Carrollton Yard – July 2023

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The temperatures were over 100 every day I was in Carrollton, TX in July; I spent most of my time in places with air conditioning. It was in the 80s when I ventured out not that long after sunrise…getting a bit of yard photography done before it got too hot. The naked lady lilies (pink) were the most spectacular flowers of July and my mother had brought some of them indoors to enjoy. There were plenty left amongst the greenery from cosmos (orange)…Crape Myrtle and Queen Anne’s Lace as back drop. The elderly mulberry trees are still healthy enough to sprout new leaves along their trunks. The toy truck, rooster, copper fountain, tractor windmill, and glass sphere are nestled among the plants. The red yucca is thriving. Many plants are growing seeds/pods already.

In the distance – the Carrollton water tower and the sun just above the horizon could be seen through the trees.

There is a sprinkler system that runs twice a week in the early morning….but my sister and father are supplementing that watering for the newer plants. There hasn’t been rain recently and the high temperatures are taking a toll. The hydrangea has not produced flowers at all this year and looks forlorn even with a lot of watering.

Zooming – July 2023

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The photographic opportunities bulged with the addition of a trip to St. Louis along with the monthly trip to Texas…. local walk abouts in our yard and neighborhood…the Lake Springfield boathouse too. They all added up to a lot of zoomed images taken with my bridge camera (Canon Powershot SX70 HS). I enjoyed choosing which ones to include in this month’s post!

Carrollton Yard – June 2023

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June is the ‘getting hot’ month in Carrollton, Texas…leading into more frequent 100-degree-plus days in the following months. It is already obvious which yards in the neighborhood are getting watered. My parents have a sprinkler system that my sister keeps tuned to maximize the watering where it is needed most. In the backyard the Queen Anne’s Lace, cosmos, hibiscus, and day lilies are lush – flowers and lots of green. In the front yard there are dusty miller plants in bloom, the last of the daisies, and the red yuccas with blooms and lots of green seed pods. The red oak planted there is finally getting a lot of light and growing well since the ancient mulberry has been cut down.

There is still grass to mow and weed eating/edging – a continuing chore – even though the years of gardening have reduced the area maintained in that way. Pulling ‘trash trees’ that emerge in the flowerbeds requires more finesse by the person doing the work (distinguishing what needs to be pulled from the plants that should be in the flower beds) and is always on the ‘to do’ list for the yard!

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Wishing everyone an enjoyable 4th of July…Independence Day in the US…a day for fireworks, parades, and watermelon!

Josey Ranch Pocket Prairie – June 2023

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My original plan was to walk around the Pocket Prairie and take macro pictures with my phone. It was a good thing my bridge camera (Canon Powershot SX70 HS) since the morning was very breezy…too much for getting close shots with the phone. The optical zoom on the bridge camera was the only option.

The trash cans near the picnic table are Carrollton themed! Are they new this season? I don’t remember them from before.

The prairie area is full of May flowers setting seed and then the full summer flowers in bloom. I particularly enjoy the sunflowers (buds and flowers).

Across the pond from the Pocket Prairie – a Great Egret was looking for breakfast.

Maybe the morning I go in July will be less breezy and the macro plan will work….and there might be more insects too!

Zooming – June 2023

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So many photographic opportunities in June…close to home and in Texas. There were more biting insects around so staying on paths was all-the-more important; almost every image I took used the zoom on my bridge camera (Canon Powershot SX70 HS). Enjoy the slide show!

The pictures include:

  • A sunny day visit to the Springfield (Missouri) Botanical Gardens,

  • An afternoon and then (a week later) morning visit to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (near Sherman, TX), and

  • A morning at Josey Ranch Pocket Prairie (in Carrollton, TX).

Ducklings

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On the same morning as I photographed the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at the Josey Ranch Pocket Prairie, I noticed some almost grown Mallard ducks on the nearby pond with their mom. There may have been more than four in the brood originally, but 4 surviving past the stage where turtles can drown them is wonderful to see. They looked good in the morning light.

