Owl Be Here for A While

 I was on the front sidewalk and movement caught my eye.  Captured this from the back bedroom window.  Setting up shop for the evening.

Pilly!

 I was out Sunday afternoon with Kyanne and looked out in the woods from the fence as I often do and there was a Pileated Woodpecker on a tree about 15 feet off the ground and fairly close!  I forgot my camera in the house and even though it's not a great camera for distance it seems better than my phone, so I ran back in to get it knowing I likely lost my chance at a decent pic.

It was still on the tree but lower to the ground.  It flew off to another smaller tree and then quickly flew down to the ground.  It started hammering on a fallen log and was mostly hidden in the weeds.  I watched it for maybe 10 minutes.  What struck me was how hard they hit with their beaks.  Below is the best of what I was able to capture.  I saw one flying in the woods a few weeks ago so this confirms they live in the area.  

A Splash of Color Appeared (and it's an invasive species) "Dame's Rocket"

 I noticed some tall purplish flowers behind my fence this year.  I wondered where they came from.  We may have had a few before but not like this.  Back in 2019, I did grab flowers similar to this from my mom's house and planted back there.  They didn't do very well.  I knew they were not phlox because they were taller.  Turns out they are called Dame's Rocket.

Fast-forward to this year and I likely kicked this off OR the seeds just blew in (read below for how prolific they are).

(from the web)

Dame’s rocket, Hesperis matronalis, is a fragrant, edible member of the Brassicaceae family of plants, which includes arugula, broccoli, and mustard. Native to Europe and Asia, it was originally brought to the United States as an ornamental plant.

As with many introduced varieties, its seed spread beyond garden borders and naturalized in surrounding woodlands and meadows. Unfortunately, it is an aggressive grower that competes with native plants, threatening natural ecosystems with its spread.

Classified as invasive in many regions, H. matronalis is especially vigorous in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the US.

Many plants can become invasive under ideal growing conditions. Be aware that if you allow seeds to disperse from this plant, it will spread readily under ideal growing conditions.

It looks like a native garden phlox, Phlox paniculata, but to be certain, count the petals.

H. matronalis has four, but phlox varieties have five. In addition, dame’s rocket has leaves that alternate along the stem while phlox leaves are arranged opposite each other.

Dame’s rocket is a biennial, which means it blooms in the second year of growth. After pollination and seed formation, it is a vigorous self-sower.  It is believed that this plant was introduced to North America in the 1600s, so it’s had plenty of time to make itself at home.

The flowers may be magenta, pink, purple, or white. In addition to botanical species, which has one row of petals, there are cultivars with two.  Bloom times range from May to August.

H. matronalis is a fairly tall plant with stems that range from one to three feet, or sometimes four feet in height.

Deer don’t bother with it. That figures!

The one that got away

I was looking out our back window last evening and saw a flash and realized it was a Red-tailed Hawk.  I grabbed my camera to see what was going on and realized it was after this fox squirrel.

It flew to different trees several times coming back to this one.  The squirrel managed to survive and I saw the hawk fly off in search of something it could catch.

I thought to myself the outcome may have been different if it were a Cooper's Hawk.  They are much more nimble in the woods and brush.

I find it interesting that these two hawks species hunt the same area.  When I was taking Ky for her walk later, I saw the hawk flying trying to get a meal before the sun went down.

Spring snow today

Northern and eastern Iowa got more than we did but it fell steadily and made a pretty and sometimes interesting picture outside.

 Kind of melting but not...

 

The branch above became the hanging shape below...

 

 

Wanting to drip...

 

Fall colors of a different type

I didn't get out to see as many leaves as I wanted but if you look close, there are things all around changing for the season.

 

The Day After

Suffice it to say people were excited that fireworks were legal this year.  The air quality the next day was very poor in much of Iowa due to hazy conditions combined with lingering smoke from the night before.

These pictures are not that dramatic but are interesting for the way the sun was cutting through the haze.  One is behind our house and the other is on my morning walk.

 

New growth on a honey locust tree

This is the tree I hang my feeder from...


Got some pretty snow overnight

Somewhere between two and three inches but it was the kind to pile up on the fence and branches so I couldn't wait to get outside this morning.  Here are a few images converted to black and white...

 

Same photo...had to include color

Just passing through

Russ let me know something was coming.  I looked out the window and I saw what turned out to be four White-tailed doe deer coming toward the fence in what turned out to be a nice evening sun.

So I got Russ out of the room so I could get to work and take pictures.  A couple seemed to smell my bird feeder but realized it was out of reach.

Here's what I saw...

Late afternoon bird watching

I'm still getting birds to the feeder.  But God provides for the birds.  I'm just a convenient fast-food stop.  I've had Mourning Doves hanging around.  I'll keep a lookout to see if they are nesting in the area.  I did see an Eastern Bluebird Sunday evening.  I got a picture from my back window but not worth sharing.

Here is the always reliable White-breasted Nuthatch...

 

 

And I liked how this Mourning Dove seems to blend in with the background.  It will be awhile before the woods "green up"...

 



A thorny subject

New thorns on the honey locust tree by my feeder.  They certainly don't bother the squirrels.

Misty morning

Interesting mist this morning.  In the picture of the deer, look for the one lying done as well.   The woods pictures are behind my house.  The other pictures are from Johnston Dr.