Under the Butterfly Bush

We recently purchased two butterfly bushes to add to our landscape,
in hopes of encouraging more butterflies and hummingbirds to our little corner of the world.

So far, neither butterflies nor hummers have paid any attention to the new bushes;
they fly right by on their way to other plants in the yard –
or to the feeder, in the case of the hummingbirds!!
Ha!!

However, there has been some excitement under the butterfly bushes!

My husband made a new bed for the plants,
which involved moving the grass and amending the soil.
He dug up the first piece of sod to transplant to another spot in the yard –
Had no sooner laid down his shovel
than a resident robin appeared on the spot to pick up lunch –
A double order of earth worm comin’ right up!!

“Now…
to find the perfect spot for my picnic!!”

After the bushes were planted,
while the earth was still freshly turned,
Mr. Robin continued to stop by for afternoon snacks!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, 
for your heavenly Father feeds them. 
And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
Matthew 6:26 NLT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

We’re still hoping these new plants will attract the butterflies and hummers,
but meanwhile, we are enjoying the plants themselves.
They are very graceful and bend easily with the breeze –
and have beautiful flowers!

Today’s Color: Red!

Nandina shrubs throughout the back yard show off their bright red berries in the January sunshine.

While sitting on the back porch enjoying the colorful view and soft breeze,
we hear a hummer at the empty feeder!!
We fill our two red feeders with fresh nectar and wait to see if he returns tomorrow.
Maybe it’s a rufus that will stay with us all winter!
We had one for several years, but he died during our harsh cold last year;
we’d be really happy to have another one take up residence nearby!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Opportunity

The challenge for this week is all about being prepared
to take advantage of every photo opportunity.

It brings to mind something I read one time on
TexWisGirl’s blog –
“Every time I step outside, I either have my camera or wish I had my camera… “

These are some photos that I’ve posted before,
but I decided to group them together for the challenge
because each of them was an unexpected photo-op,
and I’m glad I had some kind of camera with me to capture the moment!

For the first one, I happened to have my little Olympus Stylus in my purse.
The egret escorted me along the sidewalk to my dentist’s office,
parading in front of me just begging to be photographed!

These next two photos were taken at a Cock of the Walk Restaurant in Alabama
several years ago with one of those really old-fashioned cell phones.
The peacock strutted around and put on a show,
so I was happy even to be able to get these low-resolution snapshots!

This last one was taken with another cell phone –
a little better resolution than the peacock pics.
To read more about the surprising opportunity with this beautiful doe,
you might like to click on the photo of her,
which will take you to the original post.

Even though these aren’t the best quality for posting on the Internet,
they all remind me of special moments…
so I’m happy I went ahead and snapped the pictures!

I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.
Mark Twain

My advice (from personal experience):
If you’re in doubt about whether to shoot or not,
go ahead and snap the picture without hesitation!!
You can always delete later,
but I predict most of the time you’ll be glad you captured the moment.
Even if it’s not a professional-looking shot,
you’ll probably be glad you preserved the memory!

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,
for beauty is God’s handwriting.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank y’all for stopping by to visit Little Things.
May your life be filled with little blessings, little chuckles,
and little deeds of kindness (both given and received)…
…and may you be prepared to respond in just the right way
to every opportunity life brings you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Random Quotes

♦

If you thank God after the fact, that’s gratitude.
If you thank God before it happens, that’s faith.
Author Unknown

♦

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.
Donna Roberts

♦

Too often we underestimate the power of
a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear,
an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Leo F Buscaglia

♦

Humans are the only animals who will follow unstable pack leaders.
Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank y’all for stopping by to visit “Little Things.”
May your life be filled with little blessings, little chuckles,
and little deeds of kindness (both given and received)!
♥
Whether you’ll be working, playing, or just staying home –
I hope everyone has a safe Labor Day Weekend…
and if Tropical Storm Lee’s knocking on your doorstep,
y’all take care and stay dry!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Baby Wrens (Days 8-14)

I am finally getting around to posting the rest of the pictures of our wren family.  The babies outgrew their nest and have now made their way into the big wide world! 

