On Closer Inspection

Our pond comes alive with activity in spring.  As you get closer and closer, you see more and more.

 The goldfish frolic in the cool water underneath a blue flag iris.  The blooms last only a few days.

 

A green frog rests under the cover of leaves and ferns.  His mrrping songs liven up our evenings.

 

A huge dragonfly keeps a vigilant watch over the pond, frequently leaving his perch and roving for flying insects.  As I approached the pond, this guy let me know that I was trespassing on "his" territory and flew right towards me to try to scare me off, yet later decided to sit still long enough to pose for the photograph above.  His gossamer wings shimmered in the sunlight in a kaleidoscope of colors ~ so beautiful!

Metallic green bodied damselflies and skittish cabbage white butterflies are frequent visitors to the pond, too, along with the striking yellow and black tiger swallowtails that flit over head.  On hot, sunny afternoons, various birds come for brief soaks.  After dunking in the water, they perch on the benches on either side of the pond and shake their feathers dry.  Deer and squirrels come to sip the cool water, too.  A very pregnant deer showed up for a drink the other day.  It won't be long now until we see the adorable spotted fawns along side their mothers.

The pond hums with activity all through spring and summer and into fall.  When the cold chill of winter arrives, the pond quiets considerably, many of it's inhabitants hibernating for the winter.  Spring is always such a vibrant time with abundant life at it's most active both day and night.

Wildflowers

When I was a little girl, I would get up before any one else on Mother's Day morning and head for the woods behind our home.  There, I would pick an assortment of the prettiest, most colorful wildflowers I could find to have ready for my mother first thing in the morning.  My favorite addition for this Mother's Day bouquet was Virginia Bluebell.  The bluebells always seemed to peak just at the time I needed them to add their periwinkle blue beauty to my wildflower bouquet.  They only grew in one place in our woods in a grove near the big creek.  It was quite a hike to get to the patch of them, but, by the time I made my way back home, I'd collected a full assortment of flowers that never failed to bring a smile to my Mom.

It was my mother who introduced me to the wonders of nature.  Up until she passed away in 2003, we walked the trails of those woods together, always quietly sharing the beauty surrounding us, often surprised by the sighting of a new bird, insect or flower. 

The woods surrounding the cabin my husband and I share is a dry, hilly location, so we don't find water loving bluebells here.  Yesterday, Kevin pointed out that our mountain laurel was just beginning to bloom, its showy, white, bell shaped flowers delicately decorated with pink strikingly vivid against the green background of hardwoods and pine.  I'm sure my mother would have loved these flowers added into her Mother's Day bouquet, too.
 

     



Memorable Moment

In 2003, I worked as a naturalist at Meadowside Nature Center.  In many ways, it was a dream job for me.  I had full reign to create and deliver nature themed programs for all ages,  I cared for the center's extensive collection of raptors, including a bald eagle named "Orion," and spent a good portion of my workdays outdoors on the extensive grounds.  Meadowside was located within a large regional park that included woods, a sizable pond, and, true to its name, meadows teaming with wildflowers.

One of the family programs I conducted concerned the life cycle of butterflies.  The program started indoors with a video of the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly with fascinating footage of the Monarch from egg to full-grown butterfly.  After the video and a brief discussion, I led the group outdoors to introduce the participants to milkweed, the Monarch's host plant.  I broke a bit of the plant off so everyone could view the oozy, milky white substance inside which, when consumed by the caterpillars, makes them distasteful and toxic to birds, who, over time, have learned to avoid eating the larva or predate the full grown butterfly.

Next, it was down to the pond to see if we might spy any of the bright orange and black beauties in flight that were more often seen over the meadowed hillside leading to the water's edge.  Milkweed plants were prevalent in this area, especially as we neared the water.  I stopped to point out the plants again, and right on the leaf I pointed to was a plump, striped Monarch caterpillar munching away on it's favorite meal of milkweed.  Even though I'd taught this program repetitively and had long been aware of Monarch life cycle, it was actually the first time I had seen a live Monarch caterpillar.  I was so excited at the find and that excitement was contagious.  Everyone, young and old alike, was ecstatic to view what they'd just learned about.  The moment was simply magical...you couldn't have asked for a better "teaching" experience ... hands-on-learning at its best.

The Monarch butterfly has long been a favorite of mine.  I love seeing their graceful, winged forms as they migrate through our area in early fall on their way to a warmer place down south to spend the wintertime.  In the miniature paintings I create and sell on eBay, one of my latest is the painting featured above, a Monarch butterfly alighting on its host, a milkweed plant.  Below, is a miniature I sold last year of the plump, milkweed munching caterpillar :)

    



Sunday Drive

It was a lazy weekend here.  The days were overcast and we didn't feel energized to go far, but we got out for a nice drive through the countryside today.  We actually live out in the country and many of our neighbors are farmers.  The neighbors across the road from us raise goats and the farmer directly behind them raises cattle and a variety of field crops.  A short drive down the road you'll find the local fruit and vegetable farmer who has extensive apple and peach orchards.  We made a stop at his produce market today where I purchased some fresh spinach which I'll saute with garlic and onion to go along with tonight's dinner.

We always love to see the new spring foals.  The little guy in the photo above was sticking right close to his Mom as she grazed in the field of buttercups.

The mare above was so hungry for attention and quite a photo bug ~ loved to pose for the camera!  I was worried she would hurt herself on the barb wire fence when she poked her nose through to be pet, but after she was done getting patted she used the wire fence as a scratching post.



After arriving back home, I took this photograph of the pot of pansies I planted earlier this spring.  Behind it are my perennial herbs that returned with a flourish this year.

A "photo shoot" wouldn't be complete without snapping a picture of my favorite focus of attention :)

Living (and Loving) A Simple Life

Our home life at the cabin is a quiet and simple one...conducive to a peaceful existence.  A lot of my time is spent in the kitchen. I fully enjoy the over-the-sink window where I can look out at the back woods and catch the activity of chipmunks and squirrels as they scurry across the patio.  Every once in a while, I'll see a skink or snake basking on the retaining wall, lavishing in the warmth of the sun's rays.  We don't have a dishwasher ~ dish washing is done the old fashioned way with liquid soap, scrubber, and elbow grease. Having this window to gaze out from makes the task a much more pleasant one!

Every day, a walk outdoors reveals new surprises.  Kevin and I discovered one of the Jack-in-a-Pulpit seeds we'd strewn near the pond came up this spring.  So far, the deer haven't nibbled away at this graceful, lime green and purple striped beauty.  Come fall, if it keeps going strong, we should find a bright red cluster with more seeds to scatter.

Left to its own devices, nature provides its own home decor.  This Virginia Creeper vine is making it's way up the downspout enhancing our cabin's beauty with its gorgeous, emerald green trail of leaves.  Grapevines are also making their way up the front side of the cabin and will soon form an archway over the front window.  Patience and letting things be provides a world of loveliness. 

To curl up with a good book, a cat on either side, is a perfect way to close out a day.  Life in our cabin is usually slow and calm ... and just the way we like it :)