This is a native British orchid, not one you see very often. The typical location would be in a beech wood on chalk. The plants I saw today are nowhere near chalk - ten miles plus to the nearest significant chalky soil I would guess, and are growing under confers. I found this little stand of plants several years ago, and I try to check on them every year. Orchids are very good at finding and exploiting microenvironments, and I assume this is the case with these flowers - maybe someone dumped limestone waste at the site at some time in the past, or something like that, and so the soil conditions are right. Who knows?
This dude (or dudette, as the case may be) was out front of our house yesterday. He’s a Florida softshell turtle. I thought my husband had scuffed him with the mower (you can see the scrapes on top) but husband said no, maybe he got that squeezing under the fence. Turtle seemed okay, if not exactly delighted to see me.
Buzzards are medium-large raptors with robust bodies and broad wings, or, alternatively, any bird of the genus Buteo (also commonly known as "hawks in North America, while “buzzard” is colloquially used for vultures).
The link of a buzzard mewing is Buteo buteo and Beck you’d say the video is a hawk, givin’ that lonesome cry.
Bold little dude. It really does sound like a “meowl” too!
I always knew one of the biggest things I’d miss about moving from Texas was gonna be the mockingbirds. Leaving the state my Other Shoe had always called home (a Tx boy, through an’ thru) felt a bit like a betrayal, and I’ve really been missing him lately.
Seeing another bold little mimic bird - who took the time to show off his courage as I walked up - felt a bit like my Shoe saying “hello” to me.
I bought a new hummingbird feeder and put it up a few days ago. Yesterday I saw 1 bird feeding. Today it has been discovered by at least 3 hummingbirds and there are territory battles as they chase each other away from the feeder. It happens to hang next to my finch feeder so there was an amusing scene where a hummingbird was perched on the feeder and when a chickadee landed on the finch feeder the hummingbird quickly turned it’s head to see if it was about to get chased off.
Saw a large Cottonmouth snake on the edge of the pond. The mud is red clay colored and that snake was well camouflaged. Would’ve been dead easy to step on him if you weren’t observant.
I saw it just in time to keep Betsy Beagle from going down to the waters edge.
Aaaaccckkk!
I’ve been watching a Mother squirrel and her 2 babies all summer. She inexplicably has a nest in the stump of a tree a storm blew over. Only about 2 ft off the ground.
She regularly robs the bird feeders.
Recently she’s been being aggressive to the babies who are about as large as herself, now.
I think they will decamp soon.
Time for Mother to get remarried.
I was throwing a little corn out hoping she would leave the bird feeders alone. That attracted Grackles. They chase off the songbirds. Bullies.
I got stung on the forehead Saturday. By what could only be described as a ‘“Murder Hornet”’!!!
Duh, duhduh…duh.!!
probably run of the mill wasp, I’m being overly dramatic
So…this morning I had Son-of-a-wrek go under the deck and see if a wasp nest has been rebuilt. Armed with wasp spray and handgun under his arm, he headed in.
Look here, they laughed and laughed at my cyclops sting on my forehead.
Son gets 2 stings on his hand before he can get out from under the deck, and I thought I was dramatic. He carried on like he was gonna die.
We doctored him up.
I have to admit his hand looked horrible.
My sting started throbbing again.
Bastard, Murder Hornets. I just know they’re here.
I walked down the path behind our house and saw a star-nosed mole! It was dead unfortunately and still had the silvery saliva strands from whatever killed it on its body. I’m assuming I scared away the killer. I’ve never seen a star-nosed mole before. He was a lot bigger than I thought. When I went back down the path a few hours later it was gone, so the killer had returned and had its meal.
I read up on the mole and found some very interesting facts. They can forage underwater in streams and even build tunnels that exit underwater. They are able to smell underwater too. They’re excellent swimmers and have even been seen swimming in ice-covered water. They’re pretty cool animals.
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