05-Jul-2019
Dragonflies, Masters of Flight
"6 ) Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even mate mid-air. If they can’t fly, they’ll starve because they only eat prey they catch while flying."
"8 ) The flight of the dragonfly is so special that it has inspired engineers who dream of making robots that fly like dragonflies."
"14 ) A dragonfly called the globe skinner has the longest migration of any insect—11,000 miles back and forth across the Indian Ocean."
02-Jul-2019
Morning Glory
Morning Glory can be a real nuisance to control in one's yard. But the flower can also be an outstanding beauty when photographed in the right light. I found this to be quite appealing.
01-Jul-2019
A Spirited Morgan
A spirited Morgan is always fun. Only this one is not a horse, it is a British sports car. This particular model looks much like the 1963 Morgan Plus 4 Roadster. Morgan has a long history as a car builder in England. In 2019 it is celebrating 110 years of production. The company was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan and is based in Malvern Link, an area of Malvern, Worcestershire. The company employs 177 people and they produce 850 cars per year, all assembled by hand. The waiting list for a car is approximately six months, and has sometimes been as long as ten years.
30-Jun-2019
Little House in the Woods
This playhouse is in Richardson Park, along Fern Ridge Lake. I love the setting in a wooded area. There are some big trees there and a beautiful green lawn.
29-Jun-2019
A Man and His Porsche
When I drove into Richardson Park along Fern Ridge Lake, I found a sports car rally going on. The park was one of the stops along the route of a two-day rally. I believe it started in Portland and was here west of Eugene today about 1 PM. The course follows a timed route. with points awarded according to how close each comes to the designated time for each stop. With the rest of today and all day tomorrow still to run, it can be a challenging event. Any delays due to car problems or other incidents can have a drastic effect on final results There were several entrants.
If I remember right, the nice owner told me the car is a 1956 Porsche. What a beauty it is! He and his wife came down from Washington for the event.
28-Jun-2019
Another Unknown Flower
Here is another unknown flower from our daughter's yard. I think it is beautiful too. For some reason, it makes me think of drier country. But it grows well here in Western Oregon. ID - So now we know, they are Rose Campion! Thanks Carl. Also called Mullein Pink.
24-Jun-2019
Climbing The Wall
For us humans, climbing the wall can mean "feeling very anxious or frustrated because one has a lot of energy but is unable to do something he or she wants to do" For others, such as some plants and insects, it simply means doing what comes naturally, like this flower plant is doing.
23-Jun-2019
Why We Need Pollinators!
It is fascinating to watch bees at work. They play such a vital role in our ecosystem. Though this is a yellow jacket, not a bee, it is often viewed by the novice as being one and most of us may call them bees. And though yellow jackets are not true pollinators in a more precise sense, the website listed below does say, "Yellow jackets don't visit flowers much; they mostly catch other insects. When they do visit flowers, they only accomplish a little pollination, because they aren't fuzzy." Still, I am seeing them in our flowers constantly and they usually are covered with some pollen. But, in the truest sense, yellow jackets are not classified as pollinators.
I found some interesting and important information at a website called Pollinator Partnership:
"Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce."
"Pollinating animals travel from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies in a vital interaction that allows the transfer of genetic material critical to the reproductive system of most flowering plants – the very plants that bring us countless fruits, vegetables, and nuts, ˝ of the world’s oils, fibers and raw materials; prevent soil erosion, and increase carbon sequestration This nearly invisible ecosystem service is a precious resource that requires attention and support - - and in disturbing evidence found around the globe, is increasingly in jeopardy. " (
http://www.pollinator.org/pollinators)
22-Jun-2019
Foxglove
Foxglove is a pretty plant that grows wild and in gardens all over the US. It was first called Glofa (the glove of the fox) by the Anglo-Saxon because they thought its flowers look like the fingers of a glove.
21-Jun-2019
A Gorgeous Flower
Sorry, I don't know the name of this flower. My daughter has a lot of them at the front of their property. I just love them. If you know the name, let me know. I am dying of curiosity. I just learned that the flower is called, "Aaron's Beard". Also called Rose of Sharon in Britain and Australia, besides Aaron's beard, Great St-John's wort or Jerusalem star
See Wikipedia -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron%27s_beard#/media/File:Hypericum_calycinum_Tasmania.jpg
20-Jun-2019
Stump in the Wetlands
I was attracted by this scene in the wetlands of the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. Wettand areas of used to cover a good bit of land west of Eugene. Some of it is now covered by Fern Ridge Lake. Of course, much of that had already been converted to farmland by the time the dam was put in.
19-Jun-2019
Tumbledown Barn
I saw this old barn just a couple miles from home on a side road. As dilapidated as it looks, it still had a bit of charm in my eyes. :)
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