Heading On Up
Posted: March 11, 2024 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Cope's Grey Frog, My Kitchen Window, nature photography 14 Comments
This Tree Frog is just so cute that I had to do another post about it. I caught it hanging on to a plant in my chiminea.
I believe it is a Cope’s Gray Frog although it could be a Gray Frog as they are both very similar. The Tree Frog can be found from Virginia to Eastern Texas and lives in woodlands.
I kept an eye on the Tree Frog and was able to photograph it making its way up the vine to the top of the pot.
The next time I went to look for it the little frog was hanging onto the brick wall.
The frog finally made it to the lower roof went on its way and disappeared.
Confederate Roses One More Time
Posted: November 13, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Confederate Rose, Cotton Rose, Dixie rosemallow, Gulf Coast gardening, Hibiscus mutabilis, My Kitchen Window, Southern Gardening 11 CommentsI just had to do one more post of Confederate Roses. These shots show the older bottom flower changing color ahead of the upper flower. Enjoy.
Second Part of Second Spring
Posted: October 30, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Blue Plumbago, Dutchman's Pipe, Eupatorium coelestinum, Four O'Clocks, Gardenia, Helianthus angustifolius, My Kitchen Window, Swamp Sunflower, wild ageratum 18 Comments
Happily, I found many more flowers enjoying our “cool” weather. I had to prune this poor old Gardenia as the old thick stems started dying. I was so pleased to see new growth and now it has made a few flowers.
Another ailing plant is the Blue Plumbago. The deer ate it, the winter froze it and the drought dried it up. Cooler weather and a rain shower were enough for it to make a few perfect blue flowers.
The Four O’Clocks are going strong and didn’t seem to mind the heat and lack of rain. The flowers hang on until morning, so they can be enjoyed for two days.
Swamp Sunflower, Helianthus angustifolius, is one plant I wish I had never introduced to a garden bed. It reseeds like crazy, grows at least 6 feet tall, and flops over. But, the flowers are so sunny and happy it is hard to remove all the plants. Plus, I can view them from several windows inside my house.
The wild ageratum, Helianthus angustifolius, which planted itself in a bed is another plant that is impossible to get rid of. It redeems itself every fall with waves of blue flowers. Then it makes hundreds of seeds that blow off into other beds.
The Dutchman’s Pipe has also come up in various beds and is in bloom now.
Here are the winter annuals I just purchased to fill in some empty spaces. The plants will look good until it starts to get a bit cold, but they will perk up during “First Spring”.
Hummingbird Wars
Posted: September 18, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Hamelia paten, Hummeringbird Bush, My Kitchen Window, nature photography, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Southern Gardening 14 Comments
The Hummingbird Wars have begun with 5 or 6 arrivals stopping by to fuel up for the trip south. Feeders are hung and the Hummingbird Bush, Hamelia paten, is blooming with plenty of food for all. And yet the dueling never ends. Bodies clash, screams are heard, and the tiny birds hit the ground.
This handsome fellow took a few seconds pause to strike some poses for the camera before returning to the chase.
The Hummingbirds set up guard posts on each of the four feeders I put out. One bird would not leave its position during a thunderstorm. The tiny bird did take advantage of the rain spreading its wings to get a good shower. The hummer only left to chase another hummingbird. It is hard to tell in the photo that it is raining, but there is a raindrop on the tip of the cutout hummer. Enlarge the image to see a happy hummingbird enjoying the rain.
Palmettos
Posted: August 14, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Gulf Coast gardening, My Kitchen Window, Palmettos, Sabal minor, Subtropical Gardening 24 Comments
Sabal minor Palmettos grow wild in my area. This one has been at the edge of my little woods since we built our house.
I put a watering can near some frons I cut off to give an idea of their size. Native people used them thatch their roofs.
For years I only had one and now others are coming up in my big wooded area. Gardeners are told to never plant Palmettos, as they can not be killed.
Across the street where the land is lower and wetter, the Palmettos line the greenbelt.
It is said that places, where the Palmettos grow, are prone to flooding. That has been true for the low area on the other side of the street.
Backyard Visitors
Posted: July 10, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Argiop aurantia, Box Turtles, Gulf Coast gardening, Katydid, My Kitchen Window, nature photography, Rat Snake, Southern Gardening 25 Comments
There has been a nice variety of visitors in the backyard recently. I spotted a very long Rat Snake near one of the porches. I was surprised that the birds were not screaming at it, as that is how I am usually alerted to find them. The Rat Snakes, sometimes called Bird Nest Snakes, can go up trees to get eggs. PS. The sprinkler head has been fixed and weeds have been removed.
