Take a bow!

Quite a show was put on here at my place during the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. The antics really go on all the time but this time I was camera ready and had the time to snap these.

First up is a male Cardinal. I have quite a few who visit and am trying to tell the difference between them but for now I'll call him Mr. Cardinal One.

 Mr. Cardinal One loves his safflower seeds . . .

'I think I'll have another.'

And loves his black sunflower seeds . . .  'Should I have safflower or sunflower this time? Which one? Which one?' Tough decision . . .

Just beyond the feeder, off at about sixty-feet, is a tree the birds use as a launch pad. Here's a male. Not sure if it's Mr. Cardinal One.

And a lovely couple, who mate for life, waiting their turn to launch to the feeder.

And another male waiting in the tree beside it.

And two more couples waiting. Cardinals, cardinals everywhere! 

Yes, I have many cardinals in my yard.

Here they are waiting for Mr. Squirrel to leave.

But after awhile, they decide to take matters into their wings and mob Mr. Squirrel in the hopes he'll leave. He doesn't.

Here's the crew feeding after Mr. Squirrel has had his fill.Two White-throated sparrows. Three Dark-eyed juncos. One female Cardinal. And one House sparrow and all part of this year's tally for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Take a bow!

Anvil Cloud

This powerful cloud was the harbinger of an approaching summer thunderstorm. It has the classic anvil-shaped top, which indicates that the top of the cloud has reached the stratosphere that is six miles above the Earth and also an indication that this cumulonimbus cloud is growing.

If the cloud continues to build it will become a super cell with the possibility of tornadoes and severe weather.

I look for them in the spring and summer months as they are impressive and powerful looking.

Anvil is an appropriate name. When you see an anvil cloud in the sky it's an indication of a storm as tough as steel. And that you might just get hammered.

A lovely, pleated mushroom

This pretty mushroom was discovered growing in my garden on the side of the driveway.

It is pleated, papery thin and over an inch in diameter.

Intrigued by its delicate nature and soft colors, I was hellbent on identifying it and, I believe, I've been successful

It is Parasola plicatilis or  Coprinus plicatilis with the common names of Japanese Parasol and Pleated Inky Cap.

Only a Mycologist (those who study mushrooms), though, would be able to tell me if I was, indeed, successful.

But the fairies, whose domain is the mushrooms and toadstools, surely would agree that it is a lovely parasol, which they use, I am sure, on the finest occasions.

Palmetto Palm Seedling

This elegant fan shaped plant is a seedling of the Palmetto Palm that will eventually grow over sixty feet in height.

Native to the southeast as well as Cuba and the Bahamas, it is tolerant of salt and why you can see it gracing the southern beaches. Despite being a subtropical tree, it is extremely cold hardy able to withstand temperatures as low s -13F for short periods of time.

Interestingly, this palm grows only from its crown sending out frond after frond. The delicacy, heart of palm, is the tender growing center. Removing this heart for market also kills the tree.

I've had hearts of palm only infrequently but since learning of this, I'd rather not indulge but leave the heart to the tree.

A winter day

But not any winter day. Today is the first day of the beginning of the winter months. The Winter Solstice occurred at 6:12 a.m. EST, marking also the shortest day of the year and, conversely, the longest night.

Come tomorrow, the Sun will begin its climb higher in the sky bringing us lengthening days of light and the renewal of the season.

I enjoy winter and hibernating in my home. It's a cozy time of reading and reflecting on the things of the past, and of the coming future. It contains an edge of excitement as the next season to follow is Spring, a time of the greening of nature and new births.

 “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ~Edith Stillwell

The Sixth Extinction

The bloom of the Prickly Pear cactus is a delight for the bees as they collect pollen. They are one of the greatest pollinators of our planet. Up to thirty-percent of food crops worldwide rely on bees for pollination. They feed us along with bats, birds, beetles and butterflies, the other great pollinators.

But we are losing them. The bees to colony collapse, the bats to white-nose syndrome, beetles and butterflies to habitat loss and all to pesticides. And we are losing so much more than them at an astonishing rate.

There have been five mass extinctions in the long history of the planet. We are currently is the sixth.

Extinction is part of evolution. Scientists calculate  the  normal extinction rate or the background extinction rate at about one species going extinct per year per one million species. Currently we are losing species at a rate of 100 - 1000 times that every year. That's a staggering number of species being lost, perhaps over 50,000 every year!

The cause is us. We are letting the biological diversity of this planet slip away through the destruction of natural habitats, hunting, invasive species, unsustainable fishing, chemicals and pesticides.

Perhaps the words of E.O. Wilson, one of the greatest living American scientists, will jolt us into action.

"This is the only planet we're ever going to have. This planet has taken tens, hundreds of millions of years to create this beautiful natural environment we have that's taken care of us so well that is, in fact, our greatest natural heritage. And we're throwing it away in a matter of a few decades."

American Green Tree Frog

 I've had, for years, an organic vegetable plot on my property but this is the first year I've switched to organic products for my lawn. I am glad I did. I am seeing a greater variety of wildlife in my yard. I am certain the switch from toxic chemicals to organic is why. Consider doing the same for the species in your area. You will be rewarded as will they.

Like this gorgeous American Green Tree Frog. It's the second visit I've had this year and the first season I've seen them on my property. I've heard them for years with their loud nasal-like honks as I live next to their favored habitat, a wetland. Now they are coming in closer in their explorations.

Native to the southern United States, they range from Eastern Virginia to Florida then stretch on into central Texas. They are nocturnal, prey on insects and are a spectacular green color.

Isn't he awesome? Look at the large toe pads. The Green Tree Frog uses them to move from tree to tree and, while searching out insects, will do wild acrobatics in the dark of night jumping from tree to branch to tree.

In the readings I've done about this beautiful frog, I found it does not seek out prey based on size. Instead, it looks for the activity level where the most active prey is frequently eaten.

Don't go running through a forest at breakneck speed while the tree frogs are calling. You might find yourself eagerly sought after.

American Tree Frog calling