Wildlife
Slice of Life: Loons & Humans
Over the past two years, I’ve become interested in loons. The reason? Well, we have a cabin in the Wisconsin North Woods on a small lake and have resident loons during the time they spend in northern climates. Which, if you don’t know, is the season of clear, open water, and seasonally warmer temperatures –…
Silent Sunday: Randomly Forgotten Photos
Poetry Photo Prompts
Today, I posted for the first time to the group managed by Margaret Simon from Reflections on the Teche and Janet F. (also a poet) who assists Margaret in managing the FaceBook group of the same name: This Photo Wants to Be A Poem. The photograph this week is from another blogger with whom I’ve…
National Park Flora & Fauna
We did not see much wildlife in the national parks. Exceptions were elk grazing as we entered the Grand Canyon, causing a flurry of cars to pull off the road to watch these giants eat. While at the Grand Canyon we also saw Pinon Jaybirds and lots of ravens. A tarantula was spotted by the…
Poetry Friday: Inspiration
Primarily, my inspiration for creating jewelry or poetry comes from three places. Color, travel, and nature are my biggest influences when I create with beads or words. I have just recently returned from an 11 day trip to some of our National Parks, including Arches, the Grand Canyon, Saguaro, and the Petrified Forest. What better…
Other Migrants on the Move
Despite a rare and unique occurrence in the world of Lepidoptera, other winged species, besides monarch butterflies, migrate at this time of year. Hummingbirds are on the move! There has been a noticeable flurry of activity at our feeder over the last few days. The tiny birds drained the feeder yesterday. Today, there will be…
September Monarch Update
We are approaching the end of the monarch presence for this year as migration is underway. We have noted an uptick in adult monarchs visiting our yard, nectaring on favorite plants such as zinnia, aster, and sedum. Yesterday, two were noted to have tattered and faded wings. They must have travelled far already – perhaps…
Slice of Life: The Town Can’t Cut My Hill
It’s August! The monarch butterfly season is in full swing! Soon, the monarchs we see flying through our yard will be on their way to somewhere else, and it’s not just the next yard! It will be on to the next state, and the next, and the next until they reach the over wintering grounds…
A Return to Volunteering: Monarchs @ Rush Creek State Natural Area
Today, I returned to volunteering. In preparation, I watched videos on YouTube, took an online orientation from Monarch Joint Venture staff and familiarized myself with forms as well as how data was to be recorded. I am now an official volunteer for the IMMP or Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program run by Monarch Joint Venture. But,…