Flying South

Canadian Geese A week ago the temperature dove into the teens and remained below freezing for two successive nights. As if Mother Nature's alarm clock went off, the skies are filled with migrating birds heading south. Thought for the Day: The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything …

Back Scratcher

Blue Heron - 2018 How do you get to that itch on your back that's just beyond your reach? Back up to a wall's outside corner and do the "Hokey Pokey". But, Mother Nature gave the Blue Heron a long neck so he could avoid the Hokey Pokey. Thought for the Day: I believe in …

Copious Sea Shells

Sanibel Island If you like sea shells, Sanibel Island, Florida is your little piece of heaven. Every high tide deposits another thick layer of sea shells of all colors, shapes and sizes. Another wonder of Mother Nature. Thought for the Day: In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.Aristotle

Frosty Morning

Mother Nature has a way of keeping you on your toes. In Nebraska, you never get bored with the weather -- it's always changing. Just when you think the weather is perfect, (relative to what?), the weather changes ... drastically. After several days of unseasonaly balmy weather (60's), the weather turned drastically to 3-4 days …

Oh! Deer Me!

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 …

Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Rest Stop First of July and the butterfly garden looks to be in good shape. In full bloom are Gaillardia (yellow), miniature Cone Flower (pink) and Soapwort (white), commonly called "Bouncing Betty". Behind these colorful perennials are Common Milkweed, where Monarch Butterfly lay their eggs. Also, Goldenrod, Nebraska's state flower, and giant Sunflower. I'm …

Black Swallowtail

Brrr!  It was cold the day I found this Black Swallowtail butterfly on the lawn, temp in the 40's and strong winds.  It was motionless; I thought it was frozen ... or dead, but flapped its wings when I tried to pick it up. I placed it on my deck so it wouldn't get stepped …

Sea Stars

Thousands of Sea Stars had washed ashore on Sanibel Island.  I'd never seen or heard of these before -- Star Fish yes, but never Sea Stars.  The one pictured above measures about 10-12" across, a large one; most were 6-8". What I found interesting was where they were located on the beach -- on the …

Uber Sand Trap

The Nebraska Sand Hills are basically a grass-stabilized desert, with gently rolling "dunes" that cover a quarter of the state.  As barren as the land appears on the top, below it sits the Ogallala Aquifer, which is the largest body of ground water in the world. The hardy prairie grass is well suited for the …

Black-eyed Beauty

What can I say?   "I stepped on a rake?" ...uh, "you shoulda seen the other guy?" ... uh, or maybe, "I got kicked by a mule?"  Nah, nothing that dramatic -- just a bit of skin cancer removed. The ignorance of my generation caught up with me; sunscreen didn't exist when I was a …

Look Closely

I'm not color blind by any means, but I wouldn't say I'm a color expert either ... just a guy with an average "color IQ".   So, I was surprised to find a full palette of colors in this palm tree. I found this average-looking palm tree on the grounds of a Florida condominium.  Nothing …

Mutant Apple

Where did this odd ball come from?  Picking apples at a commercial apple farm near Mondamin, Iowa has become an annual fall ritual for me and the fam.  Clean country air, several varieties to choose from, and lots of fun. I found this half yellow, half red apple in a row of Chieftan apple trees; …

Another Day

Two days ago it was another balmy day in the midwest, with unseasonably warm weather and no moisture in sight.   Just three nights ago, I took this same shot, click Christmas Traditions 3, and the lawn was still green. What a difference a day makes!  Last night, Mother Nature blessed us with over 8" of …