Sunday, July 9, 2017

A Second Look--July 6, 2017

Hello from the great state of West Virginia. In other words, I'm visiting my mother. I had meant to post this Second Look before I left, but didn't find the time. So, I added the pictures and said I would finish it up when I got here. As always, the visits are a jam-packed whirlwind and the post didn't happen.

This morning we leave for the drive back. We're taking the scenic route which means we're taking two days to drive the back roads so we may not have internet access. And that all means, I am determined to get this published before we leave. Now I just hope Ward doesn't notice that I'm here on the computer after I emphasized how we need to work hard to get packed and ready to go before we have breakfast with my mother this morning.

Without further ramblings, here are a few things I saw recently during a Second Look.

The orange day lilies have bloomed. These are a little fancier than the standard day lilies as they have double blossoms.


The sunflowers have started to bloom. You may notice that the Japanese beetles have found their leaves.


I planted Fat Horse pole beans between the sunflowers and they have sprouted. I plan to let the beans climb the stems of the sunflowers.


These flowers were an impulse buy from the bargain bin. Now if I could only figure out what they are.



After a recent rain, wild asparagus sprang up in two places.


This is an oak log that was impregnated with mushroom spores to grow mushrooms for eating. It was a gift from friends who do this to earn extra money. However, I've never seen this kind of growth before and I'm curious to see what it turns into.



Who can ID these flowers for me?  I don't know if they're considered a weed or have just escaped from someone's yard.  I see them in several places in my yard.


The wren eggs have hatched.



Look how much they've grown in three days. Notice how much they fill up the nest cavity in each picture.



The robin is still sitting on her eggs. However, there are only three in the nest now. Last week there were four.



12 comments:

  1. "Now I just hope Ward doesn't notice that I'm here on the computer after I emphasized how we need to work hard to get packed and ready to go" hahahahaha. Ha. I hope you had a nice visit with your mom. Taking the back roads? Totally something I would do! I'd love to go back on a road trip right now, as a matter of fact!

    The double bloom day lilies are gorgeous. Are those yellow "wild" flowers some type of snapdragon? I can't tell. The purple bargain bin flowers are so pretty too, some type of daisy, I guess. I'm clueless when it comes to flowers, sorry.

    Baby birds! So cute! I hope "you" get baby robins too. Love those blue eggs.

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    1. According to Bless, they are wild snap dragons. The blooms reminded me of snap dragons, but the leaves didn't.

      Seeing the vacation you took with your daughter got me wanting to get back out onto the back roads and do a little hiking. We were able to accomplish that this trip.

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  2. Like Nathalie, I chuckled when I saw that comment. Of course, I would never do the more interesting thing instead of the more pressing activity ...

    Enjoy your road trip! Sounds like a blast. What a pretty time of year to travel.

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    1. Ward didn't fuss at me when he found me working on my blog. But at that point, I think I lost all privileges at fussing at him if he got sidetracked for a bit. We both relaxed and the morning went well. Although we left about two hours later than I had hoped. But we had no exact timeline, so all was well.

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  3. Taking back roads can be interesting. Glad you had a nice visit and the photos are wonderful though I do wonder if an animal snatched the Robin's egg?

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    1. It's very possible that an animal snatched the egg. However, my experience has been that when something gets the eggs, it gets all of them. More likely is the mother got rid of it because it wasn't viable. But I guess we'll never know.

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  4. Hope you didn't get caught posting on your blog instead of packing to leave! LOL.

    Hope you had a wonderful visit with your Mom and the journey home was both safe and enjoyable.

    The double flowered lilies are gorgeous!

    The purple flowered bargain bin purchase is African daisies or Osteospermum. They come with white petals and purple centers, as well (more common variety), a paler lilac, and the deep purple (which I love). There might be other colors, as well, and petal shapes. They will self-seed and you'll find them returning year after year. They are one of the few flowers that thrive in my garden, although they are at their best in our spring.

    I don't know what the pale yellow flowers are, for sure (I'd need a close up to positively identify them), but they look a lot like wild snapdragon, also known as toadflax (Linaria vulgaris). They maybe a "weed", but I think they are very pretty!

    What fun to see those baby birds grow! Hope the robin eggs hatch, too.

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    1. Thanks, Bless, for the identifications. Yes, I do have osteospormum. I saw the pictures on your blog of the ones that you have and that is what I have. I will be curious to see if they come back. Your experience has been that they will self seed and one site said they don't do that very well. Some say they are like perennials, but I don't think they are in this area because our winters are too cold. But I would like to have them next year, so I'll look into how to save them in the fall.

      Also, I read that the wild snapdragons (that go by at least a dozen other names) are a naturalized wild flower and/or invasive weed in some areas. I think they're very pretty and are going to let them grow where they won't take over anything of importance.

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  5. Great update! I'm a "flower child" so appreciate all the colours of your garden :)

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    1. I have been appreciating all of the beautiful scenery of your trip. Still can't seem to successfully comment on your blog to tell you.

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  6. have a safe trip home! Love the bright blue Robin eggs, but I wonder if they'll hatch. Those wrens are growing like weeds. Love the Day Lillies!

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    1. I love day lilies, too. Day lilies have beautiful blooms and comeback year after year. We had a lot of them of several colors at our other house. Their only drawback is that their leaves turn brown in the heat, so whole plant is not so pretty a lot of the time.

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