Wednesday, October 1, 2014

A Second Look--October 1, 2014

Here are a few things I saw this week 
during a Second Look.

By the time I got outside this week for a Second Look, dusk was approaching. Consequently, it was hard for me to get many good pictures with my unsteady hands and point and shoot camera. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my look.


It's easy to see from this balloon flower bud why it is called a balloon flower.


This is the first mum so far to bloom.


As the mums are beginning to bloom, the sedum is turning darker red while some has already turned brown.


Japanese Maple. Most of our maple trees produce seeds during the early summer. However, the Japanese maple produces them in the early fall.


Poke berries--a favorite of many birds and animals.


Praying mantis hiding in the grass. I've wondered why some praying mantises are green and some are brown. After a bit of research, I couldn't find a definitive answer. In our area, we have several different kinds, and apparently different kinds have different coloring. One site said that if there is good moisture, they are green and if it is dry, they are brown. Another said that as they age they turn from green to brown.


6 comments:

  1. You have so many gorgeous things to enjoy in your yard. It is fun to watch plants and critters change through the seasons. Great shot of the moon! My son managed to get a nice picture of the moon last summer on his point-and-shoot. His camera did better than mine (or maybe it was the operator of the camera???).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is fun to record the changes. When the colorful flowers start dying, I sometimes feel like I have nothing interesting to share. But I always find something.

      When I took the picture of the moon, it wasn't quite dark and the moon was really bright, so that helped. Of course, I jealous of my friend who gets pictures of the craters with her camera. But I won't be having a camera like hers anytime soon.

      Delete
  2. My first thought when I saw the moon photo was, "I wonder if she used a tripod?" My hands are a little too shaky for nighttime photos without one. Good thing I'm not a surgeon!

    Interesting about the praying mantis colors. The one I saw most recently was brown and I wondered why because I've always seen green ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had heard that they are brown when they are old, but I saw brown, small ones in the spring, so I wasn't sure. I guess there's more than one answer.

      Delete
  3. You must have a gorgeous yard! I love the flowers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Shara. My yard will certainly not be on any garden tours, but there are pretty things to found if I look around.

      Delete

What do you think?