Nature

I have no idea what these are, but they appeared in the middle of an ivy patch this week, standing tall (only 4") and proud. The blossoms are smaller than a dime. I pulled the car into the driveway on Saturday and saw movement in the woods, and when I looked closely, I saw a big jackrabbit jumping away. The next day, he was in my front garden patch; trying to hide in the rosemary bush, which I trimmed recently, so if afforded no shelter at all. He ran off to the woods again. I knew something was eating my violets, but I was blaming deer.

Nobody's Home. When this birdhouse hung from a tree limb over my back deck, we used to have small birds building nests in it, but since I moved it to the side yard, they haven't returned. I guess it is too close to activity, since we go out the garage door several times per day (and so do the cats, since the foxes left.)

I keep telling myself I'll plant something in these pots, but it hasn't happened. Soon they will be over taken by ivy; never to be seen again. I really do like seeing the dappled sunlight in the woods.

Whatever is it about lichen that fascinates me? When a large tree limb fell onto the deck last week, I kept this part so I could show you the lichen. Something else was on the deck when the limb fell - it looked a little bit like a wet, brown seaweed, but it was shaped much like the lichen. I suppose it was a parasite. Maybe that's what made the limb die. I wanted to photograph it too, but by the time I was ready to do it, the stuff had sort of dried up and was no longer photo-worthy.

And look who's back in the kitchen window! I noticed him around 11pm last night. He wasn't too pleased when I flashed the camera at him. I hope he doesn't turn tail like the foxes did! Over the 27 years we have lived here, we've had frogs and toads off and on and many of them have spent the summer on our kitchen window at night. I leave a light on there, and since many bugs are drawn to it, it is the perfect place for a hungry frog or toad.

The frogs are mating at night around here and out by our pool, the sound of frogs croaking is deafening. I siphoned most of the water off the pool cover yesterday, and frogs were hopping all over the place. When the pool guys come to open it on Friday, the frogs will have to take a grandstand seat somewhere so they can watch the action. Then on Friday night, they will resume, and our pool will be covered in frog spawn (until it is captured in the skimmer). I always feel sorry for the frogs because most of their babies will end up in the woods, before they get to be tadpoles.