While mowing today, I noticed the common milkweed blossoms were beginning to open up. There are other milkweed plants, including the swamp milkweed which has long narrow leaves and bright pink flowers.
Swamp Milkweed
Picture of the Day for July 5, 2017
Last night when I was driving home after dark, I had to share the road with several deer but deer are not the only critter on the roads as there are some very slow moving turtles using the highway too.
Slow Moving Turtle
Picture of the Day for July 4, 2017
Fireworks, parties and grilling out are common events for the 4th of July holiday. And with the 4th on a Tuesday this year, the various towns fireworks celebrations have been spread out on different days. Although I didn’t like the jerk who was shooting off fireworks at 2 am this morning or definitely didn’t like the idiot, who was shooting some off before the professional firework display started, since it malfunctioned and sent debris flying at the car I was sitting in.
Fireworks for the 4th
Picture of the Day for July 3, 2017
The other day, a baby grosbeak was screaming as it waited for its parents to bring some food to it, which they had to travel farther to get some as I forgot to fill the sunflower bird feeder. Today I was having trouble keeping the jelly and sugar water feeders filled for the orioles as they are now feeding their young too. This little oriole doesn’t look very cute yet, as it was just out of the nest, and hasn’t gotten rid of all its fuzzy feathers yet.
Baby Oriole Waiting for Food
Picture of the Day for July 2, 2017
This weekend sunsets have had some extra lights from early fireworks and will the next couple of nights probably too. Nature has been providing its own fireworks a lot in the skies lately too.
Sunset Without Fireworks
Picture of the Day for July 1, 2017
A Saturday shopping experience today is a bit different than going to a general store in the 1800s, which normally meant getting the basic food staples and not the wide range of choices for an item.
General Store
Picture of the Day for June 30, 2017
The lilies and other flowers had some sunshine today before getting another bath from heavy rain, but at least it wasn’t hail.
End of June Lily
Picture of the Day for June 29, 2017
Unlike crops like corn or soybeans, which have to be planted each year to harvest a crop, cranberry beds are not planted that often and one cranberry bed in Wisconsin is said to have been planted over a 140 years ago. The average bed is around 40 years old, as older beds are replanted with better varieties of cranberries. The old soil and cranberry vines are removed before the bed is prepared for the new vines.
Cranberry Bed Makeover
Picture of the Day for June 28, 2017
On cold or rainy days, the honey bees are not too active and when they are, they often bypass these small cranberry blossoms, about an quarter of an inch long, in favor of large white water-lily blossoms, 3 to 6 inches, in the nearby ponds. Europeans named the fruit “crane berry” because they thought the cranberry blossom looked like the head of a sandhill crane.
Tiny Cranberry Blossom
Picture of the Day for June 27, 2017
The nice temperature and low humidity made today a very nice summer day, which people may have enjoyed some fishing, hiking or other outdoor activities if they had the day off from work.
Summertime at the Lake
