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
Category: Nature
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
Milkweed Seeds The milkweed seed pods are finally drying out, opening and letting the wind spread their seeds far and wide. Fine "hair" on the seeds blowing in the wind reminded me of fireworks. Thought for the Day: We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we … Continue reading Milkweed Fireworks
Bee on Aster The New England Aster is beautiful, but patience is required to see it. It doesn't bloom until October. With the exception of the Mum, most every other flower in the garden has lost its bloom. I like the Aster because it attracts the bees, probably their last easy meal for awhile. The … Continue reading New England Aster
Young Doe I was surprised as she was. Our eyes met simultaneously and the realization of what we saw froze us both. The young doe seemed more curious than afraid, no flight instinct was apparent. She just stood there while I took several pictures, as if modeling for the paparazzi. After a while she sauntered … Continue reading Oh! Deer Me!
Musk Thistle Late summer, the beautiful Musk Thistle appears in pastures and road sides. The hummingbirds love it, the farmers hate it. It is considered a noxious weed. Contrary to popular belief, the Musk Thistle is not poisonous to cattle. The main beef (pun intended) against the Musk thistle is its thorny stalk and spiked … Continue reading Thistle
Snapping Turtle The oldest and largest Common Snapping Turtle in the world resides at the Schramm Educational Center south of Gretna, NE. Over 80 years old and weighing 95 lbs, he is a crowd pleaser at feeding time. As ferocious as he looks, a head scratch from his handler is always welcome. Thought for the … Continue reading Big Snapper
Shades of Green This shaded part of the yard gets very little direct sunlight. The early morning light allows the ivy to glow among the other shades of green. Thought for the Day: I awoke, only to see that the rest of the world is still asleep.Leonardo da Vinci
Bzzzzzzzz Just watching a bee for a short while will make you tired. Never staying in one place too long, wings working faster than 1,000 beats per second and bouncing from one flower to the next, the bee is always in motion. Observe a bee for a short time and the phrase "busy as a … Continue reading Busy Bee
