I left you hanging last month. I injured my back, and wasn’t able to sit in a chair long enough to write much of anything. My blog took a back seat to simply getting essential tasks done. No fun. Now I’m scheduled for back surgery, so my posts will have to be sporadic until I fully recover. Still, if one has to be sidelined, I’m glad it’s happening now, while the pandemic keeps us mostly home in any case.
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Now that you’ve made it to the end of the year, it’s time for a challenge. By now you should realize that all the quiz birds this year were females. Most females lack bright colors, but I couldn’t resist the Christmas colors on this gorgeous lady.
She was was photographed in Australia in October. What species is she? (It’s a bit of a sexist name, actually.)
The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
Six years ago, I posted an article about scientific names for plants. As I pointed out, scientific names are essential because there are often a multitude of common names for a single species, or the same common name for a multitude of species. Using the genus species clarifies exactly which plant you’re discussing.
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After last week’s post about “Lost Birds,” I shouldn’t be surprised this week when a bird typically found in the old growth forests along the coast from northern California to Alaska was spotted in a playground at a county park out on the eastern plains of Colorado. Talk about lost!
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The chatter on Facebook caught my attention—a Magnificent Frigatebird had been seen and photographed at Cherry Creek State Park, and a Bohemian Waxwing was hanging out across town at Hudson Gardens. While I ponder the wisdom of driving over an hour each way to chase these out-of-place birds, especially with snow in the forecast, I have to wonder—how did they end up here in the first place? The frigatebird is a tropical species—I’ve seen them in Central America and the Caribbean—while Bohemian Waxwings typically hang out in the boreal forests of the northern hemisphere, and are considered to be rare for the Denver area.
(more…)This bird was photographed in California in February. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
In honor of Halloween being this week, I thought I’d scare you with some photos of horticultural horrors—gardening mistakes that make the staunchest plant person cringe. Please, spare a plant, and don’t make these ghastly blunders.
These poor crabapples are attempting to survive in the parking lot of our local YMCA. Every time I walk past, I shudder. They’re doomed to a short life, as their roots have no place to go. Did the landscapers think that air and water permeate concrete and asphalt?
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Sometimes it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time.
My friend and I were circling the ponds at our county nature center. She had a new camera and wanted to practice its unfamiliar settings, and I was along because I like birds and I like her.
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We have an often-damp low spot at one end of our lawn. This summer the xeric fernbush that I planted there five years ago finally showed its displeasure by up and dying. Now I’m looking to fill the gap with a medium-sized shrub that thrives in Colorado’s climate and soils, offers three (if not four) season interest, and attracts birds. After a bit of research I’ve settled on the perfect candidate—the chokeberry.
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By the time October arrives, I’m tempted to “throw in the trowel,” especially after a summer as hot, dry, and smoky as this one has been. I’m tired of hauling the hose to water the containers on my deck. I’m tired of pulling weeds that manage to stab my hands even inside of gloves. I’m even tired of eating chard, chard, and more chard. (Note to self: five or six plants is plenty!) I’m ready for fall, with its orange leaves, warm days, and brisk nights, but I’m not at all ready for winter’s drab colors and bare branches.
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