Flint Hills, Kansas

Early in the morning my brother and I will leave.
We are going to the Flint Hills for sunrise.
I found this photo taken by someone else.
I hope I can do as well.

I hope I too can capture the beauty of the Flint Hills.
We will visit my Aunt in Wichita, Kansas.
I hope someday I can be as gracious as her.

Butterflies

A few butterflies were
in the garden this afternoon.

Very few.

I sat in the grass near the marigolds and watched.
The Eastern Comma and the Orange Sulphur were the only two butterflies.

I will go back outside.
I will sit in the grass.
I will watch the butterflies for awhile longer.

Maybe the Buckeye will come.

Thank You Buckeye!

By noon
the temperatures were in the 60's.

I am finishing my natural history
of Kansas book.

I am warm in the sun
on the deck with the birds.

A Buckeye took me away
from all of that.

I love it when I am carried away.
I love being over the rainbow.
I love being in the autumn mist
in a land called Honah Lee!

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk is comfortable
coming up onto the deck.

It will be half an hour after he leaves before any other bird will be comfortable coming up to the deck.

Last Autumn

"My last Autumn,"

he quietly said.

I was driving my Father to radiation treatment.

It was a sunny, warm October day, 1992.
I can still hear his voice.

He knew.

My Father was a full use person.

I found his little pencils, sharpened with a pocket knife.

My husband brought me a maple leaf.

He saw it on the ground while he was mowing.

There are lots of leaves on the ground now.

My Father would have enjoyed the digital age.

He would have enjoyed Corner.

He would have been 85 years old today.

Drama in the backyard.

The Praying Mantis
has been perched on the pink zinnia
for two days now.

Her meals come to her.

Cooper's Hawk has to hunt.

The backyard is full of Doves and Sparrows.
He usually can grab dinner without too much trouble.

Reading with the birds.

My brother and I are planning a day trip.
We want to visit our Aunt.
She lives in Wichita, Kansas.

I am reading about Kansas,
people of the wind.

The birds came to the deck.

They came to the feeders.

They came to see what I was doing.

For My Daughter

Time to read

My Mother-in-law sent
The Forest Lover
as a gift.

Susan Vreeland tells the story of Emily Carr,
the legendary painter from British Columbia, Canada.
It is a historical novel.
Emily Carr's paintings are amazing.

I finished the book while the butterflies fed.
I had left the camera inside.
I just wanted to read.
No distractions.



I thought about Emily Carr while I
put clean sheets on the bed.
I thought about my passion
while I hung clean towels.

I grabbed my camera.
Maybe the Monarchs would still be out in the zinnias.
Maybe there would be ripe tomatoes for supper.
Maybe I too can follow my passion.

I also see spirit.
It is in the forest and in my backyard.

Kitty

It is a cool, rainy day.

I am remembering Kitty.

She was my friend.

She would curl up on my lap on cool, rainy days.

I can almost hear her purr.

Eastern Comma

I was out on the deck reading.
I glanced up and saw an Eastern Comma
on one of the gourds in a nearby basket.

She was basking in the late afternoon sunlight.
The gourds looked so pretty with a butterfly on them.

I think she saw the rotting fruit.
She flew to a deck post

and on over to the rotting nectarine.

I have a dish of fruit set out for the butterflies.
It is their October treat.

Any day now

Any time now we could have have our first frost.

I went to the vegetable garden and
picked a few ripe tomatoes.
I saw lots of green ones, I will wait on them.

I will keep an eye on the forecast.

I sat down in the zinnias to harvest some seed.
The Black Swallowtail flew in.

I had not seen a Swallowtail for two weeks.

She is very faded, almost translucent.

The Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Skippers, Red Admirals, Cabbage Whites, Fritillaries, Buckeyes and the Black Swallowtail kept me company this afternoon while I gathered hope.

Butterflies! Every minute with them I treasure.

Gathering together

Today I join with other like minded people,
other environmentalist.
Today all over the world people are
writing about their concerns,
they are sharing their experiences, their hopes
and their dreams.

My way of life is simple.
I recycle, reuse and reduce.

I replace only when it is necessary.
I repair when I am able.
I restore as the need arises.

I respect life.
I am responsible.
I rejoice in bio-diversity.

I am rewarded.

Today is Blog Action Day

Northern Harrier

After much debating my husband and I think this bird of prey is an immature Northern Harrier.

We watched three of these beautiful birds hunt.

I did a google search.

Immature Northern Harrier

The American Coot

We watched huge flocks of
The American Coot.

These birds are not ducks they are in the Rail family.
They do not have webbed feet.

These Coots are migrating.

It is Autumn.
Migration!

Squaw Creek

A hundred miles north of my house is
Squaw Creek Wildlife Reserve.
We went to see the
White Pelicans.

They are migrating now.

It was raining this morning.
The Pelicans were active.

Hundreds of Pelicans
were feeding and resting.

We watched lots of other birds too.
I am working on identifying them.
Birds I had not seen before.

We will go back in two weeks.
I want to see the Swans and the Eagles.
I want to see what other birds will come through
on their way to their winter homes.

Shadow of your smile