Rando photo fling

Gotta go do fieldwork, but gonna fling a few photos 'cause it's TIME, jeepers! =)

Lovely cosmos face in November.

The Three Faces of Eve (or 3 stages of a cosmos blossom).

We got 2 inches of rain a few days back, so I looked for soggy green stuff.

Lichen and moss assemblage on the shady side of a rock.

First hygroscopic earthstar I've seen this year.

In order to keep my solitary hen company,

she lives with a mirror that she can cuddle up to.

It needed washing, so I brought it outside in the shade & this happened.

One of the joys of stormy weather: places for the sunset to play.

xoxoxobb

Feeder frenzy, fawn photobomb and fabulous fungi

It was a cold morning and I'd just flung a bunch of wild bird seed out.

The birds rewarded us with early morning visits.

Two hungry acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus)

neatly photobombed by a mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawn.

THREE acorn woodpeckers on one pinecone. Impressive.

Especially the one that's upside down.

I also like that one tiny bit of feed falling 'neath them.

Sticking the tongue out.

First saw these two Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri)
and wondered why the little one was standing its ground in the face of a larger one.

And then I thought: oh... the little one is probably the offspring of the big one.*

And rather than threatening with the big mouth, it's saying, "Feed me!"
It's a theory.*

Since we've gotten a bit of rain these last few weeks,
the hygroscopic earthstars (Astraeus hygrometricus) unfurled again,
much to my delight.

I love this olive green one... so elegant.

Nice beige, crackly one.

This one shows JUST how much they can look like an exploded acorn.

So, that's some of the things kicking around the property in February.

I will be posting more images of birds
and the early-blooming flowers soon.

In the meantime, here's to more rain here in the west! Woo-hoo!

xoxoxo bb


*Yes, it's a theory, but it's probably wrong. Two smarties commented that
this sort of behavior is common in mated pairs. Flirting, basically. =) Thanks, peeps!

Goodies for YOU, Patient Reader, and a new year for us all

So, a few low-resolution resolutions floating around in my head, including:

Share more of the wonders of the world with you, here.

More frequently. Starting now. =)

Today's feature: earthstar fungus (shot in November).

I actually think I saw it last year,
but it was kind of like a celebrity sighting:

 "It CAN'T be something as exciting as that earthstar fungus.

It MUST be just some sort of exploded acorn, right?!?"

They do look a lot like exploded acorns.

I actually searched for "germinating acorn" images to be sure.

Nope, not germinating acorns.

Freakin' cool fungus.

Maybe the hygroscopic earthstar, Astraeus hygrometricus.

Measuring up (shot in December):

Hygroscopic refers to how their form changes with the humidity.
Their little rays curl back up when it gets dry,
some all the way into a dark, tough ball that can roll around.

Went back to the site today (January), and they looked like this:

I found another that was an even tidier little brown ball
(no leaf had gotten tangled up in it, like the lower one).

So, that's one of the coolest things I discovered & learned about in 2014.


WICKED COOL COINCIDENCE

Oh, and while I was JUST on the east coast,
gazing at Nauset Lighthouse on Cape Cod, MA,

What did I see at my feet, right about there?
Earthstars!

The 4 in a row are really easy to see in the photo, but there's more than that in this frame.
They were significantly smaller than ours,
but, HOW COOL IS THAT?!?

I was pumped.

'Course back home, now, I can't expect to hear any of those amazing accents,
eat spectacular clam chowder,
or wander about in a frozen swamp (future post).

But, we do get to be with our kitties & hen, again.
And my beloved garden.

'Course I had to WATER a few things in my garden AGAIN today.
It basically didn't rain the 2 weeks we were gone;
and winter is our rainy season.

We really need more rain to counter this drought.

Plus, more rain --> more fungus, woo-hoo!! =)

xoxoxobb