The sun has moved from north to south and the flowers have turned to berries.
Then and Now.
Although they’re one they’re not the same or at least it feels that way.
The flowers are beautiful but the berries are somewhat poisonous (depending on your species and I assume most of you reading this are human of course) and produced form a the pervasive and often considered to be invasive Bittersweet Nightshade vine.
A Common Loon adds a bit of sunshine to what ended up being a cloudy day.
Earlier this summer we got lucky and happened to walk under a nice old cottonwood tree and heard the unmistakable sound of little newborn birds chirping away for food. The nest in the tree belong to a family of Bullocks Orioles and like all oriole nest was well hidden in the leaves of the tree. It was amazing how rapidly the parents would fly into the tree, deliver the meals, and then fly back out making it somewhat difficult to get a photo or two.
Both parents we equally active in delivering meals to the kids. Above the male delivers some freshly caught bugs.
within minutes of the males departing Mom flew in and delivered another meal for to the growing chicks.
If this meal is any indiction of what the kids were eating I think the youngsters were well fed that day.
The youngsters have fledged and the nest is long empty now as another summer has come and gone.
Summer 2017 Denver, CO.
Hiking up high near Lake Irwin in central Colorado on a fine September day.
The forest is just a bit damper from the heavy morning dew and the colors are changing before my very eyes. Fall is in the air.
An American Robin surveys the surroundings from a burnt tree which matches their color quite well. This fire happened long ago but burnt trees still fill the landscape even as decades have passed.
The other day I saw a yellow flash land in a nice cedar tree. Thinking it was an unusual insect I quickly went over to get a look. Alas, it was not a new insect but a Honey Bee and to say this one was covered in pollen might be an understatement. This little bee could hard fly with the load they had acquired. After a few minutes of rest they slowly lifted off and headed back to the hive. A job well done.
Prickly Poppies are a wonderful wildflower to have around. On our daily walks we can rest assured we will find some in bloom. Once found, we can stop for a moment and enjoy the show as beetles, bees and ants do their work pollinating these delicate flowers. Even now, as fall approaches and most of the other wildflowers have lost their blooms, a few Prickly Poppies are still going strong.
They a treat for they eyes, like little whipped cream sundaes with a cherries on top.
Those little prickles protect such delicate yet tough flowers.
I am looking forward to see how long they continue blooming into the fall.
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/argemone_pleiacantha.shtml
Denver, CO
Along the trail on a silent hike the digitalis were ringing strong.
Photographed in a dark yet very green forest.
After 4 days of drizzle, rain, drizzle, rain..a rosy sunset was well…just rosy. Photographed in the Bunsby Islands off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.
nature has no boss 
You must be logged in to post a comment.