Foxglove Hybrid Flower | Mrsroadrunner Photography

Foxglove Hybrid Flower | Mrsroadrunner Photography




Meet this Foxglove Hybrid Flower! If you are new to my blogs, photographs you may not have seen this Hybrid in the past? We have had these growing now for three years I think (without going back and looking).

As with the past years these Foxglove grow near the Bell Flower, or the Bell Flower grow near the Foxglove? Either way this is what I believe this Foxglove Hybrid came from, these two flowers interbreeding with each other. Of course this is just my theory of observation in my garden.





Since these Hybrids grow as a Foxglove would, I do not know which Foxglove will look like this until blooming time. The Bell Flowers took some time to establish themselves here. Once the Bell Flowers established themselves, and we chose to grow the Foxglove inside our private area, did we get this funky looking flower blooms.

You can see from the shot above, the top flower blooms are the ones who open up in this funky manor that the typical Foxglove Flower Blooms just do not open up as these hybrids do.





I have read some of the hype on the computer about this funky looking Foxglove Hybrid. Some saying there is no way that a species like the Foxglove can possibly breed with another species of flowers. Why not? Why cant a species of flower breed with another type of flower? I personally feel trying to control nature is like holding back the tide from coming in.....

This Hybrid Foxglove Flower Bloom was not something that was planned here in our garden, it just happened one year and has continued year after year. The seeds are the only way I can think of, of how this can happen the past what three years here in our garden? We do contain this hybrid flower within the private part of our garden so far. The typical Foxglove Flower that folks know of is one of those Flowers that we, or I have to contain within our yard.

As some people know the Foxglove is also a plant that if used in the wrong manor, or if it spreads to livestock it may not have the effect people really want. Thus containing the very good seed producing seed pods, or dead heading. As soon as a seed pod is forming, pinch it off before the seed pod matures. Keeping only the color of Foxglove you want.





The Hybrid Flower above has not opened up all the way yet. It takes them some time to fully open up in the funky manor you seen above. We do keep the Foxglove Flowers away from the dogs who have chewed on the leaves they could get to before, as puppies it was more so. Making the dogs sick of course! These Hybrids I do not recall the dogs being able to get to? We grow the flowers in our private area inside the six foot dog fence, inside another fence. We just find this way best for our Flowers and to keep the dogs from chewing on leaves the best we can. The dogs are allowed to chew on the Raspberry leaves and stems all they want to, the raspberries are safe to eat. I can not express enough, Foxglove Flowers are NOT safe for dogs, cats etc., people to eat!!

Thank you for coming by and checking out my Hybrid Foxglove Flowers!

Lazuli Bunting birds Visiting

Lazuli Bunting birds Visiting




Meet the Lazuli Bunting bird. Isn't he pretty?





I had to be in my archive yesterday. I came upon these photographs I have never shared before. Actually, it looks as if I did not look through this whole file..... ? These days I put notes for myself in my photography albums of what day, so I know what I did when. Otherwise the photographs get lost in the shuffle.

This series of the Lazuli Bunting Birds I am showing today is the two feeding here at the house. This is when I had yet to designate this area as the bird area here at home. This is almost four years ago.... I have been doing this for a little while now, those who have read my blog know how much I like taking photographs and talking about the subjects of the photographs!



Like most of the birds who show up here these Lazuli Bunting birds are no different! They are a little mistrusting at first, then they find out I have my space, they have theirs. All I ask for is some photographs! In turn they get the seed that is placed in the feeder, they get nesting material if it applies. They get water which is a biggy here in the High Desert of Oregon and I wont let anything happen to them while in my space.

After some times these Lazuli Bunting birds noticed this, they were safe here.



I do believe I have photographs of the female in another photo album, however at the time I did not know what I had? I have to go back and find that photo album of that day.... My archive is organized by the year, month and the day. Then as I go through the photographs I name the photograph , if that is I can? This way all I have to do is go to the drive my external hard drive is plugged into, go to the search option type in whatever, hit search! If anyone has a better way..... I am all ears haha!

