View Full Version : I love living in the country!
Just a couple pics of things I've seen lately.
This is what I saw in the front yard when I opened the drapes one morning.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/IMG_1677_zps8652d2d7.jpg
This is of 2 baby hummingbirds. The nest is only about an inch in diameter.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/IMG_1585_zpsf8184523.jpg
This one is of an Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly in some teasel. Teasel is considered a "weed", but I think its cool!
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/IMG_1105_zps1c164db3.jpg
Cathy, I know you take a lot of nature pics--some of them are awesome. (I love the ones you just posted) Why don't you consider submitting some to the Nature Conservancy Photo Contest? It's running now. Check it out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/the-nature-conservancy-photo-contest_n_3785216.html
Indeed so!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B5RbK_kPqlA/UfMNKTNPFyI/AAAAAAAAIQc/AxlNn6Fr4iM/s720/Awesomized.jpg
Thanks catherine.............I'll check that out.
Bae.......you're so lucky. I would love to have a big body of water in my back yard!
rosarugosa
8-27-13, 8:47pm
I love your pictures Cathy, especially those baby hummingbirds!
Oh My catherine! I just looked at some of the pictures from there, and there's no way my pictures are good enough! But thanks for the compliment!
iris lilies
8-27-13, 9:37pm
That teasel is pretty, what an interesting shape! I loved the tiny hummingbird nest too. I wish I could see one of those close up.
Oh My catherine! I just looked at some of the pictures from there, and there's no way my pictures are good enough! But thanks for the compliment!
Don't sell yourself short.. Yes, those pics are amazing, but you are a good nature photographer, too!
Beautiful. Love the hummingbirds. I haven't seen any for so long.
Gardenarian
8-28-13, 2:46pm
Wonderful photos! Can't wait to get out to the cabin tomorrow!
Bae - is that a beaver dam? I've heard beavers are making a small comeback.
Beaver dam? That would be cool, but I think there are no beavers in the whole county. That's one of the small lakes up the mountain behind my house, the debris is some wind blow-down from a big storm we had a few years back that has created a cute little lagoon. I like to walk the dog up that way.
I think beavers are wonderful, incredible animals...........but.........there's not enough room for them anymore. At least around here. :(
We have 35 acres with a big creek running down the middle. Knock on wood......we've been okay for awhile.........but several years ago we had major destruction of trees because of them. The creek is only about 60' from the house, over a bank, and they were coming up into the yard and chewing down our trees. They were chewing down big trees all along the creek. They built a damn. We just couldn't outsmart them. Where they had built a dam, DH and I went down and put a long section of drainage tile under the water and under their dam.........so the water would flow right through. The next day we checked it out and they had pulled the drainage tube out!
They are incredible builders. They are incredible parents to their kids. But there's just not enough land/woods to let them be. We didn't kill them, but I think we scared them away. It was a really disconcerting dilemma for me. I mean trees that took 30-40 years to grow would be chewed down overnight.
I just wish we had so much property that they could do their thing, while we still could keep our trees. It really bothers me that there's not more space for everything. :(
We have a creek behind our house (actually part of a public park) and one day I was certain I saw a beaver swimming down it, with a piece of wood in its mouth. Do you think it was a beaver? If so, it's the first one I've ever seen! However, I haven't seen any trees down or dams anywhere so who knows? If it wasn't a beaver, it was a pretty busy groundhog.
We have a creek behind our house (actually part of a public park) and one day I was certain I saw a beaver swimming down it, with a piece of wood in its mouth. Do you think it was a beaver?
Maybe a muskrat or mink? I think I remember seeing river otters too, when I lived in NJ.
You usually see some gnawing on the bottoms of the trees, as the first sign. Sometimes we get just a few gnaws and then its stops. So maybe they were just passing through....hopefully.
Beavers can be pretty big and their tales are a big giveaway. Also, they can give a warning thump on the water with their tail, if they sense you're coming around. I really don't like the idea of relocating, because it just takes them (or any animal) out of their home area and also makes it someone else's problem. When we first had problems with them many years ago, I called the DNR and they told me I could find people to trap and relocate them, for something like $400 per beaver. :(
and you really have to know your local laws about doing things to animals.
Maybe a muskrat or mink? I think I remember seeing river otters too, when I lived in NJ.
Interesting! I'll have to do more field research to find out!
1319
This is the view from the front porch of my new home. I am so fortunate to live adjacent to preserved farmland and within walking distance of numerous organic farms, an organic dairy farm, a RoboFarm and many Amish farms here in Pennsylvania. My partner has the opportunity to plant a garden in the organic community garden at his church next spring. We're debating whether it's worth the time and effort, though, since good food is so readily available to us here.
Tussiemussies
10-23-13, 8:15pm
So nice Cathy that you get to see these wonders of nature so close up. I was so thrilled just to see a hummingbird for the first time let alone see one of their nests with the babies! You are blessed living out in the country!
Can understand your plight about the beavers. It is a hard call in a situation like that....
RCWRTR.......What a great view to wake up to! I hope you get alot of enjoyment out of living in your new area!
Thanks, CathyA! I really enjoy it. My SO, aka "The City Boy", commented, "It's unnatural to see cows outside our bedroom window when I wake up in the morning." I found his comment amusing and asked him what would be more natural than seeing a cow outside our bedroom window, to which he replied, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe a train...".
gimmethesimplelife
10-25-13, 11:37pm
I recently inherited a 1/3 acre lot near Douglas, Arizona, close to the border town of Agua Prieta. I really don't know what I am going to do with it but the idea of waking up in the morning to see the view - high desert steppe and mountains in the distance - really works for me. I have a strong pull towards areas more rural than where I live now, in the center one of the largest cities in the country. Rob
Oh, Rob, that sounds beautiful! My partner's sister lives in AZ and I've been in Douglas, AZ. It's beautiful country. Perhaps you might enjoy living there or retiring there someday?
gimmethesimplelife
10-28-13, 9:35pm
Oh, Rob, that sounds beautiful! My partner's sister lives in AZ and I've been in Douglas, AZ. It's beautiful country. Perhaps you might enjoy living there or retiring there someday?I'm not sure what I will be doing with the land in the future - it is nice level land and at 4,000 ft in altitude it does get all four seasons and a lot of fruit trees will produce well in this climate. And I love the scenery in the area - high desert steppe is my favorite zone in Arizona.
The taxes on this lot run $8 a year.....can't go wrong there. And as the economy continues to be a challenge for so many, there is something very soothing in the thought of owning land..... Rob
Tussiemussies
10-28-13, 9:41pm
I'm not sure what I will be doing with the land in the future - it is nice level land and at 4,000 ft in altitude it does get all four seasons and a lot of fruit trees will produce well in this climate. And I love the scenery in the area - high desert steppe is my favorite zone in Arizona.
The taxes on this lot run $8 a year.....can't go wrong there. And as the economy continues to be a challenge for so many, there is something very soothing in the thought of owning land..... Rob
That sounds nice Rob to be able to own some land. Sounds like it has great potential! Chris
try2bfrugal
10-28-13, 10:17pm
Great pictures, Cathya. Thanks for sharing. We get a lot of humming birds here but I have never seen a nest. How cute!
$8/yr. for taxes on the lot is awesome. Did you check into what they would be if you build on it? In my area, new construction is always over-assessed, then homeowners can go through the appeal process to attempt to get property taxes and school taxes lowered. In most cases, the property taxes and school taxes are lowered to the level of the purchase price on the HUD-1, if appealed during the first year after the home was built.
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