Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Find a warm spot


After the big drop in temperature, I am finding frogs tucked into the zinnias. This looks like a nice warm choice.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Spider Lilies


Seen in the yards of older homes, this fall bloomer first sends up a slender stalk, followed by an airy bloom, and later, the greenery. A shovel full of bulbs from a neighbor long ago has given me plenty. Common names are Pink Ladies and the fun Naked Ladies, as the flower resembles a fancy ladies hat atop a bare stem. Ooh la la!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Yellow-billed Cuckoo


I used to wonder what was making that odd call coming from the woods. After a little research and a few sightings, I learned it is the cuckoo. This is a large bird and although I hear him regularly, to spot him is a real treat.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Saturday's Frog


Hmmm, does this leaf still fit?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Another Sunday Sunrise


Large houses mark the pre-dawn skyline over the 4 wheel drive section of the northern Currituck Banks.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Tagged Crab


A couple weeks ago we picked up this female crab in one of our pots, obviously recruited for a study of blue crab movement. We sent in our information to the collector in KDH and hope to hear back about her release point and the study itself. We clipped her tag and set her free, as we do with most of the females we catch ... doing our little part in trying to keep the numbers up.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Early Morning


Trying to  catch some of the beauty of the watery landscape here. This is a view of the pre-dawn horizon north of Corolla.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Garden Spider


She's a beauty. Her web is spread between two trees. She will leave her eggs in a sac near the edge of the web. Last year one made a web right at the back door. I set aside my jumpiness and let her be; she left behind 3 paper bag colored sacs.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Pileated at Work


This woodpecker spent some time on the the rotting branch lifting up chunks of bark. One beautiful bird, no?

Friday, September 11, 2009

Looking for some Sunshine


It's been a long week of wind and rain. In a weather break yesterday I stepped into the garden to see the sunflowers and zinnias. This morning is quite cool and the sun is still hiding. Maybe this little flower will coax him out.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Sandpipers Visit


In an earlier post, I mentioned the new grass growth in the sound. As the grass breaks and the wind blows it collects into thick mats along the shoreline. Flocks of sandpipers have found the grass and are feasting on the entrapped critters. We rarely see sandpipers this way; we have a few pairs of plovers and the killdeers but flocks of sandpipers are a bright spot to the grass explosion.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Leopard Frog


Another leopard frog, this one out of the pond and displaying the gold lines down his back.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Stormy Monday


I thought I would check out the morning sky again. It's pretty stormy out. White foam kicked up by the wind piles up along the shoreline stopped by piles of grass. The grass has exploded in the sound. It will take a few storms to thin it out.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Sunday Morning Sunrise


Our sound and sky is usually a large expanse of blue. Just before sunrise, it can be a palette full.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Sharing the Parsley


Of course to have butterflies, I need to share some garden goodies. Parsley is a fav for the swallowtail caterpillars.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Giant Swallowtail


I love having flowers in the garden. They bring in beauties like this one I found yesterday afternoon.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Pot 'o Pink


Let's brighten up this grey day with a pot of electric pink portulaca!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Grasshopper


The detail on this fellow could only have been made by the finest draftsman.