By naming the file before it is uploaded, the search engines grab the name of the photograph file. This just helps with the search engine optimization. I have done this for years, again if you have or think you have a better way......



Being a agricultural area, the seed we buy typically comes from the feed store at the livestock auction. At one time there was a well known feed store there in Madras we bought from, however with the economy the way it is... this is now a tire store (It looks like a tire store, could be a mechanic shop).

There is also a feed store now in Culver Oregon. Though we just find getting into the livestock auction easier and it is closest to us. Which ever case the seed to our understanding is from our area. Now a days we buy bulk seed. 40-50 lbs bags.

We also provide suet here for the wild birds. This I have yet to find a bulk supplier hint hint, if you know where I can buy this in bulk......



What I felt was a little strange for these Lazuli Bunting being here is, we are not a wooded area like I read they are found. We are the High Desert. For this reason I think these Lazuli Buntings were here at the house just resting until they went on their way.

We get many creatures just stopping in. Migrating birds the most! Whatever species might be here for a day or two, or could be here for only hours before they pack up and move on! I think this is the case with these Lazuli Bunting birds?



As you can see from this series of photographs, the Lazuli Bunting birds are filling up on seeds. They were in the fruit trees as well, so perhaps they were also feeding on insects? I watched these Lazuli Buntings while they were here. Their behavior and how they interacted with the birds who are here normally at this time of the year, (May). There was some fighting going on with the other birds trying to run off the Lazuli Buntings, however the Lazuli Buntings were not easily ran off!

I have photographed the Western Bluebird which one website claims is similar to the Lazuli Bunting, no there is no confusing the two birds one bit!! However, if the two do share the same space, this is even more confusing to me as to why the Lazuli Bunting were here at the house..... There are three spots that we know of that the Western Bluebirds always are and it is not here at home! Again why I feel these Lazuli Bunting birds were here during migration?

The Lazuli Bunting I have read is pretty common bird, so I hope to see it again! Thank you for coming by and checking out my little write up and hope your weekend went well if you celebrated the holiday or not!

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon




Meet again the Spadefoot Toad that lives here at our property showing up once in a while in our pond.



Since our weather has been warm for this time of the year, I started watering. The next morning this Spadefoot Toad was in this fabricated pond. We placed these fabricated ponds into our natural ponds for water conservation. Our part of the High Desert has been getting drier then normal due to the limitation of water. We felt in 2014 that 2015 might be worse thus the prefabricated ponds.

As soon as we installed these two prefabricated ponds, this Spadefoot Toad showed up in this one. Last year the tadpoles hatched,grew and left the pond. This cycle looks as if it will continue in 2015. We have no clue how long this species of toad has lived here on our property? Since we have other species of frogs here, the singing of frogs and toads coming from our ponds goes on both days and nights. I try and photograph the visitors or the residence of wildlife we have here at home.



The photographs you see here are from two days. The first day this Spadefoot Toad wanted nothing to do with me, kept coming up in the shade mind you. As soon as the Spadefoot Toad noticed movement down it went into the dark depths of the pond!



The Spadefoot Toads head usually was in the shade. Might be to hot in the sun? Frogs and toads skin is very thin.....



I took several shots of the feet. Being diggers the feet of the Spadefoot Toad is different then water based creatures.



Since I do not pick up the toads or the frogs here without cause, such as death, this Spadefoot Toad is not touched by anyone! I do not allow us to pick  the Spadefoot Toad up by our hands. I just do not want to hurt them! So this Spadefoot Toad comes and goes as it wants to. Only seeing one adult stuck in the fabricated pond so far. Tadpoles are a different story and I have a net for these, again I just do not want to touch them.



You can see the side of the prefab pond in some of these shots. On day two the Spadefoot Toad seamed very.... it no longer was darting down under the water to the black depths of the pond. This concerned me due to the Spadefoot Toad behavior when it first was seen in the pond the day before. The question, what would happen to this Spadefoot Toad if it was unable to get out of the pond and go back into it's burrow went through my mind. I dont want to hurt the Spadefoot Toad by being ignorant!

