I woke up at 4:30 am for the reason most older people wake up sometime between (and sometimes more often than once between) midnight and dawn. That taken care of, I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I picked up one of Allan Mallanson’s “Matthew Hervey” military history novels, Words of Command, and tried to Read More…
Tag: Nature
More plants, a view or two…
Depending on what the software lets me do, this time. Here’s a plant I’ve seen in the wet areas, but hadn’t identified even to genus before. I’m sure this is an Echinodorus, one of the water-plantains, but not sure of the species yet. We saw it in the “swamp overflow” that had actually had water Read More…
Fields, woods, and a Vulture
I forgot to put this one in, the other day. In my own nomenclature, this is Mama Undertaker who is quite concerned about the human taking pictures of her family, peering around at me with a very suspicious expression. Over the past few days, we’ve been down to and through the woods (I went only Read More…
Another New Species: Carolina Mantis
R- was in the barn, and spotted (because it jumped off the overturned water tub he was planning to sit on) a pale gray preying mantis (try saying that four times fast!) I’m off to BugGuide.net to see what I can find. Praying Mantis Stagmomantis carolina photo September 9, 2021, ID confirmed via BugGuide.net Read More…
80 Acres: Get the Light Right
Today I went up to Fox Pavilion, added water to the wildlife waterer, and then headed *down* the North fence Trail and not up it. Also about an hour later, so the sun would be higher. And as usual…getting the light right makes the pictures much, much better. There were four Black Vultures sitting together Read More…
80 Acres–Other Views of Fall
Views of the grass to woods margin: I was north of Center Walk, where the Indiangrass had stopped, and the only tallgrass is Little Bluestem. The purple thistle-y looking plants aren’t thistles at all, but Eryngo, which is related to pineapple. Distantly. The grass has greened up after six-tenths of an inch of rain night Read More…
What Was That?!
There’s always something new. Sometimes pretty, sometimes not. Sometimes a known thing I’m glad (or sorry, like an invasive alien plant) to see. And sometimes a total mystery–not just a UID (unidentified) bird or plant, but a mystery that’s startling and stops me in my tracks. This morning I went out as usual, to do Read More…
80 Acres Fall Has Begun
Signs of fall: departure: seeding of warm-season grasses: the yellow spear-heads of Indiangrass, the color shift of the seedheads of Big Bluestem, the graceful dangling seeds of sideoats grama, the rich purple and silver of Eryngo, the spikes of gayfeather suddenly showing up, with faint color before they open to their own shade of purple, Read More…
80-Acres: Another New Species
This is a grass that either hasn’t been here before or we just didn’t notice it and get it keyed out. It really took off in this wet year. It’s in both the East Grass, up near the top of the Near Meadow, and across the creek in the area never cropped that we know Read More…
Encouraging Spikes in WriterBrain and Other Oddities
Weight continues to drop, though as is typical, not as fast as I want it to. 23 pounds down, in total. My morning walks are longer and faster, but I have acquired a sore toe that demanded I skip two days or else. Was back out with the circuit that includes something around or slightly Read More…