Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Tent caterpillars are beginning to emerge from their cocoon-like webbing. Once they do that they head for the nearest foliage, eat, then turn into moths for a little while, mate, lay eggs, and start all over again. Entomology is a stretch for me; sometimes the creepy crawly essence of insects is a bit much. But these guys were so nicely arranged I couldn’t resist. And most of them weren’t squirming.
We’ve enjoyed a little kildeer in our backyard for the last couple of weeks. They often browse in our grass but this one sticks around and got rather upset when my husband mowed behind our septic mounds. Within a day or two our suspicions were confirmed: there was a fluffy little chick that was soon pecking in the grass too. It has moved too fast so far for a photo op.
This Canada goose marched through the yard last week. They’re very common around here but not in our yard. I know they’re not often welcome guests but I rather liked seeing this one goose stepping around…and then he disappeared.
These enchanting fairy slipper flowers (calypso bulbosa) are gems I’ve found each April since I’ve lived in Sequim. This year only one has bloomed where I’ve typically found two or three. But a peek around the trunk of a tree revealed these.
The blossoms are less than an inch in size and the tallest of these plants is probably six inches high as it leans toward filtered sunlight. As you can see, aside from stems and blossoms, there is little foliage to herald these diminutive plants.
The local red-winged blackbirds are adept at staying just beyond camera distance. The males, shown here, are black with a red shoulder patch edged in yellow. They’re common in marshy areas this time of year.
Females of the species are much less showy, brown and white streaked and smaller than the males.
I’ve mentioned before that our dog has many toys. He considers the entire house his toy box. Usually they are scattered singly, randomly. These two landed together, happily cuddled.
Today is Earth Day.
This is the sort of thing that postpones dinner in our household. It was actually a double rainbow, but the second arc was almost too faint to see.