Central Oregon Garden Spider

Central Oregon Garden Spider




Meet the garden spider that set up shop in our corn!



Some folks may or may not realize but coming up with things to write about and show you sometimes gets hard! I thank the person who gave me the idea to write about and show this spider (even though I do understand some folks are not real thrilled with spiders. A sibling of mine is included in this category). I still jumped right onto the idea this person gave me, if the person knows they gave me the idea or not!



Being organic I do rely on such help from insects such as this spider! Rather a larger spider compared to some other spiders we have here! This spider is not in the category of the Black Widow or that Brown Recluse we have in our part of the country so this spider is ok in my book! Plus it was in the corn, the corn we grew just for the birds.



Rule of thumb here at the house is if you can hurt me you can not set up shop. This spider just does not fit into that category either!







Thank you for coming by and checking out this garden spider! Of course I really do not know what species this spider is, I just know I photographed it where it should be ~ in the garden!

Honeybee Arrival In Jefferson County Oregon

Honeybee Arrival In Jefferson County Oregon




This is a typical bigger Honeybee operation that goes on in agricultural areas such as ours. These Honeybee's arrive by train. This area is a holding lot. Much like a cattle holding lot, however these are Honeybee's. You will not find this quantity of hives in someones backyard!



I do not advice anyone who is allergic to these insects to do such a thing as I did as far as visiting this holding lot.

First I called up and spoke to the scientist who is, was (?) doing a Honeybee study at this location. Then calling up the land owner to ask for access to their property. Then of course walking on over to the location. I would have loved to be a onlooker when getting these photographs haha!!

Keeping in mind, smoke can be a good thing!! Lighting up a cigarette kept the stings down to just one. Keeping in mind these Honeybee's are not wild per say, however they just arrived at this location. Tired, thirsty and cranky!



Somehow as I picked out the photographs to show you the photographs copied themselves so the photographs are a mess if you go to the album to look around!





These hives get shipped to different farms around our town where this is all located. If you happen to be walking down one of these farm roads, or even driving by with your window rolled down, well you may just get to meet some Honeybee's personal like!

Carrot seed is huge in our area. Someone has to grow it for your favorite garden store to sale to you, right?

We are known for many other crops, however the carrot seed is a big one around here where the Honeybee's help is priceless! Can you imagine hand pollinating something like the carrot seed!?



I also walked over to where the Honeybee's were getting their drinks at. Any insect who has traveled pretty much in any manor is going to be thirsty! I am one who will buy insects to have them shipped here to home. Insects such as ladybugs,praying mantises, some others. The last shippment of ladybugs arrives half dead. So, I stopped buying from that business. If you know of anyone else with a better live arrival rate, and better customer service, can you let me know? We are in Oregon.



I was much more comfortable at this location. The water is not where the Honeybee's live so they are much more docile!! No reason to protect something that is supposed to be for everyone.....



I may have even shown these photographs before?? I recall being at another location that I have permission being at and WALLA Honeybee's were drinking at that spot too. Not sure why I was surprised? Perhaps I was surprised for that other spot was really just a big mud puddle! A mud puddle made by farm equipment and pick up trucks.





This to is one reason why our garden just hums with the sound of Honeybee's as well. Our town is not huge and this holding lot is not a far walk. Honeybee's are supposed to like to stay and work one kind of flower, however we have a big infatuation to our garden when the Honeybee's show up!

I also notice the Honeybee's that come to our ponds, garden are sickly. Because of people using these killer chemicals? We know the Honeybee's come to our garden so they should be going to other peoples gardens..... "My brothers keeper", is something that seams to come to my mind. I sarcastically joke about, "not being my brothers keeper",  for most folks do not care about anything but themselves. Who cares if the Honeybee population dies out, right....... Not here to preach and this is a subject I can get real passionate about. Guy humors me and just lets me rant haha



Just joked with Guy about my ranting. Saying you heard it all before (my rants), but dogonit these people may not have! We both laughed and Guy says to you all,"Sorry about your luck", haha! Keeping the wording clean for some of my younger readers!

