Wednesday, April 29, 2009

APRIL INTO MAY...1

I like to place bulbs all around the woods' edge...here, the daffodils greet you as you begin your walk up this path.







While looking down on the ponds' edge for my dragonflies, I liked how the Weeping Cherry tree framed my view of the pond. This poor tree was a skeleton by summers' end, due to the Japanese beetles feasting on its' leaves. It was a breezy day, my capture isn't the sharpest and my tree barely made it for the big Spring presentation...but, you get the idea.







A couple here... and a couple there







I have pink, purple and yellow hyacinths scattered in my beds.










Some form of wild flowering grass that begins to bloom in April and profusely in May. This grows in mass all along two sides of the pond...so pretty in the dappled shade, isn't it?










Confession...these two tulip plants I claimed off of Moms' Easter dinner table setting...both were planted along the waterfall edges.

























Enjoying the warmth of a sunset






























Monday, April 13, 2009

MARCH TO APRIL...6

It's time for me to play catch up with my journal here at Wishnik Woods. It's been over two weeks since I've posted due to technical problems ....again. We had a virus and attempted to install a couple of new security programs, hopefully we found a good match now. Life has been a whirlwind these past couple of weeks. Among it all, we also had to put down one of our indoor cats, Isabelle. She was a sweet, tiny cat who suffered from kidney failure. She looked just like her mom, Patches, except with long hair. It wasn't an easy thing to do, I'll miss her.




Spring has finally arrived, but as usual, old man winter still made a few final appearances. March and April this year have been extremely windy for us, challenging me as I was trying to photograph. We have had a potpourri of weather, as you will see in these six part posts. This post represents the most current conditions, as you go back to part one...I'm taking through mid-April back to March. My Daffodils weathered warm temps in the 60's, and a day later were snow covered. This cycle has been repeated and it's amazing how they have survived and still look beautiful through all of the seasons' changes. Notice how the bees have survived as you go through the posts, it's interesting that when I first saw them in early March, with no blooms to rely on, they invaded my bird feeders. After that, they moved unto the Redbud blooms and then my Japanese Willows.




On an early morning walk, my daffodils shimmered with ice crystals... they almost appear to be sprinkled with coconut!




I couldn't resist photographing this shot. At the end of the waterfalls, leading into the pond, this daffodil and her silhouette are striking against the backdrop as the sunset graces the waters' surface. What could be more perfect? A dragonfly casually perched on top of the stem!

A Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree is presenting her Spring blooms. This beauty is located on the ponds' edge, by late July, practically every leaf is eaten by Japanese beetles.

Even though the dandelions are considered a menace, I actually like the flower itself...looks like I'm not the only one. Now that I've finally caught up with my posting, it's time I play catch up enjoying other blogs.





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MARCH TO APRIL...5




































































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MARCH TO APRIL...4

The ric-rac pattern of the branches frames the rising moon.




Frantically searching for pollen, the bees are bombarding all of my Japanese Willow bushes and trees.




























We usually hear the wild turkeys when they land on top of the cabin and walk around...not to be outdone...O.J. attempts and succeeds to land on the cabin roof!

On a walk along the back edge of our property, an old ragged Apple Tree still manages to show off her emerging pastel blooms.
This Tufted Titmouse was quite happy watching me wash the dishes through the kitchen window.









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Thursday, April 9, 2009

MARCH TO APRIL...3


As the weather warms, my outdoor cats' playful side starts to show. I enjoy watching them race around and chase each other up the trees. They all start to shed their winter coat and lose that extra winter weight that helped keep them warm. Hmmm???....maybe I need to start climbing trees?!






One of my favorite activities is to simply watch my cats...watch the fish. At times, they'll hang off the edge of the dock to get a better view. Here, Patches is keeping an eye on a Large-Mouth Bass.








Can anyone tell me what this magnificent bird is? I've been told a hawk and have also been told it's a buzzard. The wing span is enormous! Probably three feet across...I'm guessing it's a buzzard.










I've had days when I'm seeing red! I can relate!










O.J. relaxing on top of the arbor....bird watching. O.J. is Bandits' son.










The Redbud blooms on a slow soaking rainy day, swollen from the raindrops.















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Saturday, April 4, 2009

MARCH TO APRIL...2

On a rainy day...I found color looking out the kitchen window. The intensity of the red coloring of my Eastern Redbuds deepened.







Redbud blooms reaching for the early evening sky as the moon begins to rise.








Three different sunsets shown in this post...







I was photographing this view when Bandit casually took her place on the rock and decided to take in the sight as well! I wondered what she was thinking as she gazed into the water. Was she capable of enjoying beauty through her eyes?









This was the overall view of the above photo with Bandit.









Home, Sweet, Home
I thought it would be nice to show how quickly the setting sun deepened the colors across the sky and pond. There is approximately one and a half minutes between the times taken of each of these photos.













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