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| I don't have a bug book, so unfortunately do not know what this one is. It must be a dragonfly of some sort. While I was cleaning up my garden today, he was nice enough to sit and pose for me. |
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| Just had to show an update of the swans by Dad's. They were enjoying the waterfall and the algae on the rocks. Mom is teaching them something new everyday! |
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| When we went for a stern wheeler ride on North Webster lake, this female mallard was part of our send off committee. |
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| This family of 3 came to visit as we were having dinner at the Frog in Syracuse, Indiana. |
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| See how the male arches his wings. It is beautiful to see. |
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| Here is their baby. Check out the size of that foot. The babies do swim with one foot on their backs. This is the first time we had seen swans in the wild, and with babies too. They were much bigger then the ones we see where my Father lives. The adults have their wings clipped so they can't fly away. These wild swans were liking the handouts they were receiving at the restaurant! |
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| Rose of Sharon was in bloom. It has been years since we have seen these. They are not so popular where we live, but seemed to pop up all around where we were touring in Indiana. |
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| This was so pretty, too. Another color of Rose of Sharon |
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| While we were traveling the back roads of Marshall County, Indiana, I had to make my husband back up to get this picture. She was so nice to stand in the water while I took her picture. |
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| I love how her reflection was in the water. As I have said before, these pictures are ones I thought turned out pretty good. They will win no prizes, but are a great reminder to me of the beautiful things we see in nature. Mary |
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| Riding the wave!. This swan was having a great day in the hot weather. There is a waterfall at the community where my Dad lives, and this swan found it was great to sit undr the fall, and just ride the waves! |
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| Here is this cute baby robin. I happened to see a spot in the grass and went to investigate. Here he was just sitting there. My guess was that he was resting after his first flight. So precious. |
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| Great Blue Heron. These birds can grow to 52 inches tall. The male and female look the same. They build their nest lake a platform, or on platforms. The heron lakes 3 to 5 eggs and it will ake 56 to 60 days for incubation. There is a reserve near Joliet that has an island that the herons and egrets flock to. They are beautiful birds. |
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| Easter lilies |
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| Black-eyed Susan's |
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| Sweet Peas |
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| We have a robin's nest in our crabapple tree in the front yard. I have seen 2 baby robin's in the nest. |
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| Mom just flew back to the nest to feed the babies. |
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| Going to start adding more pictures as I locate them. This one was from last fall. I will have to update when I find out the name. It is just so vibrant. |
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| This is wild aster that I found while walking in the woods.. They are just so pretty in the fall. |
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| Sunflower, the yellow is such a pretty color. |
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| A doe, that was so kind to pose for me. |
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| The fawn, I think thought he was hiding from me. You can still see his spots. This picture was taken in September of last year. |
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| Pileated Woodpecker. that was pecking on an old tree stump. Tried to get him in a different position, but he would not cooperate. They are a large crow-sized black backed woodpecker with bright red crest on head. He has a long gray bill with red mustache. You can hear them when they are pecking at an old tree. This one was seen in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in early fall. |
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| A pair of Sandhill Cranes. These birds can grow to between 40 and 48 inches tall, and have a wing span of up to 6-7 feet. They really are an elegant gray bird, with long legs and neck. Their wings and body are often stained a rusty brown. They have a scarlet red cap on their head and red eyes. |
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| Here is another sunflower, this time with a bee working his magic. I love sunflowers. They are cheerful because of their color. |
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| This is a Black-capped Chickadee. He is gray with a black cap and throat patch. Has a white chest and tan belly, with small white marks on his wings. |
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| Here is a Mom with her 2 babies. The babies are about 2 weeks old. One is gray in color and the other white. The male and female help in the incubation, and then with the feeding and training. They are called mute swans, but will make a hissing or a barking noise when disturbed or threatened. |
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| This is the male. Just look at the size of his head. |
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| The same day I took the pictures of this pair of swans, I noticed this young fellow, too. It is a baby muskrat. He lives in the same pond as the swans. Have a great day. Listen to the birds, there are beautiful songs in the air. Mary |
