July 22, 2024

Our Missouri Neighborhood – July 2024

July 22, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

There is always something to see in walks around the ponds in our neighborhood…bits of nature thriving even in an area dominated my manicured yards: a dandelion puff (hurray for some deep rooted plants in the turf), a fat robin (there must be plenty of worms here), clover in bloom (making nitrogen available to other plants), and magnolia flowers (the bee had just flown away).

There are always turtles in the pond. One on the bank looked like he was waving at me!

I stop at the bridge to look at the sheet of water flowing into the first pond – runoff from rain or sprinkler systems running too long. I look for ripples and collections of debris to photograph. The feather caught my attention first….then the leaves and green clippings…a background of algae.

The large redbud near the pond was damaged by a storm a year ago. There is new growth from the large branch that had to be removed. I like the way the new leaves start out reddish…turn a light green…they will get even deeper green as they age.

Most of the fish I see in the ponds are small and gray or brown…but there is at least one monster koi (about 2 feet). Hopefully if someone catches it, they will not return it to the pond!

Finally – a fresh feather on the path that had been sprinkled by a neighbor’s automatic sprinkler system!

July 23, 2023

Our Missouri Neighborhood – July 2023

July 23, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

July has been hot…though not as hot as Texas. I’ve appreciated being home. The month started dry but then suddenly we got 2 inches of rain in 2 days after teasing with clouds and forecasts for rain that didn’t materialize. We have a good vantage point for the sunset over the neighborhood pool house from our patio.

I saw a large red-eared slider on the move across the neighbor’s yard behind our house; it appeared to be moving in the general direction of the ponds. By the time I got out of the house with my phone for the picture, the turtle was at the tennis court…and quickly discovered the fence barrier. I noticed that the back of the turtle appeared wet; I wondered if it (she?) had been laying eggs – maybe in some damp, mulchy place. I assume the turtle managed to get back to the pond; I didn’t stick around in the heat of midafternoon.

About a week later I walked out into the eastern side of our yard to photograph the sunrise from two perspectives over neighbors’ houses.

More recently I took a morning walk around the ponds. We have more Purple Loosestrife that ever this year at the edge of the ponds….which is not a good thing since the state says it is “a noxious weed in Missouri and should be removed as quickly as possible.” Maybe it takes some finesse to remove it with propagating it? I hope eventually we’ll eradicate it and plant something native – like buttonbush (one of my favorites).

Note that the second picture (above) is near the willow tree…the one that had grown around a stake. There seem to be more plants around the base of the willow this year than I noticed last year.

Asian honeysuckle – another non-native invasive plant – is also growing in clumps around the pond. I wonder if there are children that pull the flowers to taste the nectar? I remember doing that as a child…and taught my daughter to do it too!

There are maple seedlings that are growing in the areas that don’t get mowed and a small clover hill that is full of blooms even with the occasional mowing.

I tried an artsy picture of the sun glint on the water silhouetting the shore vegetation. It looks like a picture that could have been taken at night!

Bullfrogs are some of the more recognizable sounds at the pond. It is harder to see them. This one was under one of the loosestrifes. I heard another one not far away while I was photographing this one.

As I headed back to our gate, I saw a robin on our fence…observing me!

July is a great month to be outdoors in the morning…but the afternoons have been stifling – good time to be indoors with air conditioning.

May 29, 2023

Springfield Art Museum

May 29, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

I’ve been to the Springfield Art Museum several times. There are new exhibits often enough to make it a great activity anytime but particularly on a hot afternoon or a rainy day. I always enjoy seeing the Chihuly piece (glass) in the foyer and Anne Lindberg’s tilted sky (Egyptian cotton thread stretched over a hallway) again.

The first gallery we walked through had appealing vessels – my two favorites are the ones with wavy decorations that reminded me of prairie grasses/flowers.

I experimented with different perspectives of the fountain in the courtyard. My favorite is probably the most magnified…the way the water flattens and swirls once it makes the leap from above.

