With the long holiday weekend, some people headed to the lakes and parks today to enjoy some of nature’s beauty, like this waterfall which only runs when the main river flow is high enough to supply the offshoot stream.
Now and Then Falls Still Flowing
The hay fields had a lot of activity yesterday as farmers raced to get the hay baled before the rain moved in today, and this field, filled with round hay bales, which beat the storm clouds.
Baled Before the Rain
The little brown fuzz balls were hard to spot over the grass, but baby Sandhill Cranes are called colts because of their long, strong, well-developed legs. A day after hatching, colts are already able to run after their parents. Sandhill Crane chicks can leave the nest within 8 hours of hatching, and are even capable of swimming.
Sandhill Crane Colts
In moist shaded woods, you might find some Maidenhair ferns growing and their genus name translates to “non wetting” and its ability to shed rainwater without becoming wet. But the common name of maidenhair derived from being a source of an aromatic, volatile oil commonly used as a shampoo.
Maidenhair Fern
The work week starts on Monday for many people, but some jobs require working weekends and nature doesn’t pay much attention to weekends as every day is a busy one. The bees have been very busy collecting pollen and I didn’t mow off some blossoms on Friday as it was full of working bees.
Incoming Bee
When the clouds roll in on the horizon, the sun may get covered as it sets but once in a while, it might peek out and shine for a few seconds before the clouds hide it from view.
Peeking Out Before Sunset
Some people might take to the water to cool off on this hot Saturday with heat indexes near 100, but they would probably want something more calm than this swift moving river as it might be a rough and bumpy ride with the rock banks. Some areas might have a rough and bumpy night when the predicted storms roll in this evening.
Rough Ride on the Amnicon
On a sunny summer day, the frogs are floating on the pond as birds are catching bugs to feed their young while other insects and butterflies are getting pollen from summertime flowers.
Feeding on the Daisies
Lately my critters, especially my cats, have no cooperation with each other or even tolerate one another, so watching seven horses working together in a field was a shock. I wouldn’t have the skills to drive a team like that.
Seven Hitch Team
Big doesn’t always win over the small, at least not in my yard later. The chipmunks are definitely winning the garden battle, but they are winning against the cats. Last night and this morning, my cat Trouble found a chipmunk but the popping, twisting and jumping chipmunk frightened the big tom cat so that it got away again!
And last evening, the doe made its daily appearance and although it encounters the cats most evenings, the deer still snorts and stomps her feet as it tries to approach the cat. But she never has gotten closer than five feet, and when Trouble moved a little bit last night, she went racing through the woods, snorting all the way.
Panicky Deer
