It’s been a strange week here at my house! Sunday night I felt like something was in my right eye. I didn’t think much of it until Sunday morning when the entire right side of my face started to hurt as if thousands of needles […]
All posts filed under: In my Garden
Hummingbird Magic!
Black Magic Penstemon are hummingbird magnets! This rufous hummingbird is feasting … flitting from blossom to blossom … back and forth … up and down … and around and around … until it’s time to move on! 🙂
Up Close & Personal … Hairy Woodpecker Fledglings
Last summer we had a large number of woodpecker parents bringing their fledglings to our suet feeders. This year not so much! I suspect that it has probably been too hot for the birds too around here. It certainly has been way too hot for […]
Up Close & Personal … The Varied Thrush
I’ll always remember the first time I spotted one of these birds! It was on a very cold winter morning in our garden in Portland, Oregon. I had to get the bird field guide out since I’d never seen this bird before and learned they […]
Up Close & Personal … The Western Swallowtail Butterfly
It’s getting hot here in the Pacific Northwest! Much of the western United States is dealing with excessive heat right now. Yesterday, it was 125° Fahrenheit in Palm Springs!! While most people wilt under these brutal conditions, butterflies and hardy wildflowers come alive! Long ago […]
Happy Friday from my Plum Tree!
The year after planting this plum tree we got a bumper crop of fruit! But ever since, when the tree awakens in the spring there are lots of blossoms, but no fruit. Nontheless, I love this tree! It provides nectar for hummers and mason bees […]
Hummingbird Magic!
A little cleaning, a little preening, there really are moments when these very active birds sit still. 🙂
Happy Friday from my Garden!
This Western Swallowtail has taken a liking to my Korean lilac bush. It visits every day and always heads straight for these fragrant blossoms. Just take a look at the proboscis covered in pollen! I watched until it disappeared into the woods along with the […]
Happy Mother’s Day from my Garden!
Happy Mother’s Day from my Garden! What better place to be than outside on a lovely day. The garden is starting to show its most beautiful side during this time of spring. The heavenly fragrance of lilac blossoms attracted the first western swallowtail of the season. […]
Up Close & Personal … The Female Black-Headed Grosbeak
In my last post I highlighted the male black-headed grosbeak. Here are some photographs of a female black-headed grosbeak. Her overall appearance is much more plain than her male counterpart. Her body is buff colored and her wings have white markings. The white stripes on […]
Up Close & Personal … The Black-headed Grosbeak
Every morning when I wake up I thank my lucky stars! When we moved to Portland almost 16 years ago I wasn’t sure I’d like it. But sometimes we don’t have a choice where life takes us. In the end it turned out to be […]
Happy Friday from my Birdwatching Granddogter!
Meet Dingo, our “granddogter”! One of our sons adopted her from a rescue organization nearly two years ago. She’ a bit of a mutt, including German Shepard, possibly some Shar Pei and a whole lot of lovable. Like all happy dogs, Dingo loves to search […]
Up Close & Personal … Yellow Finches for Trish!
For many years we rarely got more than a handful of American Goldfinches in our garden. I’d buy some thistle seed, fill the feeder and wait … … until the thistle seeds finally got moldy. Since just about all birds love black oil sunflower seeds […]
Up Close & Personal … The Pineapple Lily
Many, many years ago I bought a small package of pineapple lily bulbs at Fred Meyer. They were half off, so I figured it was worth trying to grow them. They’ve done quite well and bloom year after year. They’ve even survived a few ice […]
Hummingbird Magic!
Hummers are resourceful when procuring their nectar. They are very agile and can fly in any direction, including upside! They weigh about 3 grams or approximately the weight of a penny. Look at her standing on the Rose of Sharon blossom! It’s just so much […]
Up Close & Personal … One Glorious Daffodil
One sign that spring is springing in my garden is when the daffodils start blooming. The sun has been shining a little more, but it’s still quite cold some days. I look forward to spending more time outside in the sun. 🙂
Hummingbird Magic!
Yes, another hummingbird favorite growing in my garden! This red salvia is also loved by bees, bumblebees and butterflies. Whenever the hummers discover an especially tasty blossom … … they stay focused on the flower and stick their beaks all the way in. Until they […]
in cahoots with muddy boots 