In another gallery, ceramic swirls caught my attention. Some were 3-D spirals…others more complex interlocked curves.

As we walked outside, we noticed the plantings done to control erosion now that the renovation along Fassnight Creek has been completed.

A butterfly and ladybug were enjoying them too!

Every visit to the museum includes something new – new exhibits or just noticing something that I didn’t during the previous visit.

June 23, 2022

Our New Neighborhood – June 2022

June 23, 2022/ Gwen Morrison

There are two ponds with a ~0.5 trail around them in our Missouri neighborhood…three bridges (one at both ends and between them). One of the tangential paths from the loop passes by our back gate. I took an early morning walk – taking photos in the great morning light. A squirrel posed for me on one of the bridges.

I was glad the mowed areas are not ‘golf course’ like…lots of clover mixed in with the grasses.

There is a mallard with a broken wing that I’ve seen several times. The first time was the day the movers arrived. It was wondering around our backyard and my husband opened the gate so that it could return to the ponds. It was swimming in the water or on a muddy island in one of ponds the other times I’ve seen it. It probably cannot fly well enough to move to another location.

The edges of the ponds are not mowed….so there are plenty of taller grasses, seedlings, wild onions and other plants that make it interesting.

I stopped just before I made the last turn to my house to photograph one of the larger trees….and its reflection.

We are experiencing lots of high temperatures this week so all my walks will be on mornings when the temperature is still pleasant. I am anticipating that the short walks are going to be ‘favorites’ for my post-move life.

November 16, 2020

Neighborhood Pond – November 2020 – part 1

November 16, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

I walked down to the neighborhood stormwater pond recently. There were still a few leaves that had not been swept away by the wind (or mowing or raking). I walked through drifts of leaves in the street gutter and sidewalks…crunching.

I was early enough that the light was good for reflections on the pond. There was no breeze, so the water was a good mirror.

There was a red-winged blackbird in the cattails. It moved around a bit….called to others that had moved to nearby trees as I had walked up to the pond. I sat on the bench for a few minutes, but the other birds stayed away from the immediate pond vegetation.

The sun sometimes made a spotlight on the vegetation…bringing out the nuances of fading fall colors.

The meadow on the far side of the pond has not been mowed and looks like it is being taken over by invasive pear trees. They’ll probably mow it again in the spring.

All the flowers around the pond have gone to seed.

2020 11 IMG_2883 (19).jpg — As I started back, I noticed a tree with 3 squirrels’ nests! There were other similarly sized trees near it…but somehow the squirrels found this one more attractive.

A dogwood still held its colorful leaves. The native dogwoods usually have leaves that turn early and drop; this one is probably a non-native and I didn’t notice any seeds.

2020 11 IMG_2883 (23).jpg — Most of the oaks in the neighborhood have lost their leaves completely. Maybe they have just reached the age that they don’t hold their leaves longer. Ours was one of the early droppers this year.

I checked the micro-clover that we planted in some bare spots a few months ago. It is still growing very well everywhere we planted it. Hopefully, it will help the soil improve so we won’t have any bare places next spring.

Tomorrow I will post about the high point of the walk to and from the pond.

Unique Activities for Yesterday:

Crane Fiesta 2020. The virtual version of Festival of the Cranes from Bosque del Apache is called Crane Fiesta and is happening November 19-21. It is being delivered as cost-free webinars….but registration is required. The link to register is https://friendsofbosquedelapache.org/festival-of-the-cranes/. My husband and I are looking forward to the three days of virtual birding….the next best thing to being there (and looking forward to going back to New Mexico in November2021)!

July 14, 2020

Found on the Ground

July 14, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

I walked around my yard and looked for interesting things on the ground. I was a little surprised at how many things I found! My rule was to not move anything…just take the photo as it appeared on the ground. Toward the front and north side of the yard, I found oak leaves from last fall that had blown into the garage, a wasp nest that had blown down from someplace, an arc of grass clippings, some plants overflowing into the concrete trough below the gutter’s downspout, an anthill, a sycamore leaf and some mushrooms in our neighbor’s yard (I used the zoom for the last one).

