There was an air quality alert out today, due to the smoke from Canada and so sensitive people were warned to reduce heavy exertion outdoors. But work has to continue, especially on farms, and even critters and creatures carried on with their tasks. The bees were busy collecting pollen on this very warm day.
Busy Bee
The Bleeding Heart is not a native flower, but it blossoms say spring to me. As a kid, I would pull the outer pink petals off to reveal the inner heart. But one of its other common names is “lady-in-a-bath”, which comes from the shape when held upside down and the outer petals are only pull at a 90 degree angle and the two halves form the tub with the lady sitting in the middle. But since I never pulled them partway, it was not a name I associated with the flowers.
The Bleeding Heart
Birds and bees were active in the apple blossoms when the sun peaked out for a while today. Although some blossoms have started to fall already, creating a white layer on the ground but at least it wasn’t snow. Although it looked like it was snowing today with the fuzz from the poplar trees flying thick in the air.
Sunny Apple Blossoms
During the cold, wet raining day yesterday, my porch railing was filled with orioles trying to get out of the rain as they kept visiting the feeders. But among all the orange color of the orioles, there was a brilliant red bird too. He was a soggy but colorful bird and at times would look at me like it was my fault it was raining. The Scarlet Tanager forages mostly in tall trees for insects as well as nesting 20-30 feet above ground, so normally you only catch a glimpse of color high in the trees so it was unusual to see one perched on my porch.
Soggy Scarlet Tanager
The very cold wet day reduced the number of the people attending Memorial Day services in which we remember those who lost their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country to give us the freedom that we enjoy today.
Remembering the Ultimate Sacrifice
The name of this wildflower, Jack-in-the-pulpit, comes from looking like a preacher in a pulpit, although in this case, the preacher probably isn’t Jack as the plant is female. The double set of compound leaves indicates that the plant is female although the plants can change gender from year to year.
The male plants tend to be smaller and also allow pollinators, like the fungus gnat, to escape more easily due to a small hole at the bottom of the slippery spathe after coming into contact with pollen. Females flowers, without the hole, are more likely to trap the pollinators that may be carrying the male pollen, giving it a better chance of successful pollination.
No Jack in the Pulpit
The first sunny day in a while had the bees buzzing in the dandelions as well as the apple blossoms. And while the female orioles were busy building theirs nests, I spotted a male oriole in the apple blossoms as he was hunting insects. But as I was watching the oriole, I scared the wood ducks from the pond so I quickly took some photos and left the area so the ducks could return to their nest boxes.
Holiday Weekend at the Pond
The barns at the farm are filled with multiple batches of kittens, but it sounded like I had kittens in my yard too with the arrival of Gray Catbirds. One of their common call is a like a lost kitten mewing, but their long song may last for up to 10 minutes which may mimic other birds as well as mechanical and musical notes and phrases. The catbird singing by my porch this evening almost sounded like it was saying “pretty bird” even though not a colorful bird.
Noisy Gray Catbird
The chilly, cloud day didn’t seem to spring like but I spotted a lonely Wild Geranium blooming in the ditch. So maybe after a sunny weekend, more blossoms will open up and fill the area with pink color.
Wild Geraniums
The critters, besides myself, may have been feeling a little blue this morning since it started out wet, cold and gray, but some birds really show the blue like these Indigo Buntings. The males actually lack blue pigment and their color comes from microscopic structures in the feathers that reflect blue light. I had three males at the feeder at one time but I didn’t see any females (who are probably sitting on the nest) and aren’t as noticeable in their brown color. An interesting fact is that they migrate at night using the stars as navigation.
Male Indigo Buntings
