Out and About: In My Garden

One of my favorite summer pastimes is hanging out in my garden, binoculars and camera in hand, seeing what birds, butterflies, and critters are visiting or making the garden their home. There has been a record number of bird families this season using the garden to feed their young, splash and drink in the bird baths and fountain, and nest in the porch rafters, pine tree and nestbox. Mourning Doves chose to make a nest in the porch rafters for the second summer in a row. Last year their flimsy nest fell off the rafters with an egg inside. This year they were successful and had one baby. After about two weeks the juvenile stepped out of the nest. A photo is included of parent and child. However, a day or so later the parents were not right near the nest. A Blue Jay flew in at high speed screaming and went right at the juvenile. I jumped up from my porch chair to see birds flying, the nest falling, and no sight of the young dove. I searched the ground and vegetation but no bird. The parents came back to the rafters where the nest had been for three days in a row cooing and looking. It was heartbreaking. After a couple of weeks they made a nest in the pine tree. High winds and torrential rain destroyed the nest. These dove parents have had such a difficult time.

House Wrens have been much more successful in their nesting efforts. They raised one brood in my neighbor's nestbox and soon started another nest inside my nestbox. They currently have a second brood born which should fledge next week. Currently, both wren parents are busy feeding the babies insects throughout the day. They are not afraid to scold and go after birds, squirrels, and cats that get too close to the nest.

Rabbits have been around on a regular basis and one is very fond of violet leaves so I call her Violet. My young friends Colin and Keegan brought me a tree frog to live in the garden. They said it looked like a rock so we named it Rocky. It disappeared up the maple tree. Monarchs have been in the garden daily, sometimes three at a time. They have laid lots of eggs on the milkweed and take nectar from the flowers. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been zipping around sipping at the sugar water feeders, trumpet vine, New York Ironweed and Phlox.I am always sad to see the hummers leave. The males go before the females by the end of August.

Hoping everyone is enjoying their gardens, summer activities, and getting out and about to see some cool things. My latest fascination is bog plants. I've added a photo of a small bog island at an Adirondack pond. Sundews and Pitchers, and Sphagnum... Oh My!!!

Stepping Out.  Mourning Dove Juvenile

Parent and Child

Note the Flimsy Nest of the Mourning Dove

An Angry Look from this Juvenile Robin

That's Better

Violet

Father and Daughter Cardinals

Grackles

Monarch Butterfly on Common Milkweed

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth in Hosta Flower

Moth Just Backed Out of Flower

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth at Phlox

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Sitting to Dine

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Dart the Dragonfly. It darts off this perch for insect

House Wren Bringing Insect Meal for Babies

Bringing Out Fecal Sac

Out on Round Lake. Bald Eagle

Bog Island on Adirondack Pond

Out and About: Wild About Wildflowers

Each Spring I spend a lot of time looking for and admiring the beautiful wildflowers we have in Round Lake and beyond. While out and about I get to hear and see lots of birds, maybe a cool rock formation, a lovely flowing stream, a peaceful pond. It's always a wonderful time in the woods enjoying nature. Here's what I've been treated to during May and the first week of June.

Trillium Rock Garden at Inman Pond

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Marsh Marigold along Peck Avenue Stream Bank

Painted Trillium at the Hennig Preserve

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Peck Avenue Woods

Lady's Slipper at Woods Hollow Preserve

Lovely Lupines at Wilton Wildlife Preserve

 Blue Karner Caterpillars Feed only on Wild Lupine Leaves

Lady's Slipper Sisters at Wilton Wildlife Preserve

Starflower and Shadow

Bunchberries at Inman Pond

Glowegee Creek

Cadman Creek at Hennig Preserve

Lake Bonita

Part of an Enormous Boulder at Inman Pond

Lake Ann

Out and About: Happy Earth Day!!! Spring Wildflowers.

I have always loved flowers. When I was four years old my next door neighbor took me for a walk to a stream to pick violets for my mother for Mother's Day. It was the first memory I have of flowers. How lovely to remember picking them near my home and giving them as a gift. I have many violets in my garden today. My Dad had a part-time job as a gardener. He grew and tended a beautiful rose garden, as well as, a cutting garden with zinnias and dahlias. I loved going with him some Saturday mornings to run around the small estate he cared for and gardened at and to smell and cut some flowers to bring home. I especially loved the smell of the potting shed which had dank and musty odors from flower pots, gardening tools, soils and fertilizers.For thirty years or so, I have looked for wildflowers in the woods and gardens locally and on hikes in the Adirondacks. Spring Wildflowers are stunning, fleeting, and a gift. Thank you, Mother Nature. You are Incredible. Happy Earth Day all!!!

Wild Ginger

Bloodroot

Trout Lily

Meadow Rue Leafing Out

Blue Cohosh Unfurling

Dutchman's Breeches

Yellow Violet

Long-spurred Violet

May Apple

Sharp-lobed Hepatica

Carolina Spring Beauties with Pink Pollen

Red Trillium

  All these flowers are in our local preserves: Ballston Creek Preserve- the Carolina Spring Beauties carpet the forest floor. Shenantaha Creek Park has an Abundance of wildflowers by the creek and up on the Zim-Smith trail. In Round Lake we have Bloodroot on the Zim going towards the old railroad bridge, either side of the trail going down the banks. In the Peck Avenue woods we have Trilliums, Trout Lilies, and Jack-in the-Pulpit.

Out and About: Winter Outings

 It has been another winter of mainly wearing microspikes with hiking boots. Trails get tramped down after a snowfall by skiers and snowshoers and then there's melt, refreeze, melt, refreeze. The trails become a slipperly slope. Microspikes are perfect for these conditions and stretch right over hiking or snow boots. They bite into the ice and keep you from slipping and sliding. I use hiking poles too and am a happy upright hiker! I have my snowshoes along for the ride in case conditions call for them instead. You really don't know what you need on your feet until you get to the trailhead. Here's what I've been seeing out and about.

Wisp

100 Acre Woods Malta

100 Acre Woods But where's Pooh???

See Through

This Tree was struck by lightening in 100 Acre Woods

Contrast

Cold Morning at Moreau

Wonderful Tree Snag to house Wildlife at Moreau

Leaf Shadow Leaf Shadow

Dino at Woods Hollow Preserve

Festooned

Porch Penquin. Loved finding this little guy!

Stream by Goldfoot Road R.L.

Bull Thistles

Meadow at Meadowbrook Preserve Queensbury

Halfway Brook at Meadowbrook Preserve

Delegan Brook at Wilton Wildlife Preserve

Two-faced Snow Person on Zim-Smith Trail

The Other Face

Stream at Ushers Road State Forest

Up and Over

Tree Fungus at Ushers

A Close Look at Red Squirrel Tracks at Van Dusen Preserve Queensbury

And they're coming up and down the tree