This week, I had a lot of goodies from the garden–and I am eating them. In the case of flowers, I’m still picking bouquets for the house every week and enjoying them greatly.
Since nothing much is different in the garden from my last post (well, the tomatoes are riper), I thought you didn’t need more pictures of the progress of my bounty. I had been thinking about children and the things they see in the world and how they can be terrible and wondrous and awe-inspiring. It comes from a certain closeness to things (in the case of pinching bugs, that would be the ground) and attentiveness. So I was noticing the bees on my flowers (even the ones I had picked).
Look at those wings.
And who knew zinnias had so much lovely pollen? Well, the bees did.
And this sparrow was looking for nesting material, trying to get some of last year’s vines off the trellis, no doubt for a second hatch. I was only able to get a picture when it paused for a rest. Look at the way those feathers lie (or just enjoy the “cute little fluffy bottom” as Sid the Cussy Bunny would have said).
I was looking for blue flowers to cool down my bouquet, and was blithely deciding which stem had more incipient blooms on it, when I noticed this:
Good grief, look at the forearms.
Finally the mantis decided to crawl over to some zinnia leaves. Probably trying to get away from the paparazzi.
Enjoy your week and watch for the wonders.
Wonderful, Lisa! And coincidentally, I had spent my week saying, “Time to notice the little things about me once again!”
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Lol, Bruce! It’s good to keep tabs!
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The quickest way to wonder is to look at nature with wide eyes! What a lovely post Lisa. And even though the praying mantis is not my favourite insect (the stick insect is) given their propensity for chomping the heads off their mates in the act so to speak, when you really look at them, they are pretty amazing! The thought of a sun ripened tomato makes my mouth water! ❤
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Walking sticks are awesome! I haven’t seen one for a couple years. But yes, you have to be looking! Or at least able to notice. I’ve been eating lots of tomatoes on salad and it’s very satisfying. We’re heading rapidly toward your spring and our fall, but I’m going to enjoy the next few weeks of summer to the fullest.
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Nice fluffy bird butt.
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😉
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There are many delights to be discovered in the garden. Animated with critters, the garden becomes so much more than veggies and flowers. Thanks for sharing yours with us, Lisa!
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It was nice to see the mantis–and of course, the bees are always welcome! It was odd for a sparrow to be there–we have finches and robins and mockingbirds most commonly (along with the occasional hawk).
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I really like the first 3 photos. Were they taken with a macro lens ?
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No. I actually have a digital SLR and I keep using my Nikon Coolpix point and shoot. It does have an optical zoom–which I quite like within its limits.
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The result is great and it may be more simple to use than a macro lens 😊
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Definitely. It’s also small and light, which is the main reason I carry it–I can drop it in a pocket.
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Many wee wonders in the garden, some more helpful than others. Those flower photos are lovely.
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Thanks, Laurie. The bees seemed to settle in on the flowers, which always helps.
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Good shots of various creatures. I like the mooning sparrow. I often get the best results from my Canon point and shoot (even though the cracked screen means I can see less than half of what I am pointing at)
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Thanks, Derrick! I like mine a lot, but mostly because it’s so small and light. It does have good zoom on it, though, which helps with shots of insects!
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Such cool photos! And that mantis–I wouldn’t want to arm wrestle him! He’s a bruiser!
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I know! He’s got Pop Eye arms!
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Great post – I missed the mantis entirely in the first photo. The “forearms” comment made me laugh.
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Thanks. I almost said the bug was “jacked” but wasn’t sure everyone would know that expression. Pop-eye, on the other hand… I almost missed him, too, in real life because I was thinking about which stems would be producing more flowers in the future. Anyway, I got a laugh because we were on each other’s sites at the same time!
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Wonderful photos, Lisa! I love seeing nature up close. I’ve been startled many times by a mantis. They move slowly and blend well. You’ve captured a lovely collection here and it’s lifted my spirits immeasurably. Thank you for that.
Also, who doesn’t like a little bird tush? I mean honestly…so darn cute.
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At first I was disappointed I hadn’t captured the face, but then I saw the way the feathers arranged themselves and what a cute little shape it was. Who’d have thought sparrows could be the latest thing in cute?
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What nice variety. I like the picture of the pink zinnia with the bee! Nice one!
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Thanks. I like the one where the wings are so visible, even though the bee has its back to the viewer.
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I haven’t seen a praying mantis for such a long time. Love the photo of the bird from behind.
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Thanks for coming by! I’m glad you like that little bird behind. I almost missed the mantis. It was so still and green.
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