On the shore I saw a female duck in some taller grass. She looked very alert…and soon I saw why.

Ducklings! They must have been the second wave of young this season. The little ones were very active and heading toward the water.

I took a video – observing the mother trying to keep the ducklings close to the shore…probably aware of the turtles lurking in the pond. It was a breezy day, and the ducklings didn’t always stay in a tight group! It is surprising how quickly they move….how they can maneuver through the tall grass and bob in water shallow enough that the mother is standing. There were 5 of them. I’ll look again for the group in late July which I will be back in the Josey Ranch (Carrollton TX) area.

Carrollton Yard – May 2023

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My parent’s yard was transitioning from spring to summer when I was there in late May. My sister had taken away the naked lady lily leaves that had turned brown; the bulbs have the stored energy for their bloom later in the summer. I put the stainless-steel iris I bought at the Springfield Artsfest in the hydrangea plot. It looked like it belonged there and will provide some color visible from the garden room during the winter.

The Queen Anne’s Lace is beginning to boom…and the cosmos. In the front yard the red yucca is the most colorful. The daisies are dispersing their seeds. The ferns are lush and there are still fiddleheads unfurling.

The lamb’s ear is blooming. When I got home, the ones in my yard were too!

Now I am beginning to think about whether I want to propagate some of these plants in my yard. My challenge right now is a lack of gardening space and the need to clear out plants that didn’t make it through the winter in some of the beds. On the plus side…that clearing could leave some places that I could plant some Carrollton transplants.

Pocket Prairie and Josey Ranch – May 2023

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The Pocket Prairie at Josey ranch was blooming when I was there in May. The gardeners have worked hard to help it recover after last summer’s heat/drought. It will take a few years to fill in between the clumps that were planted new this year.

My favorites are the sunflowers. I like them from every angle!

The goslings that I noticed in April were in the same area in May. They have grown….and there are only 3 of the 5 left. Even though there are 2 diligent adults nearby, predators still take a toll. I wondered what the top predator would be in this urban park…maybe turtles…maybe unleashed dogs?

On the larger pond, there were mallard ducklings. There were 5 of them with a female. The males steer clear…seemed to be in all male groups.

The grackles were active and noisy.

They didn’t seem to disturb the great egret’s concentration as it searched for breakfast.

The swans were across the pond from where I stood. There seemed to be a lot of feathers on the shore. I wondered if the swans were molting or if something had attacked one of them.

I’ll be back in Carrollton by mid-June….looking forward to more sunflowers!

Zooming – May 2023

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So many photography opportunities in May…flowers are blooming, birds are out and about, we traveled to Pensacola FL and played tourist close to home when my sister visited. The first pictures are from Pensacola…then from Texas (Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and Carrollton)…then close to home (Lake Springfield, Fantastic Caverns, and World of Wildlife). It was a busy month!

I use the zoom feature on my Canon Powershot SX70 HS for almost every picture. My goal is to compose the image in a way that I don’t need to modify it later. The strategy saves time and focuses my creative energy while I am in the field when I can almost always try another shot – get exactly what I want.

Carrollton Yard – April 2023

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I took pictures between rain showers…tended to do zoomed images because it was too breezy for macro photography. The irises were past their peak…but there were still plenty to photograph.

What a difference light makes! The two images below were taken less than a minute apart with clouds moving rapidly through the sky.

The glass orb among the oxalis and Queen Anne’s Lace just missed being spotlighted in the same situation!

Other flowers were blooming as well. The white daisies were photographed with different lighting…but enough to freeze their movement caused by the breeze.

It was still cool enough for roses to be blooming too.

Of course – there were the ‘always there’ subjects…dandelions and red yucca pods.

Overall – lots of beauty in the yard to photograph…cool temps and rain made it a little harder to be out and about.

Pocket Prairie/Josie Ranch

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When I was in Carrollton, Texas in late April there were a lot of rainy days…but I managed a brief visit to the Josey Ranch area one morning. The Pocket Prairie area suffered last summer and the gardeners have done work to restore it this year. A bluebird was sitting on a post as I got out of my car…a great start to my visit.