In the back and the south side of the house there were tiny yellow flowers (weeds), sycamore leaves (rust and decaying green), a cabbage white butterfly enjoying the tiny yellow flowers, a tulip poplar leaf, the invasive plants under the trees at the edge of the forest, a mushroom, some clover, a cherry leaf and water droplets on a weed.

It was a short walk on a morning that was heating up; already warm enough to have the cabbage whites active. I was glad there were still water droplets too. Overall – I’m always pleased that there seems to always be something interesting in our yard.

Unique Activities for Yesterday:

Looked at a reference from last week’s Zoom meetings… savored The MoMA exhibition Safe: Design Takes on Risk from 2004 (19 short audios and then pictures).

July 10, 2020

Neighborhood Pond in the Early Morning – Part 2

July 10, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

2020 07 IMG_0551 (2).jpg — Aside for seeing the green heron with a fish…there were other things to see around the pond as I made the circuit. The frogs I was hearing when I first approached were Green Frogs based on their calls (like a strummed rubber band) and then I started seeing them – jumping from the bank – plopping into the water. There were some already in the water…with just their head above water. One was on some debris under the cattails. Those three were still enough for me to photograph.

The pond has a street on one side, the back fences of yards on two sides, and then a milkweed meadow on the 4th. It was recycle day for the neighborhood and the truck rumbled around the neighborhood while I was at the pond.

2020 07 IMG_0551 (21).jpg — There are lots of plants to see around the pond: peaches hanging over the fence from someone’s back yard, mushrooms in the grass, horse nettle, vetch, clovers, and dandelions.

2020 07 IMG_0551 (9).jpg — There were all stages of cattail around the pond. They are usually where I see the male red-winged blackbirds perched; I did manage to photograph one but most of the birds were in the trees or on fences.

2020 07 IMG_0551 (10).jpg — The milkweed meadow was in bloom. The bees and milkweed beetle were enjoying the bounty. A few plants were coming up in the mowed area (growing faster than the grass).

There were some silent animals around too: a rabbit

And a painted turtle that I almost stepped on. I was just looking more closely at the pond since I usually see one in the water or up on some debris. And then I looked down…and saw it about a foot away from me. This one was well up the slope from the pond. The temperature was in the lower 70s…..and the turtle was probably just thinking about moving. It didn’t budge while I took my photographs.

For all the animals – I used the zoom rather than trying to get close. The morning pond was their home and I left them to enjoy the morning.

Unique Activities for Yesterday:

Finches at the feeder. We have House Finches at our feeder frequently…and occasionally get Goldfinches. There was a little drama yesterday that involved both. A female Goldfinch arrived first. Then a male House Finch followed by a male Goldfinch. The males appeared to have a territorial interaction and the male House Finch departed.

July 06, 2020

July Yard

July 06, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

Our yard is entering its summer exuberance. We’re still getting enough rain to enable rapid growth of grass and bushes. Even the shade loving plants are lush at this time of year. I take a round of pictures every time we mow the lawn. My husband always starts the mowing, so I have time to take pictures and complete a few other chores before it is my turn.

2020 07 04 093848.jpg — I took the kitchen scraps that had accumulated in the garage container back to the compost bin and took a picture of a fly on a leaf of the nine bark bush before I shaped it with the pruners (and then carried the clippings back to the compost bin).

There were small mushrooms growing in the grass that I noticed on my way back from the compost bin. I was glad I noticed them then since they probably didn’t survive the mowing.

There were black-eyed Susan buds and clover in the front flowerbed (along with the day lilies). The black-eyed Susans will provide some color once the day lilies are done for the year although I did notice that there are several plants that have already had their buds eaten by deer.

The small holly that I trimmed a few weeks ago is growing a lot of new leaves right now. They’ll get a darker green as they mature. The prickles on the leaves keep the deer away.

