Sunday, April 24, 2011

Sunday Safari

The Dogwoods are in full bloom.

The Dandelions are in first bloom.

The male Hummingbird is claiming his territory.

A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers have been coming to the nuts and suet cakes. I think they are nesting.

The scout for the Baltimore Orioles has found the grape jelly.
I heard him calling. Hopefully the rest of the Orioles will come in.
I have plenty of fresh grapes and oranges for them.
The Brown Thrashers have mated.
The pair come to the suet cakes.

These two Northern Cardinals are so cute.
They do lots of seed giving.
We went to a Chalk Walk festival.

It was a small festival but lots of fun.
Chalk art is one of my favorite art forms.

This is living in the now.
Art for the sake of art.
The hands of the artist fascinate me.
It is time to plant.
We hung the Fuchsia baskets
for the Hummingbirds.
I planted the window boxes
in mint.
I hope to to use the flavored mints in teas.
This lemon mint smell delicious.
Chocolate Mint is one of my favorites.
I will be making chocolate mint syrup
this summer.
The west window box is planted with Apple Mint.
It is a new to me mint.
Perhaps a few leaves in ice water will be refreshing.

I planted deep red petunias in with the mints.
The Hummingbirds will like them.


It has been a relaxing Easter.


Rain is in our forecast for the next few days.
I hope you had a blessed Easter.
Happy Sunday safari.

12 comments:

Dawn Fine said...

Thanks for that wonderful Sunday Safari...always a pleasure.. Love the in flight hummer!
Happy Easter to you too!

Kit Aerie-el said...

Beautiful shots! The cardinals are so cute, the fuchsia is gorgeous, and the artwork is stunning. Wonderful Sunday Safari!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

We did have a great Easter despite the rain. Inbetween showers I strolled the garden with my Sister and Daughter. We squished right along. I haven't seen an oriole yet. Can't hardly wait. Happy Easter to you too Sherry.

Gordon said...

You have done it again Sherry, great bird pics I'm enjoying guessing what the birds are before scrolling, and I'd love to know what equipment you use.
All the very best Gordon (UK)

ShySongbird said...

I missed two of your lovely Nature filled posts Sherry! :(

I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up with them though and loved the pretty little Bluebird with the soulful look in its eye on the April 10th post and also the Red-bellied Woodpecker, such lovely birds to see in your garden.

The Bullock's Oriole on the next post is beautiful too, what a lovely golden colour it is! I am so glad you are seeing the butterflies again too, they are always so pretty and colourful. I also enjoyed all the wildflowers.

On this post the delightful Hummingbird has stolen my heart... it always does :)
The Dandelions here seem to be particularly abundant this year, they look so cheerful.
I also loved the chalk art, there are such talented people about, it is a pleasure to see their work!
Lovely photos throughout Sherry! Enjoy the rest of Easter, I hope it has been a happy one :)

Rose said...

What a magnificent photo of the hummingbird, Sherry, but my favorite has to be the cardinals. I love the way they share; they always seem to be such happy couples. "The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher" brings back memories--one of my sons' favorite books.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Mac n' Janet said...

Love the bird shots, we don't get Baltimore Orioles here so much envy.

Deb said...

Love your Sunday Safari post Sherry. What an amazing capture of the Hummingbird ♥ And I love chalk art ~ such talent.

sweetbay said...

Gorgeous photos!! The dogwood, hummingbird and cardinal pictures couldn't be any more beautiful. Love the chalk art. Pastels drawn large ~ wonderful!

Judy said...

I have never heard of a chalk art festival! What a beautiful way of celebrating the ephemeral beauty of the day!!

Wendy said...

What beautiful captures, Sherry! Those birds look so happy and busy with their spring-time activities.

I've never planted mint in window-boxes. Such a good idea, since mint tends to take over the garden.

The chalk drawings are pretty. Happy Easter to you!

Barbara said...

A great snapshot you got with the two Northern Cardinals. Indeed very cute! I love mint plants too.I've seen that all my mint sorts are growing again despite the long and cold winter and having them in pots.