirit or mystery;
I aspire to no shaman's path;
I expect no vision, no miracles except the ones
that fill every instant of ordinary life."

~~ Richard K. Nelson
                              American anthropologist











Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Someone Came Knocking . . . Oh it's October!

From Poems for Boys and Girls (1945) compiled by Marjorie Barrows and illustrated by Lois Maloy.




Front porch on a fall afternoon





Late fall corn field

October you are a very fun month! The ultimate master of the costume change, you start out with glorious fall colors draping the landscape from the top of the trees to the pumpkin laden front porches! The brightly colored leaves are scattered across the lawns like confetti. Then suddenly when the leaves are gone, you have changed to a minimalistic palette of more subdued grays and brown. October you then cap it all off with a fantastic party called Halloween! Oh yes, you came knocking and we answered!



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Unusual Visitors of the Feathered Kind

We had a beautiful pair of unusual waterfowl on our lake late yesterday. 
When I spotted these lovely swans, I started taking a few pictures.  
I knew they probably wouldn't be around for long.

After I took my pictures and had a good look at them, I found our 
bird book and decided they were Trumpeter Swans.



 


 A Few Bird Facts....

The largest of North American waterfowl, the Trumpeter Swan is resident throughout much of its range, but migratory in other parts. Its was reduced to near extinction by the early 20th century, but it is relatively common today.  Trumpeter Swans where hunted for their feathers and quills (for quill pens).  They live around twenty years and usually mate for life. For more interesting facts you can check out this link at All About Birds.






 The geese really didn't know what to think of this, they usually 
are the largest bird on our little lake.










They swam around a bit and nibbled on some shoreline plants, took a 
little nap and just leisurely drifted around our little lake for a couple of hours. 
I hoped they would decide to stay, but this morning they were gone.  
                                  It was wonderful for them to stop in for a visit though!
.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday Visitors...

These visitors were of the winged kind and not something I see every day. I was not even planning on doing a post today, but when I looked out my living room window and saw these turkeys, well I had to get a few photos. At first I didn't even notice the Tom Turkey, he stayed outside the fence and kept watch as his three "hens" foraged through the leftovers under the bird feeder. They are so well camouflaged that I didn't even notice him until after I cropped some of the pictures. Please excuse my messy yard, I haven't done my "spring" cleaning out there yet.



Hen turkey fluffing her feathers
Do you see the Tom's head behind the fence?

Third hen joining in. Tom is in front of the old bird house.

Three Hen Turkeys








See the Tom to the right with his red wattle.


















Over the fence and off on their morning walk.











Happy Sunday! I hope you have some interesting visitors today too!




Saturday, March 10, 2012

Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss

Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose is a Dr. Seuss book that I was not aware of until recently. I found this book at an estate sale in a dark and cluttered basement. There were probably a thousand books in the basement and they were in such a hodge-podge that most of the other buyers just avoided the whole mess and left me and my husband to search through them uninterrupted for an hour or so. There were so many wonderful books that I simply started grabbing handfuls and began stuffing them into the cloth bags we brought with us. By the end of the hour we had collected over two hundred books. I kept reloading the bags and my husband paid for them and took them to the car. Some of the books were in so-so shape and ended up being donated, but most are in great condition and are very interesting and wonderful books such as this early Dr. Seuss. This is the most collectible book I have found in my acquisition, however I am still working on research and it may take some time to go through all of them. Maybe there are more treasures I haven't found yet.

Here are some of the wonderful images from this unusual book.







My research reveals that this is a First Edition second printing. 
The First Edition first printing had a red cloth cover.




Helen Palmer was Seuss' first wife.

Here are a few interesting facts about Dr. Seuss. His real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel. Seuss is a Bavarian name and is pronounced Zoice. It was his mother's maiden name. Geisel started out as a cartoonist and began signing his work under the mock title of "Dr. Theophrastus Seuss". He later shortened that to "Dr. Seuss".  Since most Americans pronounced the name Soose not Zoice, he became Dr. Seuss (Soose) for good.

He was not really a doctor and dropped out of graduate school to pursue his love of drawing before ever getting a Ph.D. For over half of his career as a children's author, Dr. Seuss had no children until his second marriage where he acquired two stepdaughters. His first book was rejected numerous times. Seuss worked in advertising and claimed he wrote children's books because it did not compete with his contract with the Standard Oil Company. He credited his style of writing to his parents.
















 Here is a short and not so sweet version of Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose.


Thidwick is a very happy moose living on the shores of Lake Winna-Bango. He has some very large antlers and a very kind disposition. Unfortunately he is just the sort of kind-hearted soul that is often taken advantage of. Before he knows it a huge number of critters are now living atop his head in those amazing antlers. The new residents keep inviting more and more of their friends to join them.  Poor Thidwick is so burdened down he is unable to cross the lake when winter comes and is facing starvation when things get even worse. Hunters! 

Spoiler Alert! Just at the moment before his imminent death, Thidwicks over ladened antlers let loose with all the critters attached and go rolling down the hill towards the hunters. Thidwick makes his escape across the lake and rejoins his herd to live happily forever, we presume. Not so happily for the free-loading critters who end up as the hunters trophy on the wall. 

Many of the Seuss books had a moral or political message and this one has a few lessons to teach us all. One being "Don't be a lazy freeloader, 'cause look what could happen to you (you might end up stuffed on a wall)!" Another being "Be kind to others, but when someone start's to take advantage of you, you need to stand up for yourself. Learn to say NO! Don't be a pushover like Thidwick!"













In 1991, a few weeks before his death, friends asked Seuss if there were anything he might have left unsaid to all the children out there. Seuss replied, “The best slogan I can think of to leave with the kids of the U.S.A. would be ‘We can . . . and we’ve got to . . . do better than this.’”



Well said, Dr. Seuss, well said.




Monday, February 27, 2012

Look Who I Ran Into On Vacation...

Hello friends! I am back from a wonderful break. My husband and I took a nice trip down to Sanibel Island Florida. We had a great time going to the beach, eating fresh seafood and taking in the sights. Boy were we surprised to meet up with a couple of old friends. Many of you may already know that I live in Minnesota, but I am not sure if you know that we are also lucky enough to be the home state of these two characters.




Yes that is right the Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Dough Boy are official residents of Minnesota. We found them hanging out and greeting visitors at the Islander Trading Post on Sanibel Island. I guess, just like us, they needed a little get away from the cold temperatures of Minnesota. If you were dressed like that, would you really want to stick around all winter? Besides visiting with old friends, we also checked out the beach and some great seafood restaurants.





The beaches are as beautiful as ever and the shelling was great. We found several wonderful fresh seafood eateries but Doc Ford's was one of our favorites. The food and drinks were incredible! The Crab Cakes were delicious with a delightful Jicama coleslaw on the side. I ordered the Shrimp and Grits that were the best I have ever had. Even my husband, who is not a grits fan, thought they were delicious. We shared a small sample from the Rum bar and I enjoyed a Mojito.

Captiva Crab Cakes appetizer  -  with Jicama coleslaw




The Island Mojito

 

Shrimp and Grits





On one of the days on Sanibel, we took a tour of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and saw some amazing birds, such as the Spoonbill and this pretty little heron, which I can't remember the name of. We learned the importance of mangroves in holding the islands together 
in the event of hurricanes.




Spoonbill and seagull



Red Mangrove






Found in front of the Island Cow



The sun sets over Salty Sam's Marina.


Our week in paradise is over now, back to the real world. It was nice while is lasted!