Golondrina verde-violeta

Tachycineta thalassina

Golondrina verde-violeta

Hirondelle a face blanche

Violet-green swallow

Sharing the same habitat and ecology as the tree swallows, these are our swallows of the West, the Black Hills being the easternmost part of their range. Although we have this pair, there are others in the area, they seem to forage together, sometimes riding the thermals to dizzying heights after flying insect prey. 

They nest every year in the birdhouse offered high over our small deck on the sunrise side of the house. The swallow kids will have a featherbed to grow up in, courtesy of the wild turkey troupe that frequents our neighborhood. They will also cheerfully take offerings of parakeet feathers and down from expensive bed pillows.

tranquil and Tumbled

 

Rapid Creek on the way to the Cheyenne river to the Missouri to the Mississippi to the Gulf. Fresh water traveling to that which is fouled, wishing it could help make it clean again

la Grenouille

Bon Voyage, Becka and Andy as you hop on the plane tomorrow. Safe travels, have a wonderful time!

Okawita Paha

Known to non-Lakota people as Harney Peak. Okawita Paha is a sacred place in the Black Hills (Paha Sapa) of South Dakota, a place of ceremony and reverence to the Lakota. At 7244' above sea level, it is the highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. View is looking west about a mile from our house, you can see a similar view from our roof. I prefer this one.

Summer Solstice !

The sunflower is the symbol of the Summer Solstice, this one is waiting to greet Helios.

Enjoy this day of the longest daylight hours and the shortest night-time hours of the year.

and

Happy Birthday, Fearless Leader

the bearded One

Here is the reason they are called "bearded iris". Mme Chereau has a white beard, just like the Bearded One, whom my daughters call Daddy. 

Happy Father's Day, DS

weather Weirdness

These are mammatus clouds, a rare example of clouds forming on sinking rather than rising air currents. It is a common myth that these warn of an imminent funnel cloud or tornado, however, they are harmless. They are seen after the passage of a strong summer thunderstorm, after your garden has already been turned to coleslaw by hail. The hail missed us this time.

morning Ablutions

on my favorite pond, the drake blue-winged teal (Anas discors) does his morning ablutions, his lady was out breakfasting among the water plants

the Hudson River School

Asher Brown Durand (1796-1886)

Self Portrait
(borrowed from the Web)

Asher Brown Durand was the leading light of the Hudson River School of Landscape Painting in the mid nineteenth century. Along with Thomas Cole, these painters believed that Nature was a "manifestation of God" and rendered their oils directly from nature. They worked along the Hudson River valley, the Catskills and in the Adirondacks, the home of my childhood. I have always liked the paintings of this group of artists since encountering them in an Art History class in college. The post thunderstorm clouds from last night's weather events would have intrigued and inspired them.

The storm had passed to the east and was illuminated by the setting sun.

seeing is Bee-lieving

It wasn't till I looked at the pictures in Photoshop that I realized I caught the bee leaving. My Harrison's Yellow, the old fashioned, thousand thorns per square inch, immensely fragrant rose is at its peak. Full of every conceivable kind of bee and perfuming the whole yard. It would be the perfect rose if it bloomed all summer, not just as an ephemeral June treasure.

one red Clothespin

Fortunately, we have not had the terribly heavy rain that some folks have, but June has been wet, wet, wet. My sheets on the line have had a "soft water rinse" about 6 times. Today dawned bright and sunny, hopefully, things including the laundry, will dry out a bit. After several years of drought we are glad for the rain, but a sunny day is most welcome.

where have you hidden the Fawn?

She must have a new fawn hidden somewhere nearby, she was browsing alone in the side and back yard every couple of hours yesterday. We saw a doe with tiny, still wet fawn several days ago, just a couple of doors down, so we know the fawns are arriving. I have a suspicion where the little one might be, but will respect her privacy.

in the Basswood

This pair of robins has honored us by choosing the basswood in the front yard for their nest. It is right outside Rachel's window, but they have hidden it among the big basswood leaves, so you can only see from one spot underneath. He likes the dead top of the neighbors' spruce to sing and keep watch. She has been sitting patiently for about 5 days among the greenery as he guards their territory.

happy 100th Birthday....

my Tevas on Sanibel Island

Capt. Jacques-Yves Cousteau

explorer, ecologist, inventor, researcher, film maker, conservationist

again, Madame

Madame Chereau, the most sought after iris of the 19th century, blooms in a Stafford garden for the 93rd year. Originally planted by my grandmother-in-law in northern NY in 1917, I transplanted some to my western SD garden several years ago. Madame always reminds me of Cora, gardener extrordinaire, when it blooms in early June.

the disembodied Foot

Attempting to take pictures of the robin's nest in the basswood, I turned around at a strange sound behind me, this is what I saw. Lucifer lounging in a second story window, catching some rays. His "unattached" foot looked so weird, I gave up on robin portraits for the moment.

we are excited and Proud

Rachel Anne

Stevens High School Class of 2010

June 6, 2010

our youngest daughter graduates today!

love you,

Mom, Daddy, Becky, Andy, Beth, Nate,

Erik and Amelia

It has been quite a week of celebrations for our family.

Terra Firma or the wild blue Yonder?

