Tag Archives: Leica C-Lux

Pretty Blue-Eyed Grass In Our Yard On Cape Cod.

The Blue-Eyed Grass in our yard is so pretty. I took this photograph right after it rained. I loved the water droplets on it.

Blue-eyed Grass is a grass like plant with one blue/ purple flower per stem. These 1/2′ to 3/4″ flowers have 6 pointed petals and yellow centers. The plant grows from 4-24″ in May and June.

I remember seeing Blue-eyed Grass in Colorado. It was such a treat to see it here on the Cape too. Have you ever seen Blue-eyed Grass?

 

 

Lots Of Northern Bobwhites At Fort Hill On Cape Cod.

Yesterday was one of those days when it was cloudy and cool enough to take a nice walk at Fort Hill in the afternoon. Usually it gets too hot by then. I thought maybe we might see some new wildflowers or perhaps, a butterfly or two. We most often see birds in the morning or evening, not in the middle of the day. (Click on blog link to see more photographs.)

Little did we know that we would see six Northern Bobwhites walking on the trail. Two at a time in 3 different locations. What a treat! We haven’t seen one yet this year but have frequently heard their call, “Bob-white! Bob-white!” I learned this call from my Dad when I was a little girl, as he was an avid birder and I have never forgotten it. It is so clear and so distinct!

Most of the time they were on the trail in front of us running down the trail while we tried to get a photograph. They were pretty quick. And just when we were giving each other a fist bump, we would see 2 more walking along the trail. It was really cool!

Have you seen a Northern Bobwhite this year? There are obviously quite a few at Fort Hill and they do like to walk the trails… with us! 🙂

 

Red-Winged Blackbird In Our Little Bird Bath On Cape Cod!

The birds just love the  little bird bath in our backyard. This Red-winged Blackbird was enjoying himself immensely as he dunked up and down and splashed around. (Click on blog link to see other image.)

I never knew that Red-winged Blackbirds were backyard birds, but we have a few this summer who hang out here quite a bit. I’m loving it!

Diamondback Terrapin Turtle Walking Through Our Yard On Cape cod!

There is never a dull moment in our yard here on Cape Cod! When we saw the Box Turtle lay her eggs the other day, we thought that was really cool. Then yesterday we had a Diamondback Turtle just walk through our yard. It was so awesome! 

“The Diamondback Terrapin is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the eastern and southern United States. The common name refers to the diamond pattern on top of its shell. Adult Diamondback Terrapins mate in the early spring, and clutches of 4-22 eggs are laid in the sand dunes in the early summer. They hatch in the late summer or early fall.” We wondered if this one had come by to find a place to lay her eggs. We did not see that happen. 

Diamondback Terrapin are classified as Near Threatened, so care is taken to make sure they can make it. If you see one on the side of the road, you are supposed to pick it up and help it get to the other side. If it is near the salt marsh and there is a wire fence by the road, put it over the fence closer to the marsh. This will ensure that they won’t get run over by other cars.

I posted the 2nd photograph so you can see the distinct coloring on the underside. He was resting in the shade of a rock in our back yard.

Love it!

Beautiful Pink Crown Vetch Wildflowers On Cape Cod!

As soon as I see the Crown Vetch wildflowers, I know that summer is really here! I saw these in the parking lot at the Visitors Center in Eastham and also in the parking lot at Coast Guard Beach.

Crown Vetch, a creeping plant, has bi-colored,  golf ball size flowers that grow in clusters at the end of stalks. They make lovely ground cover and are often planted to restore nutrients , especially nitrogen, to the soil. They grow on roadsides (or parking lots) from June to August, so you have plenty of time to see them.

So pretty, don’t you think?