A few flowers were beginning to bloom. I could tell that the rain garden area was planted to be better than ever.

When I retraced my steps toward the car, I noticed Canada Geese in the distance: a pair with 5 goslings! Hopefully everyone will give them space…avoid being attached by the parents!

The lake seemed relatively empty…between seasons. There was a Great Blue Heron preening in the shallows. The cattail area that had dried out last summer seems to be back to its normal watery condition.

Zooming – April 2023

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The zoom capability of my bridge camera (Canon PowerShot SX70 HS) is used in almost every picture I take! I rarely carry binoculars anymore since I’d rather have the option of taking a picture once I find the subject…and I am keen to minimize the weight of gear I carry around.

The locations for the zoomed images selected for this month are Nixa MO, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (near Sherman TX), Carrollton TX, Coppell TX, and Springfield TX.

My favorite subject this month was ducklings! I was thrilled to find them in my neighborhood pond when they were only a few days old.

Enjoy my views of April 2023!

Carrollton Yard – March 2023 (2)

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Continuing the report on my parents’ yard….

It’s not just flowers that were blooming. The crane flies emerged while I was there. They seemed to be everywhere. One got in the house and stayed put near the door…posing for portraits. Later I saw one on a plant. These short-lived adults are eaten by birds (as are the larvae in the soil)!

Of course – there are still flowering bulbs, sage, wisteria, and daisies blooming around the yard too.

The pecan tree had tuffs of leaves and blooms. It’s a young tree…maybe this year I will make pecans.

The sweet gum was also leafing out. It is fruitless variety (i.e. no spikey seeds). The tips of its branches are still very complex.

My favorite picture of the yard this month was some red yucca seed pods from last year….still holding the black seeds….the old stalk bent almost to ground level so that the leaves of the plant form the background.

I am looking forward to seeing the changes that April brings…

Carrollton Yard – March 2023 (1)

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The next few months, until the heat of summer becomes oppressive, should be the prettiest months of year in Carrollton, TX yards… including my parents’ yard. There were so many things to see when I was there in late March, that I am writing about them in two posts (today and tomorrow).

Seeds from a neighbor’s tree were all shades of green to brown….blowing over the back yard (will any of them sprout?).

The usual early spring flowers were up. My mother cut some of them to bring indoors; the garden still held plenty more.

The fiddleheads in the front flowerbed were healthy looking. They survived the prolonged period of 100 degree + days last summer better than the blue rug juniper ground cover (more than half of it died). Being in the shade most of the time must have helped although some of last year’s fronds looked burnt in August.

I was surprised to see several clumps of mushrooms around the base of one of the old mulberry trees. The tree itself was leafing out…so it’s unclear why that grassy area was so hospitable for mushrooms. I took the opportunity to do some macro photography….of course.

I enjoyed two servings of edamame pods and composted the empty pods afterward in one of the flowerbeds. It is surprising how much happened to them in 2-3 days! I’ll check them again in late April!

Josey Ranch – March 2023

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I went to Josey Ranch (Carrollton, TX) in the early morning. The male grackles were posturing. The females seemed to be mostly ignoring them.

There were two Great Egrets in breeding plumage staying together as they looked for breakfast.

There seemed to be more cormorants than usual. They are probably moving northward since their breeding grounds are in the norther part of the US and into Canada.

There were a few scaups and ruddy ducks left. They too are moving northward. I don’t expect to see them in April.

I walked to the garden area between the water and the two buildings. The trees are beginning to leaf out and roses are blooming. The area was impacted by the harsher (hotter and drier) summer and it will be interesting to observe how many of the plants will regain their vigor in the upcoming months.

March is a transition month. It will be interesting to see if more of the summer birds show up when I visit in April. I always check the pond (or is it a lake?); it’s an short, easy outing and their always seems to be something new to observe.

Plant of the month - Daffodils

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At the beginning of March – the daffodils were already blooming in Carrollton, Texas.