And then there were a lot of small plants thriving in the deep shade under the deck: ferns and mosses primarily.

There is a Virginia Creeper on the sycamore trunk. It looks good against the peeling bark.

June 19, 2020

Neighborhood Pond

June 19, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

Earlier this week I made a circuit of our neighborhood’s stormwater pond. I noticed the painted turtle on a rock just breaking the surface. The morning was still cool, and the turtle was warming up. It stayed were it was the whole time I was at the pond.

As I continued around the pond, the light changed enough to make the water look more interesting around the turtle. This was my artsy photo of the morning.

A few years ago, the county cleaned out our pond and eventually replanted the slopes with vetch and clover (I am guessing…since there is a lot growing there now). The crew that maintains the area has finally decided to not mow the slopes as frequently, so we have flowers.

Another area they aren’t mowing has turned into a milkweed meadow.

There were mating milkweed beetles on several plants close enough to the edge for me to photograph without being in the taller vegetation.

But – the highlight of the morning was a fledgling red-winged blackbird! I was hearing a lot of red-winged blackbird calls and had seen both males and females around the pond as I walked. A female flew up from some cattails and, when I looked more closely at the area she left, there was the fledgling. It is still mostly bald on its head and the tail feathers are very stumpy.

The female kept an eye on me from the cattails a little further around the pond.

Unique activities for yesterday:

Wegmans shopping. Grocery shopping has become a bit more adventurous these days. This is my second time in the ‘new normal’ for grocery shopping. I’m not quite comfortable yet.

I printed out my list in the order I traverse the store rather than hand writing it like I did the first time; the scanning app the store provides really does need to incorporate a list function since switching in and out of the scan app and the Our Groceries app (that I use for my list) is too much flipping around on the phone.

Shopping every two weeks rather than each week is still a little challenging but I am sticking to the strategy. This time my cart was very full because the store had both toilet paper and paper towels – which it hadn’t the week before.

I am getting used to wearing a mask; it didn’t feel as strange as it did last time. However, the day was very humid, and my glasses fogged more frequently.

Overall – it was another good experience and right now I can’t think of anything I’ll be doing differently when I shop again in 2 weeks.

June 15, 2020

Flowerbeds in the Morning – Part 2

June 15, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

One of the advantages of cool mornings is that the small critters move a little more slowly – making them easier to photograph. It was in the mid-60s on the morning I went out to work in the front flower beds – and took a few minutes for some photography. The first insect I noticed was a small damselfly flying around and then landing on a day lily leaf. I sat there in the sun long enough for me to get a picture with my phone. I clipped the best part of the image.

I used the same technique with the bee on the clover. The bee was working its way to all the tiny flowers.

The oak had a lacewing larva several years ago, so I always check the lichen for another; I didn’t fine one this time…. But there was a slug moving over a lichen patch.

20200612_071838 clip.jpg — Later – after I finished most of my work, I noticed a fly on a milkweed leaf. It too was a little sluggish because of the temperature.

Overall – I was pleased with the photographic results – concentrating on taking focused pictures without using the digital zoom on the phone – then clipping the portion I wanted for macro viewing.

Unique activities for yesterday:

First Fawn. When I first went into my office about 6 AM – I saw a doe and fawn in our backyard….headed toward the forest. By the time I got the camera turned on and zoomed, they were at the forest edge. This was my first fawn sighting of the year. Last year we had a doe with 2 fawn that came through the yard frequently all through the summer. There don’t seem to be as many deer this year; the path into the forest is growing over with vegetation and my day lilies have not been eaten. It would be good if the deer population were trending lower – although I enjoy seeing them in the forest.

New low weight for the year. I’m 7 pounds lower than my max weight for the year! I celebrated with dark chocolate for breakfast – of course.

June 14, 2020

Flowerbeds in the Morning – Part 1

June 14, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

I was out early on a morning that started out in the 70s – to do a little work in the front flowerbeds. I got sidetracked by some of the vegetation and did some photography before I got any work done.