My backyard turtle was out in the open. It seems to know me and will keep its head out for a photo.
This spider, which I believe is Argiop aurantia, makes a very interesting web.
I was walking through the grass when something rather large jumped. I thought it was a toad, but instead, it was one of the biggest Katydids I have ever seen. Thankfully, the Katydid saw me coming.
Gardening Happenings
Posted: February 6, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Amercican Goldfinch, My Kitchen Window, nature photography, possums 15 Comments
I love to pick up interesting bits of nature that I find around the yard and arrange them on my porch table. There are stones, pinecones, Rosy Wolf shells, and two large acorns I found in the woods that are now just caps.
Apparently, someone else was checking out my little display and decided to EAT IT leaving the caps behind. I know it was you, squirrel.
A flock of American goldfinches arrived rather late in the season, it may have been the cold that brought them here. Even from across the yard, they were very skittish and that’s the best photo I could get with the long lens.
The goldfinches stayed around for a few days, so I broke down and bought a bag of the very expensive niger seed which is like candy for these birds.
I was able to get a good close-up from my kitchen window of this hungry birdie. It was eating so fast that its beak had seed stuck on it.
The day after I put the costly seed out, the goldfinches promptly left. Now I have an entire bag of seed. They probably will not return until next year and the goldfinches will not eat the old seed.
After a long week of storms, I found many broken-off tree limbs. This one was driven into the ground, which happens quite often. I’m always thankful I haven’t been impaled by one.
The possum was back out in the middle of the day. Its clean and fluffy fur looked nice enough to pet.
Critters and Plants
Posted: October 17, 2022 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Backyard Critters, Green Anole, Gulf Coast gardening, Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, hummingbird moth, My Kitchen Window, nature photography, purple Oxalis, Swamp Sunflower 20 Comments
I had a week of notable critter encounters and stand-out plants. This green anole took a trip across the yard in a shaky wagon as I moved this plant from its summer spot in the woods. The little lizard is staying in its plant home and greets me every morning when I head outside.
I got a few somewhat good shots of the hummingbird moth. Usually, it is busy during the night, but I caught it out in the daytime. Click to get a better look at its wings.
I thought it was interesting that the purple oxalis found a way to grow out of the bottom of the pot.
A Gulf Fritillary butterfly has been hanging out on the hummingbird feeders. I was finally able to get close enough for a photo.
I have a love/hate relationship with Swamp Sunflowers. They are very invasive, and grow ten feet tall, but are so happy and sunny in the fall.
Back to odd anole habits. This lizard is my regular porch anole that clings to the window screens most of the day. As it turns out the lizzie likes to sleep on my weather stick at night. When I check on it in the early morning hours it will have actually changed positions. I feel fortunate to have such a variety of plants and wildlife in my backyard.
An Armadillo at Dawn
Posted: October 15, 2022 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Armadillo, Backyard Critters, My Kitchen Window, nature photography, Southern Gardening 29 Comments
I was sipping my morning coffee and glancing out of the window when I noticed plants waving in an odd way. And then I saw the grey body that was causing the chaotic motion. It was the armadillo that dug a huge hole in my flower bed outside my kitchen window.
I quickly grabbed my cell phone and started my early morning armadillo chase. I managed to chase it under the fence into my neighbor’s yard. I didn’t feel too bad about that as they don’t have flower beds for the armadillo to dig up. I’m sure are some point it returned to its den on my side.
Bartram’s Oenothera gandiflora
Posted: October 7, 2022 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Amberique bean, Automatic Gardening, Bartram's Oenothera grandiflora, Evening Primrose, Gulf Coast gardening, hummingbird moth, My Kitchen Window, Southern Gardening 12 Comments
The large flower Evening Primrose has been putting on a beautiful display with its flowers lasting through the morning. Look closely for the Amberique bean crawling out of the top of the primrose.
As the name implies, it opens in the evening and I have seen a nocturnal Hummingbird Moth buzzing around the flowers providing pollination. The plant and seeds were collected by William Bartram in 1775 in Alabama and grown in his nursery in Philadelphia.
Automatic Gardening & Real Gluten Free Food 