ABC Wednesday - W is for Wow! and Wildflower Wednesday

ABC Wednesday?  The word is WOW!  :-)  (I took the photo, all by myself! lol)

Wildflower Wednesday is a nod to Gail of Clay and Limestone.  This meme takes place on the 4th Wednesday of the month.  Yep, I'm a little early, but I wanted to share my Pollinator on Salvia 'May Night!'  :-)

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Clay and Limestone.  :-)

ABC Wednesday - W (What? Why?)

What??

My son spotted a Carolina Wren and a Pine Siskin at my birdfeeders on Thanksgiving.  I hadn't seen either bird for a Loooonggg time!  Because I had just submitted my bird count the day before on the Project Feederwatch site, I couldn't count these birds!!

(left: house sparrow, center: pine siskin, and right: goldfinch)

Why??

Why is it that I haven't seen them since???  So I am still unable to add them to my count.  Humpfh!  ha.

I didn't get a photo of the Carolina wren... but I'm still hoping to spot them.  :-)


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Merry Christmas!!
SG

ABC Wednesday - W stands for Water!

W stands for Whale . . .

Whales lives in Water . . .

Water begins with  

 !!!
      

Speaking of Whales, do you remember "Simple Simon?"   
Here's one stanza...

Simple Simon went a fishing

for to catch a WHALE!

But the only water he could find

was in his mother's pail.

Now that we've found ourselves discussing pails, and water, and fishing, and whales . . . consider the new little "pail" I've acquired in my backyard...

 Meet Lucy and Ethel (below)
Lucy and Ethel are Shubunkin Goldfish.  Click on the link for information.

The photo below shows a closeup of the "bog area," which contains miniature cattails . . .

 

and Ricky and Fred!  

What do you think?
Which pond do you favor?

I'll meet you out back with the fishing poles!  :-)

SG

This post and photos belong to http://yardisgreen.blogspot.com

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ABC Meme - W for Wildflowers & Wildflower Wednesday!

Wildflower Wednesday
initiated by Gail at Clay and Limestone!
Click her link above to visit -
Her meme works well with ABC Wednesday's "W" week!

and

ABC Wednesday Challenge is in its 8th round. Wouldn't you like to see what other people are posting (besides me!)?? Click on the logo above.

Wildflowers, as designated here, would be those you'd find on a prairie.

So, with that in mind, we'll see what I found in Mr. Shady's prairie !
Most photos will enlarge with a "Click!"

Okay! I'm sorry. I'm going to apologize ahead of time... In order to try to make my photos larger, I "stretched" them while creating the post. This process has changed their visual acuity. I'm sorry... I won't do it again! :-(

Common Milkweed (center)
surrounded by Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
and tall Gray-headed Coneflower Ratibida pinnata
(sunflower family)behind.

Gray-headed Coneflower begins to blossom.

These photos have been taken at various times over the past three years, using either of two digital cameras.

Predominately Purple Coneflower Echinacia purpurea

Oh! Look out for the Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa! Tall plants with yellow "dill like" flowers.
They are nasty! Touch one when it's blooming and you may wish you hadn't!!! Non-native.

Purple Coneflower with white Daisy Fleabane

Poor quality photo, but I think this is
Common St. John's-Wort Hypericum perforatum
-- does it also look as though there's some
Yellow Sweet Clover Melilotus officinalis?

Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberose with Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta (sunflower family) and Daisy Fleabane Erigerone strigosus (small white flowers with yellow centers)

Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on a Pale Purple Coneflower
(a sad specimen) Echinacea pallida (Aster family)!

Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
(mint family) also called horsemint or bee balm

Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta with
(white) Daisy Fleabane Erigeron strigosus (Aster family)

Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria (Pink family)

Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota (parsley family)
also called Wild carrot.
This was introduced from Europe and is often considered a weed.
A close-up of an unusually colorful one!

Snagged again!!! (One way to broadcast seed!)

Showy Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata;
also Cassia chamaecrista

Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on Thistle

Yes, it's a thistle... but isn't it pretty?
Pasture Thistle Cirsium discolor (Aster family)

Do you think this is Maximilian Sunflower?
Helianthus maximiliani

Black Swallowtail approaching Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea (Aster family)

Tall Cinquefoil Potentilla arguta (Rose family)


Great Spangled Fritillary - looks like it's making the rounds!

Monarch enters the competition

Would you argue with this fellow?

Me, neither!

Don't know how the Wild Rose sneaked into the prairie.
This photo was taken July 5, 2009. Wonder if they're still there?

Wild Prairie Rose
Rosa pratincola

The Iowa Legislature designated the Wild Rose as the official state flower in 1897. It was chosen for the honor because it was one of the decorations used on the silver service which the state presented to the battleship USS Iowa that same year. Although no particular species of the flower was designated by the Legislature, the Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa Pratincola) is most often cited as the official flower. Wild roses are found throughout the state and bloom from June through late summer. The flower, in varying shades of pink, is set off by many yellow stamens in the center. (Information taken from this site.)

Prairie Smoke - Geum triflorum
(two photos below)
This is in front of our house.
It was a gift from my Aunt MEA, gardener extraordinaire! :-)

Her original plant was dug from a prairie area alongside the road, quite a number of years ago!

That's All Folks!
Not a bit of shade here, today! ;-)