Bumble Bees
And Butterflies
Hummingbirds
And Dragonflies
Vibrant colors
Soaring Hawks
Curling tongues
And “tuckered” dogs
The simple joys that summer brings
Beautiful blossoms and lovely wings
While I was outside, snapping a few pictures of flowers between showers…
this Hummingbird Moth showed up.
These are extremely cool creatures, that have a bee like body with hummingbird mannerisms.
They are far too flitty to get in clear focus, but too fascinating not to share!
I hope he keeps showing up and enjoying the blossoms.
Summer and Sunflowers go hand in hand, so on this day where (here in the U.S.) we welcome the start of the season, a post featuring these flowers seemed the perfect fit.
My front yard looks so cheerful right now, as I have a bunch of these beauties blossoming.
Whenever I walk outside, it seems like they are smiling and giving me a friendly greeting. Some are of the larger variety…
…while others are a bit daintier.
You’d better bee-lieve it when I say that I’m not the only one who can’t seem to resist their glorious loveliness.
Anyway you look at them…
…Sunflowers put the sun in summer. 🙂
Photography time has been limited lately, with the addition of a playful pup to the mix. Still, I try to head out when I can and see who shows up and is willing to pose for a picture.
This Red-winged Blackbird has been one of the most frequent visitors this week. Â I love when you can see the splash of red that is on his wings.
Hearing that the theme was “black with a splash of red,” Tucker (who already doesn’t like to be left out of anything!) decided to get in on the action, only he took the splash part literally!
This fellow is too cute…bursts of badness, but still cute!
It’s that time of year where several of my backyard birds have started to molt, losing some of their old worn out feathers and replacing them with fresh new ones.
Some do it gradually, and end up looking a bit scruffy, like this Blue Jay…
…while others (like this Cardinal) drop their feathers in chunks, and end up looking scary ugly!
Meanwhile, as my birds are losing feathers, Tucker is losing his puppy teeth. Â This makes him want to chew, chew, and then chew some more.
Today, I let him run around the backyard with a hard plastic aloe container, which brought him great delight.
In between serious bouts of teething, he would jump in the fountain and channel his inner Cujo!
Eventually, he opted to simply take the container into the fountain.
My birds are losing their feathers, my dog is losing his puppy teeth, and I’m pretty sure I am losing my mind! Â Ah well, life is good!
The juvenile Woodpeckers have definitely been enjoying the bounty of the backyard.
Like this young male Red-bellied who stopped in for a bite of Bark Butter.
He was happily munching until this grumpy Grackle showed up…
…at which point the young fellow opted to take cover until the coast was clear.
When he returned to his feasting, he was a bit cautious, keeping an eye out for the arrival of any other intruders.
Meanwhile, another young male was enjoying the bounty of the backyard.
Tucker, who is adapting quite nicely to his new home, is learning to occupy himself for awhile while I take bird pictures – and puppy pictures of course.
His typical routine is something like, find a stick to chew…
…wash it down with a refreshing drink…
…then find another stick to chew.
I think he’s turning out to be a fine backyard birdnerd companion. 🙂
It’s time for Tucker to begin his training.
If you happened to see my last post, you know that Tucker is a handsome four month old lab mix we adopted last weekend. Â We initially thought we were going to adopt he and his sister both (my heart sometimes thinks faster than my head!) but for the safety of our older dog and the sanity of our home, we decided to let another loving family adopt Piper.
Anyway, I figured if Tucker is going to be a backyard birdnerd companion, he might as well get started on his training.
So, while I took pictures of this Nuthatch…
…and this young Downy Woodpecker…
…Tucker made sure the waterfall fountain was just the right temperature in case a bird wanted to brave getting a bath.
He also helped collect some Bark Butter branches, although I think he prefers to label them “Tucker toys.”
Having a puppy is like having a toddler in the house, but he is a quick learner and has already stolen my heart.
I mean, what’s not to love about this face?
And if you are considering adopting a Lab, check out Labrador Friends of the South – a volunteer rescue organization that was wonderful to work with!
