The Indigo Bunting

I love the loud sweet song of what I consider the prettiest "blue bird" around my property. I've always had an occasional visitor to a feeder, but this year there seems to be an abundance of these bright cheery birds. 

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that male buntings often sing from telephone lines or wooded edges for hours on end. Each flock of buntings have a song library that is uniquely different from a neighboring flock even as close as a few hundred yards away...

To hear this beautiful bird's song, visit this link at birdJam...

Sounds of the Indigo Bunting

Male Indigo Bunting

Outdoor Wednesday
I'd Rather B Birdn'
Wild Bird Wednesday
Nature Notes

Shades of Autumn-Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana 'Beautyberry' is a native shrub of Missouri and it's pretty obvious why it's popular among native plant enthusiasts--its showy autumn fruit...  I bought this shrub at a native plant sale last year and it hasn't fared too well where it's planted.  It's only about a foot tall and even though it did produce berries this year, it needs to be relocated to a sunnier spot. I took these photos at the Botanical Center where I volunteer and while I'm not one hundred percent sure this is our Missouri species, it's a beautiful example of the Beautyberry...
Even after the leaves fall, the berries attract wildlife and remain a beautiful winter interest in the landscape.

Happy Halloween!

--spiders, snakes, and creepy things...

Black Widow Spider--

deadly, but beautiful...

Black Rat Snake--

kills rats (they can stay)...

Eastern Tent Caterpillars--
Missouri native, but a destructive defoliator... 

Garter Snake--
lives in my garden (always makes me jump)...

Shades of Autumn--Sweetgum

Liqudambar styraciflua 'American Sweetgum'

I know of a lot of people who detest this tree, but this Missouri native is one of my favorites....  It's a tall (up to 100 feet) symmetrical beauty that looks great in any setting.  In the fall, its leaves can go through the entire spectrum of colors--green to yellow-red-orange and purple.... 

Here's why the tree sometimes has a bad reputation--its infamous hard spiky gum balls....  This fruit turns from green to brown as they ripen during the fall.  When they start dropping to the ground in late winter they can become a major annoyance to some and at times cause pain or bodily injury, i.e. don't walk barefoot under a Sweet Gum tree. 

These gum balls are, however:   a valuable food source for wildlife, a great fire-starter, a garden mulch, a drainage source (add a layer to the bottom of a pot/container), a slug deterrent (circle them around plants), a craft staple (crafty people love them to make ornaments or wreaths), an easy bird feeder (coat them in peanut butter and birdseed) and--

they don't appear until the tree is 20-30 years old!  

October Wildflowers...

The first frost of fall has already arrived in the Ozarks, but I was able to get a shot of the last fall-blooming wildflower on my property.  Now the countdown until spring begins...

 Helianthus angustifolius 'Swamp Sunflower' or 'Narrow-leaf Sunflower'

For more info and photography of wildflowers, visit Clay and Limestone's celebration of wildflowers the 4th Wednesday of each month. To view more Wednesday photography, visit Wordless Wednesday and Faith, Hope & a whole lotta love photography.

Wildlife Garden Post

Check out my guest post!

Identifying Swallowtails in the Wildlife Garden 

September Blooms and Buckeyes

Most of my gardens are winding down--fall is approaching and all that is left are a few remaining annuals and a select group of fall blooming perennials...  The Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), however, is showing its colors, pollinating the last of my flowers and laying eggs on the annual Snapdragons- that I purposely plant as their host plant.

The Common Buckeye is found throughout most of the United State with a northern migration during the late spring-early summer.  It doesn't overwinter in Missouri though, and it will soon begin its journey back to the southern states. It's easily identified by the large eyespots on the upper side of the wings (probably a defense mechanism to scare away predators).  The underside of the hindwing is tan during the summer and more of a rose color in the fall.  The female lays eggs on host plant leaves (including plants from the snapdragon, plantain and acanthus families).  For some reason this year, I have more Buckeye butterflies than usual--which is fine by me..  The caterpillars are finishing off the last of the Snapdragons in my garden and the butterflies are adding some much needed color to my fading flowers...

 Allium tuberosum 'Garlic Chives'

I really don't like this herb most of the year...  It's similar to the wild onions that I'm in a constant battle with-- it reseeds and spreads everywhere.  Now, however, I remember why I keep it... It booms in September! 

Caryoteris 'Blue Mist Spirea'

What a great shrub!  I purchased this flowering bush two years ago at the Master Gardener plant sale for $2--What a good investment...  It looks great throughout the summer, then explodes with blueish blooms in the fall.   

Zinnia  'Enchantress Pink'

In July my Zinnias were at their peak of  "prettiness," now in September they're looking a little worn.  In fact, in the above photo I had to wait until this Buckeye landed on a bloom that would make a presentable picture...  I should pull them up, but I'll let them stay as long as the bees and butterflies remain....

Buddleja davidii 'Nanho Purple'

Great-dependable perennial--it's bloomed all summer and keeps going...

Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue'

This is supposedly an annual in my gardening zone (6)--it's a perennial in zones 8-10, but it must be happy where it's planted in my garden because it returns each year...  It also blooms all summer and seems to appear a deeper shade of blue/purple in the fall.

