Saturday's Critters # 612

  Welcome to Saturday's Critters! Hello and Happy Saturday!

 If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

A mish-mash I am finally posting photos from the end of July. Photos are from my back yard and of course I share some flashback photos.  I have various butterflies and an unknown moth. 

Click on images for better viewing.

1. I am seeing lots of butterflies at the coneflowers, the Buddleia and our Zinnias flowers. Below is the Fritillary Butterfly.

2. The Swallowtail butterflies are plentiful this summer. They are very pretty to watch visiting out buddleia bushes. 

3. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is a pretty yellow with black tiger stripes with some red and blue spots 

4. The purple coneflowers are growing well this year.

A Swallowtail looking a little ragged but still beautiful.

There are two of the Swallowtail butterflies below.

5. An unknown moth on the butterfly bush.

6. Our Crepe Myrtle had some beautiful blooms, the insects love these flowers. 

7. Sept 2019, a flashback look at an Iceland bird, the Northern Fulmar. I saw some of these birds roosting on a cliff next to the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, South Coast Iceland. 

The Northern Fulmar, a gull-like seabird. They are neat looking birds with their yellow beak with odd looking nose tubes. 

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Bonus, our son stopped by to do some work for us and he brought our grandsons for a visit. The boys enjoyed sitting on the deck feeding the Cardinal and watching the hummingbirds. Some time was spent eating snacks and watching a car race cartoon. 

I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday   I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post.

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Check out  Catblogosphere.com

Here is my linky:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post! 

Saturday's Critters # 351

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!


Hello and Happy Saturday!


If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

A juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, you can see just a small bit of the ruby throated jewel starting to show on this hummingbird.

I've been seeing at least 3 Gray Catbirds in my yard, it appears they like the berries on the Devil's Walking Stick.  The Botanical name for this plant is Aralia Spinosa and commonly called Hercules Club. It is native to north east America.

 

Gray Catbird likes these Devil's walking Stick berries.

The Fritillary Butterflies are a common sight at the butterfly bushes.

The Swallowtails Butterflies are plentiful. 

Thanks to all my visitors and for all the wonderful comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves critters and has linked up their critter post.




Here is my linky:


 

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the host Anni.

Happy Thankful Thursday

 Hello everyone,

Sending prayers to Michelle and her family.  May Michelle's mom rest in peace, my sincere condolences.  Michelle is the host of Thankful Thursday.

These are crazy times lately, between the Covid 19 virus, weird cult conspiracy theories and the up coming election.  The following two things I need to remind myself  of daily.  The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately. Stop worrying about things you can't change.  One thing I can do is VOTE and always check the FACTS.   

Wouldn't it be nice if anything related to politics, politicians and the election was just banned from the news and social media sites for 1-2 months before the election. 

When we focus on the beautiful things around us, life becomes calmer.

Sky-watching and watching the butterflies are a few of  my simple pleasures.  Simple pleasures I am thankful for.....

Sending the warmest wishes your way,
let them lighten up your day.
Just like the morning sun rays!

An Irish Blessing:


May the wings of a butterfly kiss the sun.
And find your shoulder to light on.
To bring you luck, happiness and riches. 
Today, tomorrow and beyond.

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.

"True generosity toward the future consists of giving everything to the present." Albert Camus

Be like the butterfly, embrace change.
Float above it all,
Sip life's sweetness.
Become something beautiful,
on occasion fly into the wild.

Anne Frank: I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.     I am thankful for the beauty around me.

These photos above are new, I feel like they must  look like others I have already shared on a previous post. The butterflies continue to enjoy our Buddleia bush. I have been enjoying my yard birds lately, I have a lot of Blue Jays, Cardinals, WB Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers. I have been hearing the calls of the Pileated Woodpecker and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo almost every day. 

For the Throwback Thursday theme, photos are from my younger years. My first day of school and my First Communion. My mother made the Communion dress, she made a lot of dresses for me and my sister.

My ears look so big, lol..

Be Kind! Kindness changes the world, one heart at a time!! 😊

Take care and stay safe! 


Live simple and be happy!  😊 Keep smiling!

Thank you Martha for hosting Throwback Thursday
Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to Yogi the host of   Skywatch Friday


Thank you for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!!  😊

Happy Thankful Thursday!

Happy Thankful Thursday!

Go away Hurricane Florence!  I hope everyone who is in the path of Hurricane Florence stays safe . 


These are images from our walk to our lake on Labor Day Sept 3rd. It was a pretty sky day with puffy white clouds but hot and humid. I heard a few birds along our walk, a few Eastern Wood Pewees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Warbler and the knocking of some woodpecker all heard but not seen. 

It was a pretty sky day, white puffy clouds here and there. 

Butterflies were the Monarch and various Swallowtail butterflies.

Just before the trail ended at the lake we saw one tree with red leaves.

One lone fishing boat on the lake.

Swallowtail Butterfly

There was one red leaf tree on the edge of the lake.

I am thankful to live so close to the lake, just a walk away. 
I am always thankful for all your visits and comments. 


Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday


Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

Shenandoah National Park

Happy Monday, have a great day!


These are some images from a recent day trip to Shenandoah National Park. We enjoyed the drive on Skyline Drive, hiked on the Limberlost Trail and a walk on the Big Meadows to see the flowers and butterflies.  

We saw lots of deer along the Limberlost Trail.

Eastern Bluebirds were a nice sighting at the Big Meadows.

Mushroom seen along the trail.

We saw lots of butterflies during our Big Meadows walk. 

Monarch on the Thistle at the Big Meadows.

These flowers were seen along the side of the Skyline drive.

 


Thanks for your visit today!  I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

I hope to see you there. Thanks to the host today. Enjoy your day and new week.

As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

Thankful Thursday

Hello & Happy Thankful Thursday!

For awhile we were in drought conditions and then the rain came. Flooded roads, washed away bridges and some water came in our basement. These are images of our lake, the dam and scenes from the fire road walks. I also included some of the full moon on July 27th. 

Full moon on July 27th, the eclipse could not be seen from our area.

To the lower left of the moon is the planet Mars.

July 26th , looking down at the dam gates open. 

A view of the lake and dam.  

July 26th, the Gunpowder River seen from the Dam. The reservoir 79.7 sq miles and the rural watershed is about 24,000. 

July 19th Prettyboy Reservoir, a blue sky day before the rains came. Our first eagles nest is located across the lake, it is great now we found a second eagles nest closer to our home and neighborhood.

A Swallowtail butterfly on the fire road.

July 19th, a group of Canada Geese hanging out on the lake. 

July 19th, the Prettyboy watershed, next to the reservoir. 

I am thankful for the rain, just not too much rain. 

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 




Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday


Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!