In the shot above a couple Honeybee's are gathered for drinks. I like to watch the Honeybee's communication between each other, doing jigs and what not! Predators have a field day with the Honeybee as well! Picking off the Honeybee one by one. No wonder they stay in groups! While I was here the birds staid away. The other insect did not......

I think that is enough photographs. I do have more photographs in the album I made just for this post, though like I said they are kind of a mess.... Thank you for coming by and checking out my photographs and reading! Even if some of my ranting came out in the process..... See you on Monday with whatever else I came up with haha

Wild Field Mouse Eating

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Wild Field Mouse Eating




Meet the little wild field mouse I came across on one of my hikes. The little mouse did not even notice I was watching him!





When I set out I typically go by myself so I can control how noisy or quiet I am. Though I did not know I was being this quiet!

Now you know why the birds of prey follow me around, though this mouse was not exactly all that scared just sitting there eating.



Just so long as this little mouse is out here on this farm I go on and not here at the house everything is dandy about having a mouse around. The mouse is kind of cute dont you think?



Finally the little wild mouse seen me!! We are so used to seeing house mice running about I wonder if we stop and think the mice do have life's outside of peoples homes?



Off the little mouse goes, climbing up and out of the ditch I found the little guy in!



I am sure the mouse is going to his home which is more then likely hidden around this spot somewhere?? Typically I see the mouse diving into their burrows in the middle of the dirt roads the farmer uses to get around on.

Thank you for coming by and checking out the photographs of this little wild mouse!

Four Oclock Flowers in Bloom

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Four Oclock Flowers in Bloom

Meet the Four O'Clock Flowers that were blooming here in our garden in the high desert of Oregon!



We placed the big seeds here and there not knowing where they were going to like what spot the best. They bloomed where we could get NO other flower to bloom along with blooming through the fence! We are quite impressed with the growth of these Four O'Clock Flowers!



Water if folks do not understand in the high desert water does not just fall from the sky! One has to provide water and the Four O'Clocks Flowers are not a flower who can go with one poor watering a day in our area! One spot I have a hard time watering. These grew, bloomed profusely however would droop begging for water. Meaning I had to soak that one area more then other areas. The south exposure is a interesting one here at our place.



These photographs are from September of 2014. If you would like to see a larger photograph, just click on the photograph you would like to see. I was making my photographs way to big for some of my affiliate website places and had to adjust accordingly. As some of you who follow me on twitter might be aware my laptop took a dump thus getting used to this new system.





I feel these Four O'clocks are nice to photograph!





When the Four O'clock go to seed you know it! The seeds are big and black and are very easy to pluck off when ready. I am a seed freak for those who do not know this fact. Waste not want not right? Some flowers you do not want to go to seed, I just do not see this with these Four O'clocks.

All in all these Four O'clocks are a keeper in our part of the High Desert! With watering once a day very well, or twice a day. Feeding the soil in which ever manner that works for you, and minimal care these should do great for you too!

I do have more photographs of this day in September just feel these are enough for this post and I do have more photographs of these flowers..... I mean darn I am outside everyday during the blooming season and can not help but take photographs ha!

Thank you for coming by and checking out my garden photographs!

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Spadefoot Toad

Spadefoot Toad





This is the Spadefoot Toad who resides at one of our ponds.

Read more

Pacific Orangetip Butterfly

This butterfly is also called Sara's Orangetip butterfly.

Update on this to 2013 and learning more of the behavior of this butterfly. I have observed them in our area of the high desert in the more remote canyons with streams running through them, or very near to them in big numbers.

Very quick and they do not like stopping as some butterflies do not mind if I am around with my camera,however these just do not like any movement so it seams??

At least here in our area.... I have seen a half a dozen to a dozen of these at one spot. Several years ago I thought I was fortunate to see one!

I am thinking the top photo is a male, while these bottom photographs are of a female?

