Magical Moments

I just love late summer. The insect chorus is full, fruits & vegetables are ripening and every where I look there is just one cool nature discovery after another. I took a tour of our yard the other day and wanted to share a few of the magical nature moments I captured.

Moment 1 -

American Goldfinches! They are nesting now that their food sources are ripe - seeds - and so activity is high. This male goldfinch is loving our big patch of brown-eyed susans (Rudbeckia triloba). I captured this image through the screen of my craft room.


His lady friend...
We learned this summer that goldfinches LOVE beet greens. It's so fun to watch them rip off chunks of leaf and munch away. This male was caught in the act, but we don't mind.


Moment 2 -

Apple Gourds. Oh - these are so my favorites right now! We plan to dry them and make some bird houses or something along those lines. I don't really know yet. I just really think these are super cool. I look at them everyday. He he

Moment 3 -

Sunflowers - these are my favorites! Oh yes, I said the apple gourds are my favorite. Hmmm - so are these! There is just something so absolutely wonderful about sunflowers. The goldfinches are loving the seeds of these flowers, the bees are loving the nectar and pollen and we are loving their sunshiny addition to our garden.





Moment 4 -

Native wildflowers. We have lots of wildflowers at our place and I mean lots. I will do a separate post on that topic sometime, but here is a sampling.

Pennsylvania Leather-wings are very common around our place this summer. Here a leather-wing is feeding on the nectar and pollen (and perhaps some small insects) of wingstem (Actinomeris alternifolia), a common bottomland - read rich soil - plant.

What I think is some sort of mining bee, is dining on the nectar of wingstem.

Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars feed happily on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).


Moment 5 -

The first signs of fall...colored silver maple leaf and a ripe hazelnut.

Moment 6 -

I could not end my magical moment day without capturing the magical moments of our kitty cats. Bounder reclines...


And Bobcat, aka Long Arm, stretches...


Happy Magical Moments to you!