I expressed my concerns to Guy when he got home from work and he seen the Spadefoot Toad was not expressing the liveliness of a creature who is doing well. So Guy placed a board in the pond, if the Spadefoot Toad wanted out, this could be a way it could get out. Since we have no idea how on earth the Spadefoot Toads even get into the pond? Assuming the need to breed is so great, getting into the prefab pond is easier then getting out for the creature.......



The next morning the Spadefoot Toad was gone. I like getting the photographs I do of the wild creature who show up here, but I am not going to go so far as stressing out the creatures who show up here. Stress is a killer of both small and large creatures. That to me is not a good host.

Who knows there might be Spadefoot Toad eggs again in 2015? It is still very early in the year..... We may just see this species in this pond again?? I have yet to see a grown Spadefoot Toad in the other pond. I did photograph several of the tadpoles last year in the other pond. Lets hope the snakes do not move in and wipe out our little ponds this year? I am on the watch for snakes, and the smell of such snakes!

Thank you for coming by and checking out these photographs that were taken ..... oh last week? A few days ago now.... If you would like to read the blog post of last year when I just learned what I have photographs of you can read that post here if you would like or copy and paste the url http://www.mrsroadrunner.com/blog/2014/6/spadefoot-toad .

Honeybees on The Red Poppy Flowers

Honeybees on The Red Poppy Flowers




Meet the Honeybees that were on these Poppy Flowers of August 1, 2014!



We do seam to be a stopping point for many pollinators during the peak blooming time of the year. This is now March still and we are getting the flower beds ready for 2015 flowering season by pulling weeds, seeding,waiting on a tuber delivery, working the soil, still needing to run the tiller and the chipper since we have piles of brush here and there from last year! Everything is taking off early this year!







You can see from the photographs above, there are two different poppy flowers! These are both from Red Poppy Flower Seeds, though the one Poppy Flower has more of a orange tint to it!



By August I spend a lot of my time outside if you can imagine! A lot of work to do and this is the busy time of the year here at home and all over Central and Eastern Oregon!



The Honeybee's photographed here start arriving early in the morning when sun starts to warm everything up. The honeybee's stick around until evening time.



Since the Poppy Flowers are so delicate of a flower, over head watering is a no go. The Honeybee's are found at our ponds or the other hardier flowers getting drinks from the mud we provide. Honeybee's like other insects do not drink water as you and I do, then back to work they go!



Every dang time I get visiting people here they swat at the bee's! These Honeybee's are more then likely from the shipments of Honeybee's we get from California to pollinate the big farms. Though since we have many species of bee's visiting us at any giving time at the peak blooming season, it is not wise to swat at the bee's. Some bee's do not like this!



Our place just hummmmms with the sounds of the Honeybee's doing their thing and I kind of like the sounds!



A place with Honeybee's is a healthy place! I worry when I see no Honeybee's in a location!!

Thank you for coming by and checking out the photographs from August 1, 2014!

Bird of Prey Visitor

Bird of Prey Visitor




Meet the Bird of Prey that showed up here to the house yesterday! I belive this to be a Coopers Hawk and not the Sharp Shinned Hawk.



I believe this is the hawk who shows up from time to time to hunt our small piece of property. Eating on the song birds who are so plentiful here at home. I did not add all the photographs I got of this bird here in this post, however you can go to the main page at mrsroadrunner.com where the album I put all the photographs of this bird of prey will be on the front until next week.



Typically I wait for at least a week before I put such things up. However since Guy is my biggest fan he recommended putting this series up anyways. This is my way of just thinking about things before I put it out in the public.



I thought it strange as I was working on what else, my photography when all the birds went quiet! So quiet you could hear a pin drop and this is not common. Sure the birds will go quiet when say someone is walking by, or a cat is on the hunt. Then when the danger has passed within several minutes the birds will start, "talking", again.

This did not happen yesterday. So, I investigated. This has been going on for years now, I will go to the front or back to see what is going on. Typically turning on the water hose to run off someones cat.

Not yesterday. First I thought well a dove is in the back, no big deal. We have large flocks of doves and they do hang out here regular. Though this dove just did not look right, so I grabbed my camera. That is when this bird of prey jumped on the rock you see there.



