I have tried to plant some strawflowers this year and I am going to make an even bigger patch next year. They are beautiful and butterflies and bees simply love them to bits. I have several red admirals there during a sunny day.
There are ten pictures, so nine are below the fold. Do you recognize the bee mimicking hoverfly?
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
… Duilio Barnabe.
Paysage, by Duilio Barnabe, image via Christie’s Auction
I had an extremely bad year bird-watching wise so far. There are definitively a lot fewer birds around than there used to be.
For example, only a few starlings came by to harvest all the surplus aronias. And only one was visible enough to take a picture. Normally, at this time of year, the tree should be stripped bare by starlings and thrushes heading south.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
I have not seen a single golden finch, greenfinch, or siskin the whole year. Neither have I seen any fieldfares, or thrushes, and just a few blackbirds, very sparsely. Chaffinch song is usually a constant presence the whole summer – and this year I cannot remember hearing it even once, despite chaffinch being supposedly the most common bird of central Europe.. And in the last month or two tits and sparrows – the consants of my garden the whole year – have disappeared too. Redstarts are still here, but wagtails never showed up.
I fear this is a real environmental problem and a local sign of a global catastrophy.
From Avalus, and dedicated to our own lovely kestrel.
©Avalus, all rights reserved.
This one was pretty special to me and so there are quite a lot of photos!
I was driving to work and I saw this kestrel (At least, I hope this bird is a kestrel xD) trying to land in low bushes and failing. So I figured it was a young bird.
Then it noticed me and got a bit of distance, flying around me at about 20 m for a few minutes before retreating to the top a lamppost next to me. From there it eyed me with some suspicion but eventually I was allowed to come near enough for some close ups (from about 5m away).
Then, it took off again, squaking and chirping at a cat. And another two kestrels joined the fray. The cat was not impressed. I was trying to get some video-shots but with me half-sitting on my bike, a pretty strong wind and the nice camouflage of the bird, I did not get good footage.
But I had a good feeling for the rest of the day, kestrels are really elegant birds! [Read more…]
… autumn, by Alphonse Maria Mucha
Autumn, 1896, by Alphonse Maria Mucha, image via Wikiart
©voyager, all rights reserved
Jack and I have spent lots of time outside the past few days, trying to soak in as much sunshine and nice weather as we can before the days get too short and cold. The smaller creatures of the world are doing the same. All-day long, our neighbourhood is abuzz with bees, and there is a steady stream of chipmunks and squirrels skittering back and forth carrying treasure hither, thither and yon. Jack finds all this activity very distracting. He feels obligated to watch when they cross too close to his porch, which often happens, as we are an apparent thoroughfare, but he gets tired and cranky and eventually lays down his bowling ball of a head with a clunk and a sigh. If he can stay awake, Jack grumbles at the noises, but if he falls off to sleep, it’s a fitful one, full of twitching and whisker bristling. I imagine his dreams are full of giving chase in his younger body when he could run as easily as walk. I have those dreams, too, Bubba, only I don’t chase squirrels, I dance.
… Autumn, by Paul Gauguin
By the Stream. Autumn, 1885, by Paul Gauguin, Image via Wikiart
The first day of fall and the world is golden. Voyager, all rights reserved.
The first day of fall was almost as beautiful as the last day of summer. There wasn’t quite as much sunshine due to a thin layer of stratus cloud that dulled the light, but the day was warm, and Jack and I took ourselves out for a country walk and a drive around some back roads. We stopped a few times so I could take pictures, and Jack could explore a few ditches and pee on some new trees. We had a lovely afternoon, but maybe we overdid things a bit because we both fell asleep as soon as we sat down at home. I’m pretty sure we’ll both sleep well tonight, too. At our age, a full day of fresh air and exercise is exhausting.
… Maxfield Parrish, one of my favourite artists
The Dinky Bird, 1904, by Maxfield Parrish. Image via Case Antiques
Adorable. From Avalus,
This grasshopper was hitching a ride when I was cycling to work.
©Avalus, all rights reserved.
… Scientific Illustration, by Asa Smith.
Saturn, 1850, by Asa Smith. Image via David Rumsey Map Collection
… posters, by Frederick L Packer. This is the same artist that created yesterday’s editorial cartoon.
Goddess of the Mountain by Frederick L Packer, image from EBTH
detail of Goddess of the Mountain, by Frederick L Packer, image from EBTH
… editorial cartoons, 1952 Pulitzer Prize winning cartoon by Fred Packer
1952 Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoon by Fred Packer, image via Wikipedia
