“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
Psalm 33:5-6 ESV
Not a sunrise, but the rise of our first sunflower of the season. Some of the sunflowers are so tall we may need a ladder to make photos. Or maybe a drone shot will work when all are blooming? I think the gold finches we’ve been seeing, mostly passing by, will start hanging around now that the sunflowers are beginning to bloom. They love the sunflowers. We are fond of them too!
Today is Flag Day in the US. June 14th is also the birthday of the US Army (1775). The flag has undergone many changes since the adoption of the flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. The current flag has remained the same since 1960, when the 50th star was added on July 4!
I was wandering down the hill in front of the house to take in a sunset, when I turned around and decided I really liked the way this older chaste tree was looking against a late afternoon sky. This particular tree had looked unhealthy toward the end of last year and was slow to green up, but seems to currently be doing very well.
The younger chaste tree in the cottage garden has always greened up and grown faster than the older tree, yet it did not bloom any earlier. They were about equal as far as bloom time.
Packing on the pollen…we are always glad when we hear the hum of bees in the crape myrtles, especially honeybees! The constant buzz would have been exciting to Winnie the Pooh!
I saw this bright mushroom water tower at the edge of the woods while I was mowing. It was at least 12 inches tall and did remind me of a water tank. I didn’t attempt to identify it, but I don’t know that I’ve seen one quite so tall!
This is everyday living in the south, a vegetable plate with cornbread! How about a rundown of a few of the items…pole beans, peas, cream corn over polenta, fingerling potatoes, greens, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and a fried green tomato! You probably know who ordered this!
Pam noticed this cardinal because he was so colorful sitting alone on top of the post. He is probably the one we see in the garden every day, but she noticed that it appears something green is in his mouth? We can’t figure out what it might be. What does it look like to you?
I tell Pam each season that I simply must have a petunia of some kind. She says OK, as long as you dead head it every day. This is my 2026 petunia and PJ has even bragged on it because the color is exquisite. She even made the photo! It is a keeper. It was common when we were growing up here in Alabama and in the country to see petunias planted inside old tires. Most of the time the tires were painted white. Mine is in a nice tall urn, but I have been tempted to plant one in a tire for old time sake!
I’m considering placing my camouflage chair under this canopy with the hydrangea behind me for my hummingbird hideout. I have been unable to catch a hummer still for any length of time for good photos this spring. Nearby, and in front, would be our crocosmia. It should bloom soon, and it is a hummingbird magnet with its fiery red blooms. Besides, this wouldn’t be a bad place to rest in the shade even if hummingbirds don’t come by!
If a hummer won’t show up and pose, then a clearwing hummingbird moth is a great substitute. This one was visiting a pot that is only a few feet from the hideout I was considering in the previous photo. Pam wandered by and the moth was working away at the garden verbena!
I won’t offer an explanation because I have no idea what was the point or purpose of this sitting at the edge of one of the walking paths in the wildlife park. I did a little research, wondering if some weird cult-like symbols or meanings might be tied to such, but found nothing much to give me any thoughts. I was on a long walk and came upon this a half mile from anyone or even a parking lot. I came back by 30 minutes later to find it still there so I made a photo!
I think we all realize how, in the human population, members of the same family can look very different and live very different lifestyles. I don’t know why I find it unusual when it comes to the plant world, it is common there too. This Floating Primrose Willow belongs to the same family as the evening primrose. The evening primrose looks totally different and is found growing on dry hillsides and roadsides while this relative is very much aquatic. I’ve been showing it on post, but all before the yellow blooms had burst forth. This plant is natural here and also in Australia and South America. I’m seeing it is gradually taking over an open water spot I have always called the mallard pond…it’s considered an invasive in many places.
A southern catalpa tree by the lake caught our eye one afternoon while we were riding along in the closing light just wondering what we might happen upon. As kids, we always called these cigar trees, and you can see why! The tree is the exclusive host of the catalpa sphinx moth caterpillar, which is prized by southern fishermen as fish bait! My great aunt had a large catalpa tree that I remember as a boy. I recall seeing guys coming by pulling boats and stopping to get what they called catawby worms. I guess they were fishermen that she knew from the neighborhood.
I walked on down the path from the catalpa tree and spotted this little guy. I have been posting blue herons and egrets lately, but this is a heron that is not seen very often and a neat thing for us to accidentally come across. This is an uncommon Black-crowned Night Heron. This heron prefers the coastal marshes much to our south. People also don’t see this one because it is mostly nocturnal, coming out at dusk and feeding in the shallows at night. It was about sunset, and he flew off right after the photo was taken, headed for his nighttime feeding spot! I believe we were fortunate to get this pic!
An Appalachian Foothills post-sunset sky as seen last Friday from our dining room!
A June sunset over Lookout Mountain as seen across Weiss Lake is never disappointing, and it’s 10 minutes from home. We have to check it out from time to time.
Next Sunday marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of astronomical summer. Enjoy this final week of spring, or autumn for those ‘way down south’!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
A beautiful sunset behind Lookout Mountain. That is mysterious about the water bottles and insulated tumbler. Maybe someone was offering them free for the taking? Strange place to leave them. The male cardinal has a large, green caterpillar in its mouth. I remember my grandmother always picking “Catawpa” caterpillars off the Catalpa trees to use as fish bait. She would put them in an old worm box with sawdust. Sometimes she even froze them to use later. It always grossed me out! I loved to fish, but very seldom baited my own hook and never took fish off my line once caught. I will bait my own hook now as long as it’s not crawfish used as bait! Now my husband takes all fish off my line.
Great photo of the Black-crowned Night Heron, I’ve never seen one of those before. Beautiful sunsets!
I have never seen that type heron. We get the more common blue herons and egrets in our area. I also don’t get outside very much near marshes so that could be the reason too. The flowers and trees are exceptionally colorful. We’ve had a lot of rain the past couple of days so it should help with the drought situation. The vegetables look delicious! There’s nothing better than fresh veggies. Enjoy your day. Clara❤️
Sorry, I didn’t finish my thought above about outside and the marshes. I really enjoy seeing what you discover on your treks outside. I always learn something new!