Top of the morning to you on this fine St. Patrick's Day!
It's amazing how a sunny, productive day restores the soul. We had a great time birding Saturday morning. The early hours no longer have Double D and me grumbling; we now look forward to what we will see. The day started out a little drizzly, but it was a good hike and lots of great conversations with new friends.
A big hearty breakfast afterwards and I was ready to tackle the yard. I had pulled up the knock-out roses under the kitchen window last week. Those had to be the thorniest rose bushes EVER. In its place I put encore azaleas called Autumn Carnation, and on each end planted a bottle brush plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. In the back garden I planted another bottle brush, dahlias, gerbera daisies and lantana. For the front yard we bought a japanese magnolia tree. Thankfully, I think (pray) the harsh winter is behind us.
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| Dahlia hybrid in the back garden |
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| A dahlia bloom that was broken, so I put it in my mother's bud vase |
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| Is this a chipping sparrow? I'm pretty sure, but sparrows are always a challenge to identify. |
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A yellow-rumped warbler with the beginnings of his breeding plumage.
That means they are almost ready to leave us. Sad face. |
Happy to be working for my former boss this week, and some days here and there until the first week of April. He has been gracious enough to let me flex my hours to check on the barred owlets at Bluebonnet Swamp. They are scheduled to hatch this week! I will try to keep my blogging updated, but as before, it may be a bit sporadic.
I see that Steve Finnel has found your blog too ^^. I think he's a spammer. Anywho, yes you are so right about warm sunny productive days being so good for the soul :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a great weekend and sunny weather..It does brighten up my mood.. But, we are having snow once again.. I love the cute sparrow and the Yellow rump warbler.. Enjoy your day and week ahead!
ReplyDeleteShaking my head at Steve Finnell. I agree...spammer.
ReplyDeleteI love your flowers. They are so bright and cheery. Would you believe - it sleeted here all night and school is closed today. Again!
Good morning to you....Hope you're wearing your GREEN. Never thought of this before, but I'm assuming that Double D is a bird watcher too..Good for him. Oh no...don't tell me that these 10 buckets of Knock-out roses that I have (waiting to be planted) are going to be a pain!!! Perhaps I need to give them away!! What a sweet ex-boss to let you work and continue to enjoy your passion for nature as well.. I know we have much to look forward to with the photos you'll have coming....Exciting!
ReplyDeleteBlessings
love that last shot :)
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see color in your world Gail. Not so much here, but time will bring it. xo
ReplyDeleteThe dahlias are gorgeous! We've been thinking about planting some knockout roses, but I think you just talked us out of it. I'm anxious to see photos of your encore azaleas, though. That sounds like something we would enjoy...if they can tolerate our Indiana winters.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to be working out in the yard! Those flowers are beautiful! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!
ReplyDeleteHugs~
That Dahlia photo is amazing ` can't wait for it to warm up here I am missing my garden so much !
ReplyDeleteHappy St. Pattys Day :)
Gorgeous dahlias! I can't wait to get out into the garden, but it's still buried under snow.
ReplyDeleteYou have some good looking flowers.
ReplyDeleteyou had a weird comment above??! odd ... that was a wordy comment. ha. ha!! i was just talking about that on another blog. ha. ha!!
ReplyDeletei love the blooms. so pretty. hope you are enjoying some irish moments. happy St. Patrick's Day!! enjoy all things green. ( :
Beautiful flowers we call also Dahlia, these flower blooms in autum.
ReplyDeleteThe second and fourth pictures are totally awesome.
Greetings Irma
My, you were productive! Love the dahlias! The Japanese Magnolias are blooming here but it was very windy Sat. and has rained since so I didn't get any pics!
ReplyDeleteWe had a law enforcement officer and his dog shot and killed last week. They are burying them together today. There is a HUGE American flag flying from two firetruck ladders on Main Street. Am going to try and get a pic of it if the rain will stop!
Gorgeous dahlias!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on the first comment guys! It has been deleted. Next time it will be reported as SPAM. I welcome all comments and opinions, but copying and pasting an entire, lengthy post and dumping it in my comment section is just plain rude, not to mention bad blogging etiquette. If you'd like to leave a little blurb about your blog, that's fine, but please, no lengthy posts.
ReplyDeleteHave a great St. Paddy's Day everyone!
Hi Gail, your bird photos are so sweet and I absolutely love those beautiful pink Dahlia's. The one in your white vase looks very elegant. Happy Saint Patrick's Day and have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteSend the Yellow-rumped my way.I promise to welcome them and take good care of them. :)
ReplyDeleteyes, i'd say chipping. :)
ReplyDeletei'd take your removed rose bushes and hope to grow them here. i killed the two bushes that were doing fine before i moved here. :)
The scruffy bird details are wonderful and I love the sharpness of the dahlias! They don't grow well here. Too hot and sudden for them. The must love your humidity. When I lived in Seattle, my then mom-in-law loved dahlias. Hers were great like yours {both humid climes}
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful images of flowers, and birds, and grass are like a spring tonic to my winter weary eyes...
ReplyDeleteHappy St Pat's Day. Glad the nice weather brought your mojo back (not that I ever noticed you'd lost it..)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the flower fix. I hope spring is with you for a bit now - still snowing here.
ReplyDeletehet is heerlijk om nu in de natuur te zijn.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous shots of the birds! And the dahlias are so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNo green here- but had a fun day out with my granddaughter. We see a lot of bottle bush (didn't know what it was until I posted it on my blog) at the lake. Butterflies galore- they love it!
ReplyDeleteHappy green day back to you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely corner you have in the www.
Love it
Have a great time
Elisabeth
Oh, that dahlia is gorgeous! And what a cute little warbler in his raggedy dress.
ReplyDeleteyour images left me longing for spring!! you know we got snow....so white is the color of my day!!
ReplyDeletei love dahlia but mine always needed a lot of attention with tieing and what-not....they seem to grow too tall. when i bring the flowers inside they always had a small black slug looking bug on them. long story longer, i don't have them any more!!
What fun to see the birds molt into new feathers. I love the bottlebrush shrubs.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to see the birds molt into new feathers. I love the bottlebrush shrubs.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos of the flowers! The little warbler looks a bit haggard.
ReplyDeleteOh good for you taking advantage of the sun. Still a foot of snow on my ground:) Hug B
ReplyDeleteI hope winter is behind you also! Looks like your yard will be beautiful! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteGrrr....blogger hates me! Okay, hopefully this is not a repeat comment!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your new flowers!! My only yard work was pulling mounds of weeds!
I am in love with the second photo of the flower! Sweet Gail, it's absolutely breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteHugs to you!
The dahlia is just beautiful and the warbler so sweet. You just keep finding so much beauty around you.
ReplyDeleteYou have dahlias already? Didn't you just plant them...? I grew them for the first time in huge pots on our back porch/deck. They wintered in the same pots inside a shed, so I have no idea if they survived. I know that I'm planting more as soon as the weather allows it.
ReplyDeleteGood that spring is finally there for you. Beautiful Dahlia! Yes those roses are vicious with their thorns.
ReplyDeletecharlotte
Gotta love that solitary flower-in-the-vase shot.
ReplyDelete