“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” ~Virginia Woolf
Turtles
nature
Prothonotary Warbler
I spotted this little warbler while walking along the boardwalk at Reelfoot Lake. It was flittering among the branches of the cypress trees in search of insects to eat.
“Every moment is a new opportunity to be amazed.” ~Jonathan Colman
Bobolink
We spotted a small flock of Bobolink on the levy near the Mississippi River. The males were dressed in their attractive spring plumage. After breeding season, they will molt and take on the buff-brown colors of the female.
… Upon a tuft of meadow grass,
While thy loved-one tends the nest,
Thou swayest as the breezes pass,
Unburthening thine o’erfull breast
Of the crowded songs that fill it,
Just as joy may choose to will it …
~James Russell Lowell
Waiting to be fed
For a while, a Cardinal family had a nest right outside one of my windows. Here are a few pictures of the Cardinal babies patiently waiting for their food.
“Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent.” ~Billy Graham
White-crowned Sparrow
This White-crowned Sparrow, so named for the striking black-and-white stripes on its head, landed on the ground near where I was sitting. Less shy than most birds, it seemed almost curious as to what I was doing and quite willing to be photographed.
“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ~Leonardo da Vinci
Butterflies
A few butterflies that I’ve spotted this spring.
“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” ~Albert Einstein
Red-headed Woodpecker
A Red-headed Woodpecker seen at Paris Landing State Park. Though it was a flurry of activity, flying here and there, it always returned to the same cavity in a tree. Its actions led me to believe that it was probably tending to a nest inside. Eventually, it lighted near the cavity opening to stand watch.
“Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully.” ~Zig Ziglar
Storm clouds
We have had round after round of storm clouds passing through this spring. They make for some interesting colors and patterns in the afternoon sky.
“Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Taking off
A common grackle taking flight.
“Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.” ~Kobi Yamada
Wading through the cypress swamp
A Great Blue Heron wading through swampy water near Reelfoot Lake.
“Have you noticed how children never bypass a puddle of water, but jump, splash, and slosh right through it? That’s because they know an important truth: Life was meant to be lived; puddles were meant to be experienced.” ~Richelle E. Goodrich
walking on a country road 