Welcome to Country Birder... and Butterflies |
** It's the middle of February, and Winter is losing ground to Spring. The days noticeably are longer, and the sun has been shifting in the horizon. Temperatures go between bipolar extremes well below freezing to the 50's or 60's within 24-48 hours. This is all Nature's way of waking up her dormant creations and causing the sap to rise in trees and critters, alike. The tree line sings with Cardinals, Robins, and Sparrows who take advantage of the weather to start claiming or reclaiming territory. But keep the bird baths clean and the heaters in good service, because we're not finished with the cold yet! There's still time to frost-sew native wildflower & grass seeds to support our butterflies and pollinators. Hurry though! Many native wildflower and grass seed varieties need a period of cold stratification to germinate. Nature's freeze/thaw cycles are perfect for setting seed, but don't wait too long! Visit Prairie Moon Nursery for great information on seed germination codes and instructions for direct seeding and indoor starting.****
Click on the links below to view photos and descriptions of birds observed in our country back yard. |
Click on the links below to view photos and descriptions of butterflies (and some moths) observed in our country back yard. |
||
American Kestrel | Indigo Bunting | Black Swallowtail | Painted Lady |
American Tree Sparrow | Laland Longspur | Common Buckeye | Pearl Crescent |
Baltimore Oriole | Northern Bobwhite | Eastern Comma | Red Admiral |
Barn Swallow | Northern Cardinal | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Red Spotted Purple |
Barred Owl | Northern Flicker | Eight Spotted Forrester Moth | Silver Spotted Skipper |
Blue Jay | Northern Mockingbird | Giant Swallowtail | Silvery Checkerspot |
Brown Thrasher | Palm Warbler | Great Spangled Fritillary | Spicebush Swallowtail |
Carolina Chickadee | Pileated Woodpecker | Hummingbird Moth | Summer Azure |
Cedar Waxwing | Red-bellied Woodpecker | Monarch | |
Coopers Hawk | Red-headed Woodpecker | Mourning Cloak | Multiple Species |
Dark-eyed Junco | Rose-Breasted Grosbeak | Gardens | |
Downy Woodpecker | Red-tailed Hawk | Raising Monarch Butterflies | |
Eastern Bluebird | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | ||
Eastern Meadowlark | Snow Bunting | ||
Eastern Phoebe | Song Sparrow | ||
Goldfinch | Summer Tanager | ||
Horned Lark | Tufted Titmouse | ||
House Finch | White-breasted Nuthatch | ||
House Wren | White-crowned Sparrow | ||
Goals for 2017: | |||
Red-winged Blackbird | Mourning Dove | ||
Grey Catbird | Heron | ||
Eastern Kingbird | Crow | ||
Chipping Sparrow | Starling | ||
Robin | |||