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 […]
All posts tagged: close-up photography
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 […]
Happy Friday from the Sharon Hite Rose Garden!
This beautiful little rose garden is tucked into a corner of my favorite park, the North Clackamas Park in Milwaukie, Oregon. Over the past year I walked through here many times to keep track of the roses blooming and to sometimes sit down and […]
Up Close & Personal … Moth Mullein
When I noticed this tall flower stalk with its brightly colored blossoms at the park last summer I thought that it might be some kind of wild orchid. I had seen it in the exact same spot in previous years but never bothered to investigate […]
Zunday Zen … The Cycle of Life
fallen pinecones decaying blooms prickly conifer needles springtime sunbeams a picturesque naturemade mess The Cycle of Life! 🙂
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 […]
Hummingbird Magic!
If hummingbirds could talk, they’d probably say that they love salvias. This black and blue salvia is another hummingbird favorite. I love how the hummers never miss the flower openings, no matter how tiny or oddly shaped. My garden and the visiting creature always have […]
Hummingbird Magic!
Hummingbirds, just like butterflies, love Alstroemeria flowers! When these flowers start to bloom, this invasive patch of blossoms gets quite busy. My alstroemeria started out in a two inch pot and that has taken over a large flower bed. In moments I wish I hadn’t […]
Up Close & Personal … The Bufflehead
Buffleheads belong to the duck family. They are commonly spotted in woodland lakes, ponds and in sheltered coastal areas. Â Male buffleheads are easily identified by their dark black heads with large, white patches that reach from their eyes to the back of the crowns. White […]
Up Close & Personal … The Marbled Godwit
Whenever visit Sonoma County, California, I stop by Bodega Head and Doran Beach. Most visits I’ll go there several times. The beaches there are simply spectacular! And rarely crowded. During my last visit, as I was driving along Westshore Road toward the town of Bodega Bay, […]
Happy Friday from my Climate Change Friendly Gardeners!
All of last summer we had this personalized gardening service! First I thought there were just two of them. A big one and a small one. Mostly they stayed in the grassy area where they’d nibble on what isn’t much of a lawn. They happily […]
Baby! It’s Cold Outside!
When the weather people announced snow for Portland last week, I got excited. “Lucky me”, I thought! “I’ll build a snowman!” 😉 Anticipating cold temps, I plugged in my hummer feeder heater to keep the nectar from freezing. Soon, snowflakes were falling, a frigid gorge […]
Hummingbird Magic!
When I looked out the window today I saw red! Brilliant, bright, shiny red! He looked like a red traffic signal! So I stopped what I was doing and ran outside with my camera. This male Anna’s hummingbird (and several others) have taken a liking […]
Happy Friday from my Garden!
All summer long my garden gets visited by these beautiful Western Swallowtails. They very much love the butterfly bushes I planted, but really go crazy over Peruvian lilies. The swallowtails love basking in the hot afternoon sun and feed on the Alstroemeria’s nectar. Once they land […]
Sunday Zen … My Walking Meditation
my nature park … my walking meditation … always done without hesitation … sometimes fast … sometimes slow … since there’s no other place to go … watching squirrels … watching birds … I’ve become a nature nerd … 😉 Sure, I won’t win a […]
in cahoots with muddy boots 