Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

My Sunflower

It's cloudy and sprinkling outside today, but my first sunflower couldn't wait to bloom!!!

Black Bear

Today, just before the sun went down, a young bear plodded out of the woods and roamed through our front yard. As bear usually do, he was looking for something to eat. Even though the black bear is the top predator in our woodlands, he subsists on a wide variety of food, and some of what he likes to eat is surprisingly miniscule in size. A favorite snack are ants and grubs that the bear finds in or around old stumps or under overturned rocks.

Looking for some tasty morsels by an old stump

New Butterfly

July is a good month for observing butterflies in our area. We see a wide variety of species at this time of year. Following a day of heavy rain all day and night, I discovered the butterfly pictured below resting on our coneflower late this morning. It didn't budge when I approached it, giving me the opportunity to observe it closely and get a good photo, too. It's a new one to me, the "Sleepy Duskywing," a member of the Skipper family. True to its name, this butterfly appeared to be very sleepy!

Sleepy Duskywing Butterfly

Stunners

Such beautiful insects …

Black Swallowtail Butterfly on Geranium

 Common Whitetail Dragonfly (Female)

More Visitors

This morning, I got up early to do some gardening, wanting to beat the heat sure to arrive later today. After I finished and was back inside looking out the window, I noticed a skink sunning on the garden wall and decided to snap a picture. As I was photographing the skink, I noticed some movement in the beebalm flowers out of the corner of my eye. A brilliant yellow goldfinch was feeding on the seeds of a spent flower head. So I took his photograph, too! I snapped several photos since some always turn out blurry.To my surprise, when I looked at the photos I'd taken, I discovered the male had his mate with him. They were both enjoying beebalm seeds together. The female's coloring is much duller than the male's and her feathers almost matched the tan color of the seed heads. I was so focused on photographing the male that I didn't even know she was also in some of my pictures :)

Skink sunning

I spot the male goldfinch snacking on beebalm seeds

He spots me, too!

The male goldfinch and his mate enjoying beebalm seeds together

Zinnias!!!

A little skipper butterfly has the big zinnia garden all to itself …

Bright Sunshiny Day

Today's Special Visitor

Pileated woodpecker ~ Their calls sound like the cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker :)

Early Morning Visitors

On hot summer days, early mornings are busy times when we see many of our wildlife neighbors.

Chipmunk climbing in the rose bush … perhaps snacking on Japanese beetles?

Phoebe alights on our patio table umbrella

Red-bellied woodpecker illuminated by bright sunshine 

Mamma cottontail gathering grasses for her nest

Chipmunk resting after a busy morning

Mid Summer Blooms

It's heated up and daytime temps are HOT ~ up into the 90s day after day. Despite the heat, the flowers are prolific, and they're enjoyed by all.

Delicate Russian Sage Blossoms

Beetles Share a Zinnia Flower

Fritillary Butterfly Feeds on Butterfly Bush Flower Nectar

Two Tiny Fawns Enjoy the Shade While Their Moms Eat My Flowers

Come Sail Away

To celebrate my husband's retirement after 30 years of government service with NIH, we took a cruise up the New England coast, into the Canadian maritime region, and back again. We launched from Cape Liberty, New Jersey and sailed north. The ship returned in a big loop. The weather cooperated with sunny, warm days in each port we stopped in, and rain fell only on our travel day at sea. Our visits in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and several New England seaports were filled with new sights and activities … the making of many fun memories!

Here is a photographic log of our travels.

Our cruise ship, the Celebrity Summit

Lady Liberty Watches Over Her Harbor

Ellis Island

Portland, Maine ~ Our First Stop

Canadian Light House

Reversing Rapids Saint John, New Brunswick

Greeters at the St. Martin's Visitor Center New Brunswick

Stony Beach at Bay of Fundy New Brunswick

Farmers Market New Brunswick

Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

Peggy's Cove

Field of Lupines … These Flowers Were Everywhere in Canada!

Maritime Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Lobster Roll & Fries Lunch

Immigrants Statue in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Rainbow in Bar Harbor, Maine

U.S.S. Constitution in Boston Harbor

Kevin Enjoys the Sights from Our Balcony

Golden Glow as the Sun Sets in Boston 

Boats at Newport Rhode Island ~ Our Last Stop

Yours Truly in Front of the Yellow Submarine Shop

The Breakers, Summer Mansion of the Vanderbilt Family

Ornate Ceiling in a Hall in the Breakers

Sailing Under a Sunlit Bridge as We Head Back to Cape Liberty

The Sun Sets Over a Most Memorable Cruise