Noisy Wings and SilentTattered Wings

On my mind: there's been a noisy Red-tailed Hawk in the backyard for a few weeks now. Today she was "dive bombed" by two small birds. The aggressive birds were just a little too far away to be identified but they may have been Mockingbirds.

While on the deck I noticed two Fritillaries on the Coneflowers. One butterfly was quite tattered and torn, while the other was in excellent shape.

This variety of Coneflower has outstanding yellow and vibrant orange colors!

Deer cuisine update: someone's been eating the  

squash leaves!

!

Squash update: to pick or not to pick? I'm afraid if I don't pick this zucchini some one will come along and eat it.

New borne squash:

When the Catbird sings...

On the Maple Tree:

Bird Girl in the garden...

The Fourth of July - All American Holiday - with All American hot dogs, friends, and fireworks.

My friend's beautiful garden is graced by the lovely statue "Bird Girl" originally sculpted by Sylvia Shaw Judson in Lake Forest, Illinois in 1936.

In the garden, Bird Girl is surrounded by Red Bergamot (Monarda), a favorite of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

This statue, made famous on the cover of John Berendt's novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" was photographed in the Bonaventure Cemetery. 

Because of its popularity, "Bird Girl" was moved from a cemetery to an art museum in Savannah, Georgia. 

Zig Writer and Watercolors in Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Journal. I tried to get a cement look on the statue by throwing down some salt on the wet paint. Not too familiar with the technique, but I think it showed up a little. 

A fun bird:

Baby birds:

A Catbird:

Sea Hag

After 300 years in the ocean even the Little Mermaid shows signs of aging! 

 The snail represents how life may slow down...

 but the starfish symbolizes that she hasn't lost her sparkle and shine! 

Mixed media: collage, Zig Writer, Neocolor II crayons, and sparkle and shiny bits and bobs.

Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Journal.

First "tale" in the Ever After Series with Tamara Laporte. 

Crone:

Buttons, Bugs, and Bulbils

A nature study in pink and green. The first thing that caught my attention was the swarm of Japanese Beetles all about the yard. I mean, EVERYWHERE! Eating EVERYTHING! And then they starting doing the nasty thing...

"Wild Thang, I think I love you..."

They are shiny and fun to paint, though.

The Button Bush down by the barn is blooming and the butterflies are loving it.

The Tiger Lilies out by the greenhouse are about to bloom, but they have already made their bulbils (tiny bulbs that form between the leaves and the stem).

This is strange looking gladiola was planted by the fairies. I moved this plant out to the front of the property last year, but the fairies apparently didn't like it there so they moved it back to the front of the house when I wasn't looking.

Gladiola bulb (and fairy).

Another creature from the yard:

Wise Old Possum Woman speaks of the Maple Tree

"The Maple Tree loves human company. Visit one and a sweetness will flow through your dreams as sap flows in the spring. Catch a winged Maple "key" before it hits the ground and you will be able to unlock a mystery in your life.

Use the Maple Tree to ground yourself and stay tied to the energies of Mother Earth. The Maple Tree will also help you balance your masculine and feminine sides to sharpen your intuition and strengthen your creativity." 

Wise Old Possum Woman

Watercolor background, printing with Sugar Maple, Silver Maple, Norway Maple, and Red Maple leaves using LePlume II Markers, Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Journal.

Mulberry Tree:

Old Man Oak Tree:

When the Catbird Sings...

When the Catbird sings on the clothesline...

And then flies up into the Maple Tree...

And "Stinky" the Cat chases a fly that got in the house while the windows were being washed...

And the Barn Cat climbs up into the birdbath...

It's a good day to think about...

Why do cats eat flies anyway?

Also on my mind...

The Wisest of Trees

While mediating on the wisest of trees, the Mulberry,

one finds in their heart a way to connect to and empathize with animals and people in their life. 

Stimulating a flow of energy, this tree helps one to gain the insight to hold back until just the right moment in a difficult situation. 

Each leaf on this tree is an individual. Let the Mulberry Tree teach you to shape your own destiny.

The tree in my yard is most likely a Chinese Mulberry, Morus alba, cultivated in this country to raise silk worms for the fabric industry. It is interesting to note that the male tree is very bad for allergy and asthma sufferers because the fine pollen can be inhaled deeply into the lungs while the female tree pulls pollen and pollution out of the air creating a healthier atmosphere. 

Yesterday - Deer Damage. Today - Deer Tick.

Grocery Store Botany: On May 10, 1893, The U.S. Supreme Court (Nix vs Hedden) declared the tomato a vegetable. Botanically speaking it is a fruit. So when it is on the vine, it's a fruit. When it is picked, it's a vegetable. Tomatoes are true berries formed from one flower and having multiple seeds. Today there are several little green tomatoes on the vine as seen here next to the cool ruler stamp that I found at the flea market. 

Also maturing in the garden, is a baby zucchini. And guess what? Yes! Zucchinis are berries! Pepoes like the watermelon. They have an inferior ovary (epigynous) below the flower petals. 

What else is on my mind? The Deer Tick that I found on my arm. Ugh. Hope it doesn't have Lyme Disease. 

More Grocery Store Botany:

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