Inspiration

Tiger Swallowtail

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, along with the Monarch, is one of our most recognizable butterflies. You can identify it (usually) by its large size and bright yellow color with black tiger stripes.

Male tiger swallowtails have a few orange and blue spots near the tail.

Females have both a light and dark form. The light form (left) looks a lot like the male, except it has more blue on the hind wings. The dark form still has the blue spots, but it is otherwise very dark with no yellow.

Squirrel Proof Feeders

People have been asking about squirrel proof feeders and these are available. 

Cold in Cuba? Records set!

Early Wednesday morning was the coldest that occurred in Cuba for the month of December for at least the last fifty years, an impressive set of 31 minimum temperature records.

Of these, nine are in absolute primacy to the value of 1.9 degrees Celsius, reported in the Matanzas province town of Columbus, which ranks among the five lowest recorded officially in our country at any time.

As reported by Mr. Eduardo Vazquez Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology,other very significant minimum occurred in Indio Hatuey, 2.0; Bainoa, 2.5, AguadaPassenger, 2.7; Jagüey Grande, 2, 8, Union de Reyes, 3.2; Tapaste, 3.4, Melena del Sur and Santo Domingo, 3.6, Playa Girón and Jovellanos, 3.7, Santa Cruz del Sur,4.0, Ciego de Avila, 4 , 1; Esmeralda and Cienfuegos, 4.5, Guines, 4.6; Batabano, 4.7, and Santa Clara, 5.0.

Also excel in Trinidad of 5.7, 7.2, in Veguitas, 7.8 in Guáimaro, 8.0, La Jíquima(Holguín), and 8.8, in Manzanillo, which are absolute records for those locations of central and eastern regions. In the capital city of Casablanca season the thermometer dropped to 12.1 degrees, the lowest this winter season there.

The national record cold is 0.6 degrees Celsius, set in Bainoa on February 18, 1996. Searching files found that all three values below yesterday in Columbus, are 1.0,Union de Reyes, and 1.2, in Indio Hatuey (January 21, 1971), and 1. 8, in Guira deMelena, 11 January 1970.

Birds of a feather - eat together.

  

I think these are starlings in their winter coats.  It has been such a long time since I have seen one that I am not really sure that is what they are.  If anyone can correct me - please do!

Peonies

I have had these peonies for many years but they didn't really do very well in the places that I had them planted.  They grew but didn't produce a lot of flowers until I moved them into this planter a few years ago.  The soil here is very rocky and the stones in the planter were mostly dug up when I was making other flower beds or just laying on the ground.  For a first attempt at building one of these, I think it turned out just fine.   

Mom's Willow

A couple of years ago I went to a funeral that had a fantastic idea - the owners of the funeral home actually planted a tree in memory of the person who had passed.  As the city was quite large and the area quite flat, it was in need of open spaces and trees.  That gave me an idea that although I already have lots of trees I did not have many flowering shrubs or showy trees.  I tried to think of the person that I was dedicating it to and proceeded to plant shrubs and flowering trees in their memory.  My mother was a gardener and spent many hours in her flower and vegetable gardens but also liked shrubs and trees. Her favorite tree was the willow.  There is a wet sloping area at the base of a large rock in my yard that I had previously tried to grow an apple tree in but between the wet soil and the deer, it did not survive.  However this willow has flourished and grows more beautiful every day.  My mother would have loved it. 

White Tailed Deer

I must apologize for the fuzziness of this picture but I could not get a clear one through the window.  This young buck and an older one came to pay us a visit to taste some of the leaves that were close by.  White tailed deer are quite plentiful here but this summer was hotter, the mosquitoes and black flies were fewer and food was plentiful which meant that these shy animals stayed out of sight.  We knew they were around as there were frequent tracks left near the salt lick that we have for them.  They just managed to come in when there was no body to notice them.   In the past week they are starting to move around more and have been spotted several times looking for choice morsels to eat.  I just hope they are smart enough to stay here when it is hunting season where they will be safe. 

Open Canvas

This picture is part of my front yard.  I live on a hill and these rocks are facing the road.  I have been trying to come up with a unique idea on what to do with it.  Any ideas would be welcome.  Comments are also welcomed.