A June sky from the ground up, or is it the sea from the sky down?

welcome to the World

Amelia Jane Davis

June 2, 2010

7 lbs. 15 oz.

20"

Our new granddaughter!

and who lives here do you Suppose?

For my friend Terry, and his new yard bird...the 5am Caruso.

on Memorial Day...

Thank you

candy box Colors

Front porch flavors

lemon, cherry, apple, mint, raspberry, melon, orange

in a sea of Lilacs

In a sea of lilac flowers and cloud of fragrance there is a flotilla of Red Admiral butterflies feasting on nectar.

the picky yellow Roses

Many more 90 degree days like today and the "picky yellow roses" will be blooming. These are the old fashioned farmstead roses (probably Harrison's Yellow) that have a bazillion thorns per square inch. They are insect magnets and mine often has beady little eyes peeking at you right about eye level. My Plains' garter snake family knows fast food when they see it. Rather startling to see those bright eyes checking you out.
My bush is a sprout from a very old one that is growing in Chadron, NE, around a home built pre-1910.

robin's Treasure

The bees and butterflies are crazy about them at the moment, but come August, the robins and cedar waxwings  will snarf down the chokecherries in a noisy mob scene.

raining cats and Dogs

Yesterday it was "raining cats and dogs", today I found these at Office Depot. They kindly provide paper for people to try out gel pens before they buy. There were several pages of doodles and try-outs, made me laugh, although some were probably not entirely appropriate or politically correct.

the storm Passes

We've had flash flood warnings, tornado watches, high wind advisories and severe thunderstorm warnings posted this afternoon, some going on all at the same time. "Pouring cats and dogs" at school dismissal time made bus duty fun today! Even big kids get drawn into running through puddles and splashing down the sidewalk.

This was looking south as the storm finally moved on with a stiff wind behind it. 1.7" of water in the rain gauge since morning and lots more up in the Hills.

crystal Clear

Look at the way the water eddies over the rock and yet leaves it as visible as though looking through glass. I was experimenting with shutter speeds, and captured this view of a random rock in the middle of Rapid Creek 44N 103W.

halloween colors on a spring Day

the black-headed grosbeak has arrived back for the summer, isn't he a stunner?

it's Cymbalic

 with thoughts of a friend,  the Good Knight

evening sky by Monet

the thunderstorm moves in from the south at sunset

please use Caution

If you are tempted to use the structural steel at the new University Center as your personal jungle gym...

then please use CAUTION when you hang by your knees, they put the sign so you could read it if you do.

double Trouble

What else will the Terrible Twins decide to munch on today? This morning they pulled the marigolds out of the pot by the mailbox, ate the flowers and left the plants in the middle of the road. They do not read plant labels that say "deer resistant".

the one called Blackie

I've never grown fuschia before, arid South Dakota makes it tricky, but this one called Blackie just said, "pick me", so I did. I hope it is lush and gorgeous when the hummingbirds migrate back through in August. I'll let you know, it sure is an eyecatcher after an afternoon shower.

West River Migratory Bird Count day

May 14, 15, and 16 a number of volunteer birders in the Black Hills do an annual migration census. Similar to the Audubon Christmas Bird Count in some respects, we are checking to see what migrants are arriving and passing through. I walked about 4.5 miles along the banks of Rapid Creek, found some old familiar friends seen for the first time this spring. Yellow warblers and song sparrows were the singers, spotted towhees were the skulkers and blue jays were the early warning system. I have 58 species on my list so far, more counting tomorrow.

The eagles I did not see, they move on after spending the winter. This one is on our Academy tipi cover. Our Native American graduating seniors were honored at a Feather Ceremony on Wednesday. An awesome and moving traditional celebration, it was a privilege to be there and watch the kids receive their eagle feathers and eagle plumes.
It has been a week of birds across the spectrum.

rectangular Prisms?

Accidental art at Office Depot

May 12th in what Hemisphere?

May 12, 2010

Lincoln Academy

Rapid City, SD

Which season is this???

the tree in front of the Window

from "Birches" by Robert Frost

"...I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.	"

are you Kidding?

We are under ANOTHER winter weather advisory!

SNOW again in the next 24 hrs!

In the words of the immortal Charlie Brown, "Good Grief"

just like a meteor in the Night

this little "shooting star" appeared in the Bluebell Thicket.  A native prairie wildflower, I know where local patches are, but never have had on on my half acre! These flowers are bee pollinated, but due to their odd shape, bees use "buzz pollination".

Flowers like dodecatheon (the shooting stars), nightshade, blueberries and tomatoes are pollinated this way. The bees grasp the anthers, emit high pitched buzzing sounds which cause a kind of sonic explosion of the pollen. These flowers are favored by bumblebees, not honeybees since they have no nectar reward for the pollinators. Who knew??

There is a great explanation on buzz pollination at www.baynature.org. Put buzz pollination in the search box on the left hand side.

PS.
Happy Mother's Day everyone :o)

International Migratory Bird Day

International Migratory Bird Day

May 8, 2010

Rapid Creek, Rapid City, SD   44N 103W

This riparian area was full of migrating warblers this morning,

Welcome small travelers!

it all adds Up...

to 1/2 " this time in the rain gauge...glad to have it!