Antelope Herd Ochoco Mountains Oregon

As morning was breaking high up in the Ochoco Mountains we came across this herd of Antelope.
Of course I always look for the buck. Not just because of being charged at rutting time, but it is just good sense too.
I try and center him in a photo when I find him. He has the all black face with the large black horns.
I do get a kick out of seeing the herds for the young can then be seen. The young look just like their parents, just small is all!!
This herd was a pretty big one to our standards. 80 to a 100 head. Dont believe it went over 100 head. Guy tried counting as I was out doing my thing.
As you can see many of them are curious as to what was going on! My camera is supposed to be noisy, however I have not had problems with my Canon and the noise and hindering what I do. Actually, it is the opposite!! The dogs are loud. Therefor the camera gets the wildlifes attention off the dogs and to me. You can see by some of the photographs that some of the antelope are looking in the direction of the dogs, while others are looking at me. I like them looking at me, and my camera!
The buck did not want anything to do with me or the dogs! Two of the shots he is with his head down grazing with one of his many females. Almost as if he was hiding those horns of his, since really he is the one folks want to shoot at. If he hides his face, then we do not know he is a male right??
I get a kick out of the wildlife, well critters in general. If they can not see us, we must not see them right? HAHA
Soon the herd had enough of my antics and started running off. They are quick, even the young are quick! Soon, they were out of range, leaping over sage brush , running through the prairie of the Ochoco Mountains.

This post is available as a free ebook !

Siskiyou Chipmunk Wildlife Photography

 

I like watching the squirrels and the chipmunks.

This pair of Siskiyou Chipmunks was seen on our National Grasslands and we really do not see to many there.  We have the Golden-Mantled Ground squirrel who looks similar, but does not have the stripes into the face.

These are very loud little things and if they were not so loud I may not have even seen them on this log! Here in Central Oregon we have a way of having MANY rodents who cause damage to the land, however these Siskiyou Chipmunks live in trees and the like.

There is a couple here, the one on the left is just chatting up a storm! The one on the right, well that one seams to be listening but soon leaves. The chatty one you can see it wondering why it is by itself.

Turkey Vulture Is Back, Central Oregon

Turkey Vulture Is Back, Central Oregon

The Turkey Vulture is not seen in Oregon all year around.

There are five sub species of the Turkey Vulture.

Our Turkey Vulture I believe is the Western Turkey Vulture, this sub species I have read is even broke down even further.

I read where at one point and time people thought the Vultures in general were a threat to livestock thus killed, this was found to be untrue and the facts are the Turkey Vulture not only smells out gas leaks in remote places that pipe lines are found, but clean up the expired animals so disease does not spread.

Not all Vultures can smell as the Turkey Vulture does for food. Other Vultures who do not have this keen sense of smell follow around the Turkey Vulture for a meal.

I have not read anything about our Turkey Vulture breeding in Oregon, however person experience investigating the cliffs and caves of Central Oregon we have came across these Vultures protecting the cliffs and caves of where we hiked. Protecting to the point of dive bombing Guy coming very, very close to him never touching him. I added in a couple of those photographs. The Turkey Vulture is not any kind of hunter, we just got to close is all. It was kind of funny! The Vulture startled us and you can see one of the mastiffs near Guy wondering what just happened. Notice there is a reason why Guy's hat has the hat tie attached..... These were taking last year 4/24/2010. The date is just a coincident . (Updated 9-2013 excluding one photograph of Guy who HATED that photograph! Fact of the matter is I did not update the two photographs below for they are in our personal photos).

I read where the Turkey Vulture are horrible nest builders. Guy was just saying if we hiked to where we were last year, those Turkey Vultures would more then likely be there in that same spot.

The Turkey Vulture is the most known Vulture to migrate therefor is protected by the migratory treaty act of 1918. These birds are protected, so I personally leave feathers I find or any parts of such a bird alone.

I have read the only ones to have such a bird in captivity are those birds who have been hurt and unable to return to the wild. I would think this consists of educational facilities, or any licensed facility who takes on such hurt birds? Otherwise illegal to own.

The young Turkey Vultures have gray heads. Since the ones I caught with the camera have the red heads I think these are all adults?