There are a few clover plants. I leave them although I am often tempted to eat them. Supposedly they are edible from root to blossom! I’m letting them go to seed and hope that they’ll grow amongst the day lilies again next year.

The wild strawberries have grown better than usual this year. They cover the area near the down spout from the gutter. They’ve even crowded out the mint that used to grow in that space….and the horse nettles are not growing there this year either.

20200612_065052(0).jpg — I did notice some black berry vines against the wall of the garage. They are wild and only produce tiny berries….and the thorns are bad. I pulled/cut them.

20200612_071315(0).jpg — I left the Virginia creeper climbing up to the brick for now. When it gets to the window level, I’ll cut it. It looks artsy at this point….in the mottled light.

The milkweed is up but is late blooming this year because of the odd May temperatures. I haven’t seen any monarch butterflies yet this year or any evidence that the milkweed plants are being eaten by anything…not even aphids (yet). There are some with curled leaves which I’ll probably cut down in an effort to keep the rest of my milkweed patch healthy in the event that the Monarchs come and need the plant for egg laying/caterpillars.

But the best discovery of the morning was that the day lilies are blooming…and the deer have not even nibbled in the area (in previous years we’d be on our second wave of day lily leaves and the bud stalks would be chomped)! I cut two stalks with open flowers and large buds to take inside.

Tomorrow’s post will feature the small critters I discovered….and managed to photograph.

Unique activities for yesterday:

Mowing the yard – finding a baby oak. The grass is growing fast with the combination of warmer temperatures and periodic rain. We waited a day or so since the last rain. The dew was dry by about 9:30 when we started. There is one place that stays wet in our backyard – where the extra water from our neighbor’s sump pump runs down the slope from their yard into ours. The grass is very lush there and – so far – seems to be thriving with the extra moisture and not too damaged by being mowed when it is wet. I noticed an oak seedling and pulled it out so I could photography it rather than mow over it. Part of the root did not come out of the ground, but the acorn did! If I were doing pre-school field trips, this would be an excellent specimen to share with the children.

Overall – my husband and I were mowing/working for about an hour. He did more of the mowing this time and I trimmed low hanging branches from the plum, maple, and tulip poplar. There is still one low branch on our cherry tree that I almost always manage to hit (with my head) and it is too large to cut without endangering the balance of the tree.

August 10, 2018

Morning Walk at Mt. Pleasant (part 2)

August 10, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

Today I’m focusing on the plants I photographed during my morning walk earlier this week at Howard County Conservancy’s Mt. Pleasant. The seed pods on the sweet bay magnolia are in all stages of development: from green to

Seeds bursting from the pod (I always think they look like red M&Ms) and then pods that are mostly empty and dry.

There are always chicory flowers after each rain. I liked the blurs of yellow and green behind this macro image.

Goldenrod is beginning to bloom. Goldenrod is one of the nectar plants for butterflies into the fall. People thought it caused their terrible fall allergies but now ragweed is said to be the primary culprit.

There was Queen Ann’s Lace in the meadow as well. It’s always interesting to me how different a plant appears in the macro view.

As I hiked along the narrow path near the stream there was a young sycamore that had leaves that were beginning to lose their chlorophyll for fall. The leaves were backlit so I took some macro images to show the changes.

There are still new leaves being unfurled on the tree too; this one was about the size of a dime.

Thistles are not very friendly looking! Too many prickles.

Bind weed is an occasional plant in the meadow. The flowers always look like they have little pleats.

This mint flower – taken from above with the macro lens – was coated with morning dew.

Dandelions are always attention getters. They look a bit like bursts of fireworks…or yellow streamers.

Even the clovers that are usually not noticed have a unique beauty seen through the macro lens.

Do you recognize mile-a-minute? It’s an invasive plant that grows very quickly and has wicked thorns.

And now for the Pokeweed. The ones I photographed were still blooming and the fruits that were formed were still green. They’ll turn purple later…and the stem will be bright pink. I’ll remember to photograph the plants through the fall to track their development.