Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Sony SLT-A77V
Forked Tongue
I’m not a ophiologist, but I believe this is a Western Fox Snake – also commonly called a Pine Snake. This formidable looking serpent, measuring a bit longer than 4 feet, was spotted gliding across our lawn. My camera’s fast shutter speed stopped that quickly flicking tongue. My apologies to those who are creeped out by snakes.
Here’s a bit of info about this type of snake from a Wisconsin DNR publication…
Family: Colubridae Size: 36-56 in. Status: Common
The fox snake has many large reddish-brown, chocolate brown, or black mid-dorsal blotches along its back and other smaller blotches on its sides on a background color of yellow, tan or olive gray. The head of adults is usually a dark copper, rust or orange color. They live in a variety of open habitats including marshes, sedge meadows, prairies and old fields. Their diet consists primarily of rodents and ground-nesting birds. Young fox snakes will occasionally eat amphibians. This species is the most frequently encountered snake in people’s homes, especially if the house has an old rock foundation where the snake(s) may be hunting for food or hibernating in the basement. The fox snake is often mistaken for the venomous copperhead snake due to its head color, and subsequently is often killed. Copperheads do not live in or near Wisconsin. Fox snakes are also often mistaken for rattlesnakes, as they often ‘rattle” their tails in dry leaves, grasses or against objects when disturbed.
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Thriving Mist Daisy
I found this delightfully healthy bunch of daisies growing wild in a ditch near my home. I photographed them on a foggy morning, which provided the moisture.
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Singing for Supper
These young tree swallows are hungry and waiting for mom to serve up lunch. They are only about a week old, but growing fast. There are six in this nest box; one of several around our property.
Normally, when you open the nest box to look in our their progress, these young birds are very calm and sleep-like. I trick them to stretch and open their mouths my faking them out with a little whistle. When the mom returns with food, her motherly chirp will perk them up and they open up for the meal she’s brought. So, all it takes it is a little chirp of a whistle and they all bob up, mouths open, waiting. Don’t worry, they don’t stay hungry and wanting for long. Within in moments after close up the house, the parents are flying back in and out with food for them.
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Flying the Flag
Happy flag day, U.S.A!
The opening ceremony of the 2013 E.A.A. AirVenture air show included parachutists flying and delivering American flags. I’m patriotic enough to get sentimental over a sight like this.
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Stream of Joy
Dreamer’s Dawn
They sky was alive with exceptional color yesterday morning, as you can see from this photo taken from the beach in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
Lake Michigan was calm and the clouds seemed to direct our attention to the tiny lighthouse silhouette on the horizon. This was taken just before sunrise.
I don’t normally get out to capture sunrises during the work week, but when I first woke up and saw this developing, I made an exception and headed for the beach.
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Overflow Seating
Every spring we look forward to the return of bluebirds and tree swallows. We have next boxes around the edges of our yard to encourage homesteading. It’s always a treat to see them building their nests and then watch as the eggs hatch and the babies develop.
This is a view inside a nest box claimed by Eastern Bluebirds. These baby bluebirds are becoming quite cramped in the small confines of the nest box. Though you can’t see all of them, there are five youngsters piled on top of each other. In a short time (I’m guessing a week or less), they will leave the nest.
When looking in on this crowd, we had to be sure none of them spilled out…which they almost did.
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Lake Effects
The cold waters of Lake Michigan surround the Kewaunee Lighthouse and Pier, on the lake’s western shore. This was taken just before sunrise from the beach.
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Apple Blossom Time
It’s A Spring Thing
The fanciful colors of spring are sprouting with the new branch of a young tree. Spring came late this year but, in this case, it came with a burst of color.
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