I am a tad bit "weird", about leaving such things as piles of branches and such around here and there until the Lilacs grow out, or the leaves grow on the trees etc. to give the song birds and other small birds places to hide. Of course we have such things as the raspberries which you see here in these photographs as well. It gives the birds and other wildlife a place to hide.

You can see the back gate in these photographs. To the left there is one of our small ponds. The rock in which this bird of prey is standing on, well their is frogs all over both these ponds, toads too! On occasion we will get the snakes moving in, however you can smell when a snake has moved in!!

I am sure there are other wildlife that I do not know about? It took me some time to even know we had night time toads here!



Since all the song birds, other small birds even the doves were hiding at this point, I am not sure if this bird of prey was here to get a drink? Or if this one seen some of the frogs jumping to hide? I am just not sure?



This shot I believe the bird of prey was checking out the cats! We do have a population of cats here like most communities in America we have folks who do have one or more cats.

Now the Copper's Hawk and the Sharp Shinned Hawks I have read, and been told they are "pests". Well all respects to those folks who are cat lovers and have one or a dozen cats, I put cats into the "pest", category as well. I tell everyone who has cats to get those bells and collars off their cat if they want their cat to live long. The birds of prey, (as well as a host of other wildlife we have here), hunt cats as well!

I believe the shot above the bird of prey was checking out the cat that was over that way. I did not see my sons cat and went looking. He was in the extra room sleeping.



We have had several birds of prey here on our property. The owls of course perch in the trees and rarely will be in the trees at this time of the day. Mornings are the time to see the Owls. The Harriers have been here checking out things, I even had that one dive at me and think that Harrier was young and thought my hat was something..... the Red Tailed Hawks, eagles, vultures stay up in the sky when checking the place out. The Ravens geesh they scream and yell so loud hard for them to sneak in without being heard! Then the Osprey, Heron, other birds just pass by to go where they are going.



The dogs were inside with me when this visitor showed up. I really doubt this bird would have been here as long as it was if the dogs were out there? The dogs have been trained, told to leave the birds alone!



By this time this bird of prey knows it is being watched. I tried to be quiet but we are not as quiet as we like to think we are! Then of course the click of the camera ..... You can see in these shots that I was shooting through the kennel fence. Blurring the fence out with my lens the best I could. Happenings like this you do not have time to set up the shots etc.. Wildlife just does not pose for the camera! You got to get the shots as the  operatunity arises.



The bird of prey got deeper into the raspberries I am thinking the bird did not go out the same way it went in because of where I was? It took off flying and went to the pine tree and to our front door. I made my way to the front, where the doves have already set up their nests. Again this bird of prey took off to another persons yard.

The song birds and other birds were rattled for a time, then everything went back to normal..... This Bird of Prey never did get anything to eat here at our house.

It is said if you have such birds hunting near bird feeders etc.. to take down the bird feeders for a while. Then put them back up. We have way to much going on here as far as the wildlife go for things to be that easy! I like the Birds of Prey! So I welcome them until the peace and harmony of my life gets disruptive..... as one frog is, "talking", at the moment, (there goes another frog, and another), and the birds are already wide awake  outside..... that is my que to finish this up!

Thank you for stopping by and check out all this series of photographs if you wish!

Cosmos Flower Blooms in October

Cosmos Flower Blooms in October




Meet the Cosmos Flower blooming in October here in our part of Oregon!





Being one of the last flowers blooming says to us the Cosmos is a hardy flower. Colors as you can see did not seam to make the hardiness of the plants any less it appears.





This post is a extension of Cosmos Flower Blooms in the High Desert



As of March 3 (today), I have cleaned up the old stalks of these Cosmos and they are waiting in a pile. What the birds do not use for their needs, will be put into the chipper and mulched to be put back into the soil.



At this moment I am going to quit talking and let you view my photography of these very pretty Cosmos Blooms. If you are wanting a nice flower for your flower beds and have room for them to grow , some of ours got pretty tall, tall or taller then our six foot dog kennel panels, here you go!























Thank you for coming by and checking out my floral photography!