What a great idea!

I guess the pine cone stuffed with peanut butter and rolled in sunflower seeds turned out to be a hit with the chickadees anyway.  Sure didn't take them long to devour that.  Any more ideas for home made bird food out there?  This seems to be the time to get the seed feeders, suet and whatever else you use, started for the winter.  If the birds are lucky I may even try a heated bird fountain this time. 

I tried something new today - at least for me it is new.  I took a pine cone and stuffed it with peanut butter then rolled it in sunflower seeds.  Now I will see if the birds like it.  I have heard that they do but I hope they don't like it too much because there is a lot of peanut butter in there.  I would really like to keep some for myself!

The Raven - Very Intelligent Birds

Red-banded Polypore

Red-banded Polypore

The Red-banded Polypore is only one type of fungi that grows on trees.  For other types of fungi this tree website has lots of pictures. One more way that Mother Nature helps with regenerating our forest ecosystem.

Pileated Woodpecker carpentry

Pileated Woodpeckers make such large holes in dead trees the holes can cause a small tree to break in half. I have seen trees that only have a small bit of the tree left around the outside edge and the hole 3 feet high.  The roost of a Pileated Woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. Pileated Woodpeckers have been seen to move eggs that have fallen out of the nest to another site, a rare habit in birds. The nest is unlined except for wood chips. "Both parents incubate three to five eggs for 15 or 16 days. The young may take a month to leave the nest. 

Beyond my back yard

Although my yard is not on the water, there are several lakes very close and I often have waterfowl passing by.  At this time of year the ducks are busy getting fat stores for their migration south.  They do take the time for a little preening now and then too!  Not only does it make them very beautiful but from necessity their feathers must stay oiled or they would sink.  Preening solves that problem. The attached website has some interesting duck facts

Robins

This poor robin has had quite a summer.  She laid her eggs in the spruce tree and when the babies were about a week old - a hawk decided to have them for lunch.  She laid another set of eggs and this one she managed to keep one chick.  Then she moved to the hazelnut bush and built another nest and the hawk came back for another meal of robin chicks.  Thankfully the other robins in my yard were a little more successful in getting their chicks hatched and fledged and hopefully to return next season.

Hummingbird and Butterfly food?

Flowering plants are also very good bird and butterfly food.  My second favorite thing to do is gardening and as I also want to attract the birds and butterflies, I try to plant things they like as well.   The only thing I find really hard to do is get the pictures when the hummingbirds and butterflies are feeding.  I never seem to have the camera in my hand when I need it.

Blind or very young

Two immature redpoles showed up on my lawn yesterday with only one eye open.  One of them almost looked like the eyelids were fused shut and the other one just looked like he couldn't open it.  Having never encountered such a thing before I don't know if they are just too small or if there is something genetically wrong with them.    They were not the least bit nervous until I actually picked one up as it did not hear me or see me coming.  When I let it go it just hopped away a little distance and sat there.  They were able to fly and eat so I guess I will just watch them as see what happens.  If the eyes open I would never know anyway because there are so many babies around that all look the same. 

Sunflowers

With so many seed eating birds and chipmunks around for the summer it is no wonder I have strange plants growing in my flower gardens and beside my newly prepared stone walkway. One good thing about it is there are now a lot of free sunflower seeds for the birds and the chipmunks.  Every summer I put my indoor house plants on the deck and I am still getting sunflower plants growing in the middle of winter from the seeds that have fallen into the pots or were buried there by the chipmunks so the winter birds get a chance to eat the seeds right from the heads instead of from the feeders. 

Water for birds

The small fountain on the left is the one the birds use when they want to drink or wash their feet.  They will even have a shower in this one.  Naturally they won't do it when you have a camera in your hand  but they do use it.  The small wall fountain on the right is the one they drink from because it is closer to the seed feeders above and to the left of this.  I am sure they would appreciate a bird bath too but there is a small creek close by and they don't really need a birdbath any closer.  The only thing I have noticed is that both fountains need to be cleaned fairly often to prevent the seeds they drop in from sprouting.  For that reason I clean them both once a week and only use clear water.  I am sure that a vinegar solution would work too but the clear water does fine.