Sign of a Cold Winter?

The berries on the dogwoods here in the hollow are plump and numerous this year. The people who use nature's signs for forecasting say this means a cold winter. Regardless of the temperature, I am sure the birds will be enjoying them. It's fun to watch a whole flock land in the trees at once. They can strip the berries in a matter of minutes.

Great Lobelia

Just now getting around to posting this photograph I took a couple of weeks ago.


The roots of this member of the Bellflower family were on the creek bank, but the stem was overhanging the creek. I have never seen it in the hollow before, but according to my North American wildflower book, it can be found in the eastern part of the continent from Canada to Georgia. It blooms in lowland woods, meadows, and swamps in early fall.

A Brief Grackle Invasion

Just came inside from watching a huge flock of grackles feeding in the yard. They do not often appear in the hollow. Although these are big, noisy, ugly birds, I have fond memories of them.

I lived in a small town before I moved to the hollow. Every spring, a large group of grackles came to the ravine next to my house to nest. The consumption of bird seed went way up. Fortunately, they left as soon as their fledglings were ready to travel. But it was worth the aggravation of their noise and appetite to see the fledglings' temper tantrums.

The parents stopped feeding the youngsters when they could fly. The young birds would come to the feeding area with their parents. When the parents wouldn't give them food, they would jump up and down while making an awful racket. The parent birds would occasionally poke something in their mouths to shut them up, but it didn't last for long. The young birds quickly learned that they would get more food if they picked it up themselves.

The Golden Hour

If you like outdoor photography, you need to know about the "Golden Hour". This is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset when there is a certain glow to the natural light. It helps to create an excellent photograph.

Today I found an link on Lifehacker that led to a calculator for the onset of the golden hour in your location.

The calculator will probably be more accurate if you live in a flatter area than I do. We have long dawns and dusks down here in the hollow while the sun is shining in other places. But it will give you an idea.

One of the best photos I ever saw using this light was on a photo site where I used to spend a lot of time. A swan was splashing its wings in the water. The light picked up the water droplets and made them sparkle like jewels. Part of the swan was bathed in a golden light while the opposite side was in shadow. I tried to find it, but the photographer no longer has an album there.

Below are a couple of my photos taken during that magic time. I usually notice it more in the mornings because I am more likely to be outside then. The morning fogs we get over the hollow often mess this up. The glow doesn't last long down here in our hole.

Notice that the light comes from the side. This is because the sun is so low in the sky.

Taken in the morning: A bloodroot blossom, an early spring wildflower



Taken in late afternoon: Marigolds backed by scarlet sage (salvia)

My Funny Cats

When I went out to get the mail today, the cats were not in their usual places on the porch. I noticed it had been raining and knew immediately that it must have thundered, although I hadn't heard it inside.

The minute they hear thunder, even very distant thunder, they hide under the chair I have covered to keep the cushion clean and dry. If it only rains, they keep on sleeping in the usual places. Do they really think that cover is going to protect them from lightning and thunder?