Anna's Favorites

It's been hot.  My orange Crocosmia began to bloom in my backyard.  

"Crocosmia flowers are so bright that I can spot them from far away."

"I like this swing and feeder.  Slurp, slurp."

"Time to show off my pretty tail feathers."

A Scary Story

This summer I saw 5 squirrels running around my backyard.  Some are matured; others are small and young.

"Hi, there.  I can stand tall like you."

"I'm a little one.  Don't scare me, please."

"Don't worry.   I'm puffed up to scare off

 the other hummingbird, not you."

Air Show

The annual air show is going on this weekend.  It's been clear with the blue sky, an ideal weather for the show.  I can see their acrobatics from my backyard.

This year Navy's Blue Angels returned after eight years.

Down on the ground, my orange trumpet vine finally bloomed this summer.  A red one will have to wait for another year.

"I've been waiting for more nectar."

One Day in a Backyard

Without any sound, butterflies appear from nowhere.  Hardly stopping its gentle flight, it floats here and there.  No chance to take a photo, but today it landed on the blueberry leaves for a while.

This year Spotted Towhees make a daily visit here.  Early in the morning I caught sight of them.

"Watch out!  The black box is staring at us."

I saw two young ones the other day.

"My mom says this backyard is safe for me."

Lavenders

Lavender flowers are in full bloom.  I have been busy making old time favorites of saches and wands. Hummingbirds, too, are busy sucking lavendar nectar.

"I like this backyard filled with my favorite flowers."

"Me, too, buzz, buzz..."

"From early in the morning till late in the evening, I've been busy."

Sneaking In?

Up on the evergreen, I saw some birds swiftly jumping in and out eating the juniper berries.  When I took a photo to enlarge, I discovered they were Cedar Waxwings.

"Finally you saw me.   This is my breakfast."

Ta, ta, I'm ready for another feeding spot."

Learning

The real summer is here, a couple of weeks earlier than usual this year.  It's been hot and dry.  In the backyard, I see many young ones.

Black-capped Chickadees like to peck on blueberries, sip water, and then splash in a bird bath.

"Uncle House Sparrow, don't scare us!  

We were ready to take a cold bath."

Here is another one up on an old apple tree.

"I'm still little, but look how I can fly!"