Tagetes patula 'Marigolds'

I was always told to plant Marigolds in the vegetable garden to deter pests. 

Is that just a gardening myth? 

I really don't care, I like how they look scattered among the herbs and vegetables...

Visit NatureFootstep for addional photography of winged wildlife. 

For more photos of September blooms, visit the sites: May Dreams Gardens, Fishtail Cottage and Tootsie Time... 

The American Goldfinch...

Also know as the Eastern Goldfinch and Wild Canary, this finch (Carduelis tristis) is a small North American bird than resides in most of the United States and northern Canada.

An interesting fact about this colorful bird is that it is among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world.  After learning this fact, it made a lot more sense why I have so many photos of this finch perched on a coneflower or sunflower.  It also emphasizes the importance of leaving the remnants of the summer garden as a food source for these birds and other wildlife.  (That's a great excuse and perfectly acceptable way of getting out of the chore of cleaning-up the garden in the fall...)    

For more posts, info and photography of birds, visit Bird Photography Weekly and World Bird Wednesday.

The Purple Finch...

Described as a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice, the Purple Finch can be found throughout much of eastern North America and Canada.  It can be difficult to distinguish from its close relative the House Finch, and if I have this ID wrong, please correct me! 



The Male Purple Finch is reddish-purple with brown undertones on its back and wings (more of an extensive red coloring than the male House Finch). The female, however, has no red coloring, but is heavily streaked with strong facial markings including a white eye-stripe (the female House Finch lacks these dramatic markings).  It can take up to two years for the male to reach its full red coloring and the first year males' markings appear very similar to a female.   So... are my last two photos of a female or an immature male?  

For more posts, info and photography of birds, visit Bird Photography Weekly and World Bird Wednesday.

The Carolina Chickadee...

This handsome bird is a resident of the upper half of the United States and into Canada. An interesting fact about the Carolina Chickadee is that, much like a squirrel, it hides seeds to eat later, it can actually recall up to 1000 hiding spots...  Chickadees also have a complex vocalization including a warning call alerting others to a potential predator.

Call:  Chickadees make their chickadee-dee-dee call using increasing numbers of dee notes when they are alarmed:    

                                                      "Click for Sound"

The Cornell website describes this bird as "cute" and I have to agree, that's a fairly accurate description!

For more posts, info and photography of birds, visit Bird Photography Weekly and World Bird Wednesday.

Purple Martins...

As a child I remember how proud my grandfather was of his Purple Martins... Their cheerful antics and conversational chattering to each other are so enjoyable to observe that it's no wonder that people go to great lengths to try to attract this bird. Native Americans set up the tradition of hanging gourds for Purple Martins to use as a nesting cavity and now in the eastern part of North America, they are totally dependent on man-made structures to house their colonies. According to the Purple Martin Conservation Association, over one million North Americans maintain housing for Purple Martins, but only a small percentage actually ever attract these birds to their house.  I guess I'm in the larger percentage...


I've had a Martin house for several years, but never even had a second look.  I have to admit that now I call it simply a "birdhouse" and it's home to Sparrows, Starlings and such...

Now I understand my grandfather's pride that he had for his returning colony of Martins each year.  To attract and maintain theses birds you have to be a good "landlord." There are several steps to follow including:  constructing the house to certain specifications, closing the house up during the winter, opening it back up at precisely the correct time in the spring, removing competing birds' nests, proper location of the house and the list goes on... If you're lucky enough to have an established colony in your Martin house, however, these entertaining birds would make the landlord responsibilities well worth the time and effort.




I took these photos at the gardens of the Springfield Botanical Center where I volunteer.  This house was constructed last year and is maintained by the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society.  This spring it had its first couple arrive and take up residence and hopefully more pairs will join them soon...


For more info on attracting and maintaining Purple Martins, visit the Purple Martin Conservation Association.

For more posts, info and photography of birds, visit Bird Photography Weekly and World Bird Wednesday.

The Carolina Wren...

This sweet little wren is a year long resident of the eastern half of the United States and a yearly tenant of my garage.  Yes, a little bird can cause quite a mess making a nest and raising their family, but there is just something about these birds that makes us tolerate their presence.  Sometimes their choice of a nest site isn't always the most convenient spot for us humans (such as on top of a hanging weed-eater, inside a work boot, in a wreath, over a house light...) 

I think it's funny that on the Cornell website under identifying features of this bird they list, Loud.  True, they are a very loud songbird, but I think it's part of this little bird's charm to have such a bold voice!     

Song:   A loud, repeated series of several whistled notes: "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle." 

"Click for sound"

For more posts, info and photography of birds, visit Bird Photography Weekly and World Bird Wednesday.

The Downy Woodpecker...

The Smallest woodpecker in North America and a constant visitor at my property who is.. always busy.  These photos are of the adult male, who has an identifying red patch on the back of his head.  The Downy Woodpecker is identical to the much larger Hairy Woodpecker except for a few small black spots on their white tail feathers.- If you look close, with a little imagination, you can faintly see the spots in the last photo.



For additional bird info and photography, visit World Bird Wednesday and Bird Photography Weekly.