At first I thought I was seeing a Monarch Butterfly - I've seen several in recent days. But when I carefully stalked the orange butterfly with my camera, I found it was smaller. Flitting amongst the small yellow wildflowers flowers in my garden in Anchor Bay, it landed long enough for me to photograph it. Some loveliness for you today!
Earlier this week Rick looked out the window to find a Jackrabbit running up and down a portion of a trail in front of our house in Anchor Bay. We couldn't fathom what was going on! The Jackrabbit continued for several minutes, long enough for me to get my camera. I quietly went out on the deck, hoping it would reappear for its close-up. Rick whispered, "Here he comes again." I snapped a picture and the Rabbit froze, looking up at me. I was about 40 yards away. The Rabbit stared for several minutes while I took a few more photos and then high-tailed it out of there. The photos were taken in heavy fog. Perhaps you could consider it mood lighting!
Rick noticed it first - a strange-looking bird sitting on the railing of our deck at 11:00 a.m. Just a foot or so away was a Steller's Jay. I ran for my camera and Rick grabbed his binoculars. Rick said, "It's a tiny Owl!" I took these photo through a window. You can see the "eyes" on the back of its head - a key identifier of a Pygmy. We were thrilled with this Owl's visit.
Rick and I walk every day, in fact twice a day, as demanded by our Golden Retriever, Huckleberry. On a path that leads to the forest floor a Dyer's Polypore, Phaeolus schweinitzii, appeared overnight. We were amazed! What life force mushrooms have to grow so fast.
This mushroom isn't good to eat but it has so much pigment that people use it to dye fabric. Depending on the age of the Polypore the color is yellow, gold, brown or orange. It has a part to play in nature as it breaks down dead wood into nutrients. There are several dead trees - snags - where this mushroom grows.
The first picture is the first day it appeared. The second is four days later.
A pair of Acorn Woodpeckers showed up at our feeder in Anchor Bay with three fledglings. Rick and I have been enjoying hearing and watching them. For the past two weeks the parents have been practicing tough love, pecking at the young ones and flying away when they begged for food. It looks like the tough love has paid off as the young Acorns were at our feeder this weekend.
My best to you this lovely day! Jeanne Jackson