Fall Scenes

I love the fall flowers.... the yellows, the blue-purple mist flowers and the way they decorate the scene. Fall flowers along my neighbor's ditch makes beauty in an odd place.

The bounty of my persimmon tree. Love those lovely, orange globes... they'll have to turn red to be sweet.

Just In Time For Halloween

I saw this small spider out by the condenser this morning. I first thought - black widow or red widow. Not a perfect hourglass, but they don't always have those either. Kinda strange place for a black widow.... they usually like dark places, not out in the open sunshine.

It was darned hard to get a photo. The spider is small and my camera did not want to focus on it. Finally managed this one with a different lens.

Then I tried from the side to see if I could get a plainer background to let it register with the autofocus. I got this side shot.... very colorful spider! Not all black, so I'm still not sure just what kind it is. Maybe someone out there knows?? If you do, email me.

UPDATE: Liz, knower of these things, sent me a page from BugGuide. Seems this little spider is:

Species Leucauge venusta - Orchard Orbweaver

Regardless, it's always fun to have at least one "spooky" photo this time of year.

Perfect Formation

There are some geese, who come from east of here every morning, going west to some feeding grounds and who come back over in the evening. I've been trying for ages to get a photo of them. The problem is they are usually south or way north of my house.... I can heard them, but can't see them. Let me go out without the camera though and here they come right over the house and yard. Never fails!

A little voice insisted I take the camera this morning..... even though it was later in the morning and the geese usually come over shortly after the sun is up good. I had just rounded the back part of the yard when I heard the honking - the geese!

I dashed out into the middle of the yard, hoping the geese would pass somewhere near. They did! They came flying over me in perfect goose formation. What a sight!


Straight over my head then on to the southwest they went.... honking and calling to one another.

View From The Van Window

This morning I got up before the crack of dawn and drove over to Gulfport, MS to an agility trial. I threw in the camera and practiced taking photos out through the van's windows. It was harder than you think because my camera wants you to adjust the distance on an object before you focus. Many didn't come out, but these three did.

A double decker cloud... all pink with the sunrise...

A cloud formation south of the Pascagoula marsh.

On the way back, I slowed and got this photo of a swampy area with waterlilies in bloom.

Fall's Around The Corner

The Beauty Berries are starting to put out. One of the dogs tried to eat some. They must not taste good at all.... she spit out and sputtered those things right away.

The hummingbirds are really hitting the feeders hot and heavy. Getting ready for their winter migration in about another 3 weeks....they are usually gone from here around the middle of October.

The persimmons are starting to turn that lovely orange and red shades....indicating they are ready to eat.

This and That

This past week has been a busy one! I had taken some photos, but didn't get around to putting them up. Today, I took this photo of a "bouquet" of fungi growing around a dead stump. Even decay can make pretty things!

Last week, I saw this green spider on a zinnia. It had caught a small yellow butterfly and was having lunch when I snapped this photo.


The next day, I went out and the spider was still on the same zinnia.... but today it was having a face off with a bumble bee. Neither was giving any ground.

Today, I managed to get this teeney, tiny little frog in focus.... or rather a tiny toad. There are lots of them jumping around. I don't know what has happened that so many are around the house, never had that many before. Guess the "snake away" is doing it's job and the toads are busy multiplying!

Another New Butterfly

I saw a brown and creme butterfly on my walk. I thought it might be the Palamedes Swallowtail, but it landed on the blueberry bush and when I saw that diagonal line across the back, I was thrilled! A Giant Swallowtail!