Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Plans changed for today. It was a day trip. Fun was had! My Valentine was very sweet. I will give you the details tomorrow. But let me tell you, it was much better than the roses. Hard to believe right? LOL Hope you had a wonderful day too! In the World of Animal Courtship, These…

Whitlow-wort

Whitlow-wort

Today, I got stuff done at home this morning. Then I rewarded myself with an afternoon outing at the grasslands. What a good day I would say. 😉 I still have photos to name so those will wait until tomorrow. Today’s feature will be the Whitlow-wort (Draba cuneifolia)! I found a nice specimen that was…

Two goals

Two goals

So were my goals met? And does it really matter? In fact, it is the journey that I relish on any outing. New discoveries and old friends. So I had two goals on this outing, no mud and the Blue Funnel-lily. First goal was met. Since I had only encountered a couple of muddy spots…

A new ant

A new ant

Ok, I know you are dying to know, did I stay out of the mud. Well, I did manage to not get any mud on my shoes at this point. So my goal number one was still on track. 😉 Of course, staying out the mud was easy in the leaf litter of the woods….

Had to

Had to

I definitely had to go to the grasslands yesterday afternoon. Furthermore, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect and that is why I had to! So I had two goals. One, stay out of the mud. Second, was to see if the Blue Funnel-lily’s (Androstephium caeruleum) leaves might be sprouting. So far I had managed…

Dr Suess

Dr Suess

A few more finds from the Sunday afternoon on the grasslands. Doesn’t this look like a Dr. Seuss character? World’s Deadliest Mushroom Changed How It Reproduces as It Spreads Across The US Agriculture Threatens Permanent Loss of Plant Diversity Scientists Studying Earth’s Trees Issue Stark Warning to Humanity Keep looking! The more you know, the…

The ant

The ant

After the fog lifted on Sunday (5th), Jim and I took an afternoon walk on the grasslands. Indeed, it was a very pleasant temperature in the upper 60s. Unlike today’s temp, eh. In any case with the rain, no complaints here. Eventually the ant found its way out with its prey. Sometimes I have patience…

Tap tap

Tap tap

Melanerpes carolinus, or better known to most of us as the Red-bellied Woodpecker. They will build cavities both for roosting and nesting. In the case of Red-bellies, the dad will start the hole for a nest. Then mom puts the final touches in the nursery. In fact, they build a new home each season in…

A Rainbow’s Rare Sibling

A Rainbow’s Rare Sibling

Have you ever seen or heard of fogbow? Fogbows are caused by the small droplets inside fog or a cloud. These droplets are smaller than raindrops which makes a rainbow. However just like a rainbow, you will only see a fogbow facing away from the sun. So the next time fog rolls in, watch for…

Stepping off

Stepping off

We stayed on the trails mostly on the Jan. 26th outing. But this drew us off for a bit. Hey, what can I say…LOL Did you notice the critter above? I am leaning towards it as a possible Spider Wasp (Pompilidae). Furthermore, stepping out on a limb or log in this case, guessing that it…