Hummingbirds

     If you're thinking about taking your hummingbird feeder down please don't. If you are worried that by leaving it up too long you are preventing the birds from flying south, please don't be because my research tells me that hummingbirds migrate according to hormonal changes and leaving the feeder up won't make them stay longer than they normally would. The changes are set off by the length of light during the day and other factors.



(male) Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

     By leaving your feeder up you are helping the birds increase their weight that they are going to need for their migration. I have found out the migration should be finished by Thanksgiving. I've learned you can do this or wait a week or two after you don't see your regulars anymore before taking the feeders down.

     Hummingbirds usually live up to 3 or 4 years. There was one recorded that lived up to 12 years of age.  According to worldofhummingbirds.com, the summer habitat of the ruby-throated hummingbird is eastern North America and Canadian prairies. Their winter habitat is southern Mexico, Central America and as far south as Costa Rica and the West Indies.

     As you can see I only use natural sugar and water. The mixture can be made by adding 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water and boiling for one minute only. Let mixture cool completely before refilling feeder. Mixture should be kept fresh once a week.

 

 



Grapevine with No Grapes

     John 15:1-8 states, "I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Gardener. He cuts off any branches that are not producing fruit, and He prunes the branches which are producing fruit so they will produce even more fruit. You are already pruned because of the message I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit if it is cut off from the Vine, and you cannot be fruitful if you are apart from Me."
     "I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me, and I remain in you then you will produce much fruit. But apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from Me is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into a pile and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you can ask any request you wish, and it will be given. This is to my Father's glory..."

 

    I have been asked many times, "What is that vine over there?" And many times I have said I don't really know I think it is kudzu but I really hope not. Since I have started this blog I have begun researching and learning about all things living on the wildlife habitat. I don't understand why it has taken me so long to appreciate all that is here. I wonder now, so many times why I have been so blind to all that was around me. Also in studying the scriptures of the bible, I find that there are many references to nature. Plant and animals share a special relationship in helping mankind realize God is real and He is with us.

    

 

These are pictures of the grapevine that has never been pruned back so it is not producing any fruit. It has not been taken care of as it should have been. Another kind of plant is intermixing with it and causing sunlight not to be able to reach it's branches. My research also tells me that the vine needs to be placed horizontally to produce fruit. Right now the vine has attached itself to a tree located next to it and is growing right along with the tree vertically. This grapevine needs a gardener and someone to take care of it. Then it will be able to produce fruit as it should. Without a gardener and on its own, you can see what is happening.

Hackberry Tree and Butterfly

     I stopped this tree from growing many times because I did not want it in the kid's play yard but since my children have grown and the play yard is no longer suitable for them, I have allowed the tree to grow and boy does it. I have learned to appreciate it with its limbs that reach out for birds to sit on. They can get a little shade after enjoying a bath in the birdbath that is now the main use for the "used to be" play yard. Since the play yard has "gone to the birds" I am happy that I can watch and take pictures of the birds enjoying themselves.

      I have a sprinkler connected to a hose and will turn it on to refill and refresh the birdbath. Sometimes birds will hear the running water and all types will come to drink or bathe. The Hackberry tree located near in the corner near the birdbath provides fruit for the birds in the wintertime. It also provides the Hackberry butterfly or Hackberry Emperor as it is sometimes known, with food with its young leaves.
    

Hackberry Emperor

  

Hackberries

Hackberry Tree

This Hackberry tree is about five years old. I have learned to appreciate this tree as our ancestors did so many years ago. Native Americans prepared the fruit with fat and corn for food and would also prepare a paste cooked over fire. The tree can grow up to 80 ft. tall and can live up to 200 years. It is the oldest known foraged tree. It was used as a main source of calories.

Do you have a Hackberry tree in your yard?

It's Raining Mushrooms

      I've never seen so many mushrooms. Well, I guess I've never seen it rain this much in one summer either. Usually the rains come in April. It rains the whole month and then the rest of the summer is really hot. Not this year. Mushrooms were constantly popping up everywhere. I enjoyed photographing them. They came in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some were clean and many were dirty.

      I don't know all the names of the mushrooms I photographed. I have tried to look up a few of them, mainly to see if they were common in this area and whether they were poisonous or not. Some people eat mushrooms but they are experts and know which ones are edible and which ones are not. There are poisonous mushrooms that look like nonpoisonous ones. I'm not taking any chances. I'm no expert and anyway I don't think I would like to eat a mushroom because of its texture.

     There are mushrooms clubs or societies whose members enjoy going out and searching for different mushrooms.
Days after I took pictures of the mushrooms I decided to see how many I could gather.

     I was quite surprised that I found as many as I did. I put on my gloves and pulled them out of the ground like you are supposed to. In doing my research I found that there are some mushrooms with anti-cancer properties. I think I will just stick to taking pictures of them and knowing that they are here on earth for some reason. Everything has a purpose whether is it small, tall, clean, dirty, ugly, or pretty. Even fungi have a purpose!

                                        

Pictured below are my mushroom finds. I think it would be fun to join a mycological society to learn all about mushrooms. Maybe one day...

Do you like mushrooms? Do you have a favorite one? Have you ever eaten a wild one and if not, would you consider eating one if you knew it was safe? 

Cousin To The Butterfly

       To acknowledge National Moth Week - July 21-27, I have decided to try my hand at writing a Haiku and to show some photos of moths I have taken throughout the years.

 

Moths fly to a glow
For an ambiance of joy.
They alight to rest.

Cute Camouflaged Katydid providing a little of the Tropics to the South

     There are around 6,400 species of this insect. 

I caught this particular one moving from one leaf to another. He seems to camouflage very well in this picture. I guess if I were a bird flying overhead, I wouldn't really be able to distinguish him from the leaf. Katydids eat primarily leaves, flowers, bark and seeds, but many of the species do feed on other insects, snails, lizards and small snakes.

They rub their wings together to make the familiar katy-did sound.

There are only around 255 species found in North America. The majority live in the tropical regions of the world!

A Silly Songbird

    

      I was listening to some music by a band that I really liked while sitting outside on the screened-in deck. A little songbird showed up and stayed for awhile. Most birds won't sit that long or even come that close in the first place. After the song was over, I was still looking at her, and she suddenly did something unexpected. There was a wind chime located directly below her and she fluttered down to it and kicked the chimes with her little feet, like she knew exactly what she was doing. Maybe she did. Maybe she had done it before. She went over onto another part of the deck and snatched up a moth, and then she must have decided she didn't like it because I saw it fall from her beak. Lastly, she flew onto the limb of a nearby tree. I have learned that there's a chance songbirds not only like to sing songs, they like to listen to them too. I have also learned that a certain little songbird has learned how a wind chime works.