I was full of anticipation for daffodils at my home in Nixa, Missouri since I had planted bulbs last fall…it took another 3 week for my daffodils to open! There was a lot of cold weather all during those weeks. I did photographs over almost a week of a bud outside my office window (there is a screen on the window which make the photos ‘soft’ focus…but I find it appealing). I was worried that the flower was going to open overnight…but it was so cold that at one point (temperature in the teens) the stem bent and the bud was in the grass. Fortunately, the stem recovered and the bud opened.

I walk around on the house on a day that it was a little warmer (temperature in the 40s) and was pleasantly surprised by some daffodils in a bed that isn’t visible from any of our windows. The bulbs were planted by the previous owner. They were on the west side of the house and must have been warmed by the sun shining on the brick wall during the cold days. They were all past prime….fading frills.

And now I am hoping the other spring blooming bulbs are going to bloom too…following the daffodils.

Fox Squirrel

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Last time I was in Carrollton, TX, I paid more attention to the squirrels in my parents’ yard. They are a little larger than the squirrels I see in my Missouri yard and have a brownish orange underside. I realized that they are fox squirrels. I enjoyed photographing one munching on some food we had put out for the birds. The squirrel was down on the ground…up on a perch in the tree where a large limb had been removed…giving me opportunity to see it from almost every angle. I wondered if the squirrel was pregnant because it looked very rounded! Late February is a likely time the young would be born.

Cheshire Cat Moon

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Last month when I was in Carrollton, my daughter texted that the moon, Venus, and Jupiter were visible in the west. I went out…it was a clear night…and the horizon was clear enough to see all three. I opted to take a picture of the moon since my camera could focus on it well enough to see some craters. It also reminded me of the Alice in Wonderland Cheshire Cat – where the cat’s body has disappeared and all that is left is its iconic grin.

Elm Fork Nature Preserve – February 2023

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I arrived at the Elm Fork Nature Preserve at the same time as a Texas Master Naturalist (I could tell by his hat!) which turned out to make the walk through the circuit into a guided hike. I didn’t take as many pictures as usual. The day was brisk and sunny…pleasant in a zipped-up jacket.

Toward the back of the loop are several areas of wetlands/open water. At least one of them was an oxbow of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River – now disconnected. There were ducks, grebes, and coots…and a cormorant in a tree. They were far enough away to be almost out of range of my camera, and I didn’t take the time to get better images stabilized with my monopod.

The area was owned by the same family from 1861 until it became the preserve and was always used for household wood (shelter, cooking, eating) until it became the preserve. It is a rare parcel in this part of Texas that has always been timbered. The trees are all different sizes and I found myself taking pictures of ones that were snags or pieces of trees. When the trees leaf out it will be a good place for canopy pictures --- looking up through the trees.

A tree that had fallen across the path and been cut was particularly interesting. It had wavy markings…like meandering rivers taken from above.

There is a structure, but it doesn’t appear to have been used recently; it is beginning to deteriorate. The place does not appear to get a lot of visitors (and the Master Naturalist told me that he’d been there a few times when he thought some of the people there were not nature lovers or fishing). So – I’d like to go again but it might not be a place to go on my own.

Carrollton Yard – February 2023

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The temperatures were getting warm enough in Carrollton TX for some of the hardy spring flowers to make an appearance.

The naked lady lilies are just leaves now…building up for their bloom during the summer. The daffodils and hyacinths are blooming.

I noticed the fallen rooster and rusting toy surrounded by brown debris from last season and the greening new growth of spring. The rooster’s fall, twisted feather and the rust on the base/foot is new this season. I didn’t attempt to right it.

The small landscapes appealed to me as well – the small rock that looks like a big cliff next to the green vegetation, the single pink flower at the base of a big mulberry tree, a red leaf surrounded by crinkled brown leaves and delicate new green growth, and a dandelion already in bloom (also at the base of a mulberry tree).

My favorite image from the February walk around the yard was a backlit dandelion seed puff.  Yes – the background is messy…but I always attempt to capture the situation as it was in nature, not something contrived.