Black Swallowtail butterflies arrive late in the summer. But with cooler weather on the horizon, I think this guy is taking off ... for good. Thought for the Day: Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it … Continue reading Ready for Take-Off
Category: Nature
Mystery Flower I found this flower blooming in mid summer in a pasture near Niobrara, NE. It looked at home among the tall prairie grass, rolling hills and cattle. Can you identify it? Please let me know. Thought for the Day: It is the sweet, simple things of life that are the real ones after … Continue reading Prairie Flower
Purple & Orange Mexican Sunflower and Aster can be quite spactacular when they bloom at the same time ... and invade each other's space. These are some of the latest flowers to bloom, giving us one last blast of vivd color before everything starts turning brown. Love it while it lasts! Thought for the Day: … Continue reading Complimentary Colors
Blue Aster The Blue Aster are in full bloom now, which have attracted a gazillion pollinators. The bees are gorging themselves. In flight, they look like they need a designated driver. Thought for the Day: When you shoot an arrow of truth, dip its point in honey.Arab Proverb
pollinator Thought for the Day: Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.Leo Tolstoy
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant This strange plant showed up in my new wildflower garden. I contacted the source where I bought the "Pollinator Mix" to identify it, and was informed it is a Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. Hmmm, I thought the mix was native Nebraskan wildflowers. (Who cares!?) The wildflowers I planted this spring to … Continue reading New Flower
Clematis The clematis bush that provided such vibrant color in late spring (see here) now looks like this. This is the seed pod for future generations of clematis. Even though the plant is well beyond its prime this time of year, I still see unique beauty in it. Thought for the Day: The best and … Continue reading Clematis Left-Overs
Breakfast is Served The pelicans were very active at mid-morning at the Wildlife Safari near Ashland, NE. Thought for the Day: A wonderful bird is a pelican,His bill will hold more than his belican.He can take in his beakFood enough for a week;But I'm damned if I see how the helican.Dixon Lanier Merritt
Milkweed Believe it or not, this is National Pollinator Week. What will they think of next!? My Common Milkweed, host plant for the Monarch butterfly, are going gang busters this year. They are hearty and robust with huge flower heads. I gave up trying to cultivate them; now I just let them come up where … Continue reading Milkweed
Winter - 2021 Today's temperature will read in triple digits. Predicted to be at least 104, it will definitely break the record for June 17th in Omaha, NE. If you don't like the heat, just think about last winter when the temperature never got above zero in three days. Less than four months ago, February … Continue reading Triple Digits
3 weeks old The Bison calf kept close to its mother, and both were in the middle of the herd. The herd's constant movement allowed occasional glimpses of the calf, but typically it was lying down in the tall vegetation. With a little patience I was able to get this shot from the safety of … Continue reading Bison Calf
Nest Building A pair of wrens are busy building a nest in my wren house. Less than a month ago, I cleaned out the wren house and rehung it in a new location. Thought for the Day: The future belongs to those who prepare for it.Jim Moran
Wren's Nest The common House Wren is an interesting bird. Very industrious and known for their loud singing for such a small bird. The male wren starts several nests before looking for a mate. He gets the nests started with small twigs, then goes courting. The female then selects her favorite nest and finishes building … Continue reading Wren
Muskrat Whether hunting with a gun or a camera, sometimes you come home empty handed. I drove 100 miles to "shoot" the annual northern migration of Snow Geese, but the howling wind spoiled that. Birds were hunkered down and it was all I could do to stand up. I took shelter in the leeward side … Continue reading Muskrat
Snow Drop After a bitterly cold February, March has come in like a lamb. Signs of Spring are poking through the ground that was buried in 12" of snow only two weeks ago. Thought for the Day: When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.Ernest Hemmingway
Estes Park - 2014 Thought for the Day: Will you look back on your life and say, "I wish I had ..." or "I'm glad I did ..."?Zig Zigler
Summer Flower Thought for the Day: The measure of a man is what he does with power.Plato
Jellyfish - 2019 At first glance you might think this is a new stream of the novel coronavirus. Nothing that exotic. Just a simple shot of jellyfish taken at the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida. Thought for the Day: Life is a beautiful magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish.Charlie Chaplin
Ice Covered Tree After a cold dreary yesterday with freezing rain overnight, a bright sunny morning provided a visual treat. Thought for the Day: Some old -fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mule Deer Ever seen such big ears!? This mule deer doe must have sensed I was no threat, her fear instinct did not overtake her curiosity. But, she was cautious, only allowing one camera shot before returning to her breakfast. Even though she wasn't looking at me while grazing, her ears always pointed in my … Continue reading Big Ears
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