A New Visitor to the Garden

The other day I looked out the library window and saw a most unusual sight.

I saw a large woodpecker unlike any I had seen before.

We often have a yellow-bellied sapsucker visit us during the winter, and sometimes a hairy woodpecker will come a knockin' at the door, so to speak.

But this is the first time that I have ever seen a pileated woodpecker.

It came to feast on the berries of the dogwood tree.

 

It was difficult to get a good picture of this beautiful bird through the screened window.

This is a large bird.

The pileated woodpecker came back this morning for more berries.

I think we have a repeat visitor.

I'm a happy amateur birdwatcher.

Dogwoods in Bloom

As promised, I went out this morning and took 

pictures of the Dogwoods.

 This is a lovely sight to come home to.

 The bush to the left is a Fothergilla gardenii.

The blooms look like bottle brushes.

Spring Blooms!

Spring is early this year.

I have been taking advantage of the warm weather

and have been out working in the garden.

 While I get to work,

come along and take a tour of my early spring flowers.

The hyacinth in bloom.

 Vinca minor.

 Flowering pear tree.

 Cornus florida, or Dogwood tree.

 Pink Dogwood.

Due to the drought in 2010, 

neither of the Dogwoods had a single bloom last spring.

 Iberis or candytuft.

Dicentra or Old-fashioned bleeding heart.

 The Canada Red Chokeberry bloom.

This is a very sweet-smelling bloom.

Notice that the leaves start out bright green. 

They will turn purple in a month or so.

Purple leaf sand cherry in bloom.

Sure Signs that Spring is Here, Part Deux

I have been busy collecting more photographic evidence

that spring truly is here.

The college girls don shorts and flip-flops.

I'm sure the young men appreciate that.

Daffodils bloom downtown.



My hyacinths are blooming.

The Cleveland Select pear trees

burst into bloom.

Close-up of the flowers.

Caterpillars begin moving in the garden.

This is the larva of the Giant Leopard Moth.

Accounts conflict on whether the
bristles can cause a rash if touched.

Redbud trees bloom on the Clear Creek Trail.

Spring rains swell the creeks.

Eastern Redbud.

The lake level is high.

A blue heron takes flight.

The lake is not yet at flood stage.

Boaters are out on the lake.

A gentleman fishes.

The deer missed this tulip in my garden.

I had forgotten that I still had tulips

as the deer eat them before they can bloom.

The dogwoods and fothergilla in bloom.

A bee visits the fothergilla flowers.

Dogwood "in bloom."

Remember,

the "petals" are actually bracts that frame

the cluster of tiny flowers in the center.

Lichen on the trunk of the dogwood.

Lichen is a composite organism,

formed by a symbiotic association

of an algae and a fungus.

Lichen does not hurt the tree

and is a sign of clean air.

My rhododendrons are blooming.

A prostrate azalea peeks out from

beneath the barberry bushes.

This is a lovely shade of pink.

I am thinking the barberries need to go

as they are taking over the space.

Welcome spring.

Welcome flowers of all kinds.

The Colors of Fall

This autumn has been particularly colorful in Southern Indiana and I have been endeavoring to document its masterpiece.

Berries in a Burning Bush, or winged euonymus.

Another view of the Burning Bush.

A magnificent sugar maple.

*

One day last week I decided on a whim to take my lunch down by the lake.

But first I needed to procure my lunch.

Fortunately, a friend had told me about this little gas station in a little town nearby.

As it happens, this gas has a little restaurant business going and they make a mean breaded pork tenderloin.

What's not to like?

Just for reference, the bun is about six inches across.

And for a mere $5.08 with tax, this sandwich made a nice little lunch.

You just can't beat this ambiance.

It's just too bad that the Army Corp of Engineers decided to pick this day to have their parking lot sealed.

It proved to be a bit inconvenient as I had to park on the side of the road and then traipse across the grass to get to the dam overlook.

But you have to admit that the views overlooking Lake Monroe were worth the little bit of hassle.







I really was surprised to find that there weren't boats out on the lake.

I know that if I had a boat, I would have been out on the lake on a day like this.










I love the colors in the woods overlooking the lake.

And there's that sugar maple again.

Meanwhile, back home the dogwoods and the fothergilla are turning colors.

Fothergilla.

More fothergilla leaves.

Dogwood berries.

These won't last long as the birds will soon devour them.

Sunshine through the Canada Red Chokeberry.

Oh look, after its summer absence, 'my' barn is back.

I have to say that we are lucky to have such pretty views from our back deck.

Very lucky indeed.

Sweet gum in the neighborhood.

Farm in fall.

Autumn fields.

Thanks to the husband for taking this photo for me.

Please enjoy this short Sunday detour.

Bradford Pears in in fall color.

A bright punch of red along the roadside.

Shades of autumn.

Colorful trees all in a row.

Color, color everywhere.

See what I mean?

You can see why Bloomington loves its trees.

Just lovely.

Even against the buildings, these trees are gorgeous.

I still prefer the natural settings.

But that's just me.

Happy Autumn!