“Do not let fear confine your life inside a shell of doubt; A turtle never moves until his head is sticking out.” ~ Charles Ghigna
Cloud Scenes
The sun provides the background, but the clouds paint the picture.
“Clouds are the sky’s imagination.” ~Terri Guillemets
“God’s cloud-scenes are for everybody everywhere. Some people can never afford to travel; the grandeur of the Alps, the loveliness of the lakes, are only imaginative dreams for them; and even those who visit such fair scenes merely get a hurried glimpse, and then they are back again amidst the turmoil of human life; but the sky is always overhead, and everywhere to be seen.” ~Alfred Rowland
Drawing Attention
This female Red-winged Blackbird was obviously drawing attention to herself. Sitting near the top of a cypress tree, swaying in the wind, her conspicuous behavior included raising her tail feathers and rapidly fluttering her wings, which she repeated over and over. In the distance, a male could be heard calling. My first thought was that she was trying to attract or communicate with a mate, but another thought might be a response to a predator within her nesting territory.
“I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.” ~Lewis Carroll
Finding Shelter
It was a chilly, windy day out on the lake. This young Prothonotary Warbler found shelter among the water lilies, flittering from leaf to leaf and occasionally sitting peacefully and soaking up the warmth of the sun.
“We should all find a quiet place, a peaceful space, to bury the chaos and rest for a while.” ~Christy Ann Martine
Soaking Up the Sun
Laying Eggs
After Common Green Darner dragonflies mate, the male (with the blue abdomen) continues to grip the head of the female (with the reddish-brown abdomen), and together, they fly to a body of water with aquatic vegetation. Here, the female bends her sharp ovipositor into the water and makes incisions into plant stems and leaves, where she carefully lays her eggs. After about a week, the eggs will hatch into nymphs. The vegetation will provide a place for the young to live and hunt as they mature.
“There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it is thoroughly finished yields the true glory.” ~Francis Drake
Bird Watching
Beginning Again
Nature’s Wonders
Purple Dead Nettles, with their pink tube-like flowers and burgundy upper leaves, were blooming along the Mississippi levee. Various types of bees were flying about among the wildflowers, attracted by their nectar.
Beautiful little Clouded Yellow Butterflies danced about over the wildflowers, with an occasional courting pair fluttering together in the air. The butterflies seemed too lively to stop and drink from the flowers.
This busy little bee, on the other hand, was sampling each little flower.
While watching the bees and butterflies, out of nowhere, a group of six eagles consisting of at least one adult and several juveniles, came swooping in from overhead. Their loud screeching and erratic flying stirred up quite a commotion.
After the eagles settled in nearby trees,
we started down the embankment of the levee to drive along some of the farmland back roads. Then we saw them. A group of Clouded Yellow Butterflies were sitting in the middle of the road, extracting salt and minerals from an area of sand and rocks.
They were a beautiful sight to watch!
“Nature is full of wonders; every atom is a standing miracle, and endowed with such qualities, as could not be impressed on it by a power and wisdom less than infinite.” ~Joseph Addison
Anticipation
With each passing day, something magical is occurring as more and more signs of spring are slowly being revealed.
This Brown Thrasher perched at the top of a bush, belting out its varied repertoire, seemed to be announcing the news that spring is quickly approaching.
“In March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.” ~Jean Hersey