 

Day 8

 

 

Day 9

Notice a foot visible in this photo.
Adult wrens can hold onto almost anything! 
When these grow up,
they’ll be able to cling to the side of a brick wall or column while looking for bugs.

 

 

Day 10

 

The parents wouldn’t come near the nest if we were outside. 
I had to take these pictures through the glass door from quite some distance
and without good lighting, so they’re not very clear. 
If you look inside the yellow circles,
you’ll see bugs they’re bringing home for lunch!

 

 

Day 11

 

 

Day 12

The nest got really crowded, and probably rather stuffy, too,
since the temp was in the high 90′s. 
They moved outside to their “front yard,”
but at first they still snuggled up close together,
in the same position they had been in their nest.

 

Looking more grown-up every day!

 

Some down still visible when their feathers are ”fluffed up.”

 

 

Day 13

“Ready…….Set…….”

 

 

Day 14

“…….GONE !!!”

We miss the lil’ birds, but are happy they all survived the elements
(and the neighborhood cats!) 
and grew up to fly away on their own!
Maybe they’ll come back next year and build more little nests for us to observe.

For now, we can go back to watering and fertilizing our begonias –
and pinching them back, so they’ll fill up the pot!

In thirteen days, the wrens went from pink, “naked” little birdie bodies
to feathered friends who could hop and chirp and fly.
Who could ever believe their development was an accident
and not the work of a Creator!?!

 

Some of my friends have asked permission to copy these pictures for their school students.
I’d be more than happy for anyone to download and share them for your personal use.

 

Baby Wrens (Days 3-7)

With all of the problems that people are facing today, it’s helpful every once in a while for us to step back and take a look at God’s creation — read His Word — and remember that we are ultimately in His care. 

This Scripture verse reminds us that we are even more important to God than these little birds are – and He will meet our needs.

  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6:25-27

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

 

 Day 3

 

 

Day 4

 

 

Day 4

 

 

Day 4

 

 

Day 5

 

 

Day 5

 

 

Day 5

 

 

Day 6

 

 

Day 6 

 

 

Day 7

 

 

Day 7

 

 

These little birds have made lots of progress in the past few days and are now taking on more recognizable bird-like features.  It’s obvious that they are growing larger, because the little nest is becoming crowded! 

I haven’t heard them making any noises yet. 

I like to catch them napping, because I can get up close and photograph their bodies.  As soon as they wake up, their beaks pop open and they’re “all mouth” — Nothing else is visible!!  Ha!!

They will probably fledge (leave the nest) in about another week.  Then they’ll hop around on the ground for another few days while their parents continue to feed them bugs, until their wings are strong enough to fly.

Some of my friends have asked permission to copy these pictures for their school students.
I’d be more than happy for anyone to download and share them for your personal use.
 :)

They Have Hatched! Baby Wrens – Days 1 and 2

 

This is the last picture I took of Mama Wren sitting on her eggs before they hatched.

 

 

Day 1 – Soon after hatching, I think!

 

 

Day 1 — I actually wasn’t sure if they were alive or not! They looked like little pieces of raw chicken! I haven’t had a chance before to see baby wrens in an enlarged digital image like this.

 

 

Day 1 – After researching online, I learned that the dark spot on top of the body, toward the right end, is an eye!

 

 

Day 2 – You can see formation of an eye on the left side of the body above.

 

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 2 – This time, later in the day when I went out to take pics, I could see they were moving around in the nest. YEA! They ARE alive! You can see formation of wings on bird at top. At the bottom right, look for eye and part of open mouth! =)

 

 

Day 2 – Different angle, looking more from above. Better view of the bird at top of other pictures. See right wing, both eyes, and beginning of beak. This one seems to be the most active so far; my husband says it will probably get fed first and grow fastest!!

 

 

Day 2 – This one is blurry, but I am including it anyway, because it shows all four babies, eye and mouth of one at bottom center, and wing of bird at top.

 

 

Day 2 – Last shot of the day. It’s almost like these babies changed today in between the pictures that I took! Maybe it was just the various angles and the way they were all scrunched down in the nest together that made them look different at different times. I hope to get more pics tomorrow. I wonder when they will start chirping!

Some of my friends have asked permission to copy these pictures for their school students.
I’d be more than happy for anyone to download and share them for your personal use.