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  #Birds #BackyardBirds #FediPajareo #Iowa Juncos. Yesterday was the first day I noticed a bunch of juncos around. There were a couple of dozen in the yard. Others were over by the pond. I don't know if these individuals are here to stay or are just passing through. In any case, they seem to be making themselves at home.

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  #Cats #Gatos A very quiet #WhiskersWednesday. Kitty apparently caught and ate something that made her sick. That was on Sunday morning. By Sunday night, she was hiding out under the porch. I thought I would crawl under there on Monday morning to see if she needed to go to the vet — but she had disappeared and remained in some hiding spot until finally reappearing Tuesday morning. Nerve wracking for me! Since then, it’s been eat a bit, drink water, and sleep.

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  #Butterflies #Butterfly #Science #Iowa #Mexico 1/n In an earlier post, I mentioned that it's bittersweet to see the beautiful Monarch Butterflies this late in the year. They should be much further south by now. But on a happier note, some of the ones that passed through earlier are nearing their destination. (continued)

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  #SilentSunday Okra, clouds, and vultures

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  #blog #butterfly #butterflies I’m going to repost the link to my blogpost about the Monarch Butterflies and their migration. I tried to show it to someone today, and the photo gallery didn’t load ☹️☹️☹️ I’m not sure when it broke (or when I broke it), but I think it’s working now. Let me know if you don’t see a gallery of 12 really nice photos. Thanks 🙏🏾 https://donraysworld.org/late-season-monarch-butterflies/

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  #Clouds #Iowa Greetings from the Secret Undisclosed Location! At the end of the lane that passes through the former homestead… clouds! Lots of clouds. (Note: New home of Possum #4, relocated under the Persimmon Protection Protocol.)

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  #Cats #Gatos A wonderfully wet #WhiskersWednesday! Kitty came in to eat some breakfast, then went right back outside. ☔️

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  #Butterfly #Flowers #Flores #Iowa A Monarch Butterfly on Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia). September 23.

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  #Wildlife #Frogs #Iowa I haven't had much for #FrogFriday this year, but on Wednesday, I spotted this one in the yard. It just about has to be a Gray Tree Frog, but the skin doesn't seem right -- too smooth and slippery. But maybe that's because it had been hanging out in the wet grass. Edit: It definitely could be a very young American Bullfrog (see comments). The skin definitely matches better. It may have taken advantage of a rainy night and morning to go on an adventure.

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  #Wildflowers #NativePlants #Iowa Another walk over to the pond. If I keep this up, I can revive the #DailyWalk hashtag. In addition to the wildflowers by the pond and in the Hillside Prairie, I also saw frogs, damsel flies, monarch butterflies, and a great blue heron.

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  #Moth #Moths #Iowa I’m going to jump on the #Odyssey bandwagon (even though I might never see the movie…) This handsome moth is called “Antheraea polyphemus” and is named for Polyphemus, the Cyclops from Homer’s Odyssey. It’s all about the eyes! (My son took the photo yesterday outside of his workplace in central Iowa.)

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  #Birds #BackyardBirds #FediPajareo #Iowa The Chipping Sparrow guards the perimeter of the melon patch.

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  #SilentSunday #Butterflies #Flowers #Iowa

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  #Caturday #Cats #Gatos “Cat? I believe this suspect fits the profile.”

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  #Farm #Rural #Cows #Iowa 1/2 Over the last two days, I dismantled a livestock pen that I had built when I started taking care of a few cows during summer. My friend sold his cows in 2023, and the pen has sat unused and growing up in vines and weeds since then. I forgot to take a “before” picture of the removal project, but I found a few photos where the pen appears in a cameo role. (Continued)

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  #Gardening #Peppers #Chiles #Iowa #Vegetables New stuff coming on line: Serrano Peppers and Armenian Cucumbers. In Mexico, serranos are a preferred pepper for fresh eating, and I give most of mine away to friends from Mexico. I’ll dry some to make crushed red pepper. The cucumbers are actually a weird form of melon that functions as a cucumber. I first tried these in Spain. They are a typical veggie in SE Spain, known as “alficoz” (or “alpicoz”).

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  #NativePlants #Wildflowers #Iowa Pasture walk 🙂 (to find and uproot any and all teasel plants — noxious weeds ☹️). But it’s nice to get out there and see what’s blooming. Natives plants: 1. Whorled Milkweed. I’ve got a little group of 4 or 5 plants. I’d collect seed, but I’ve never seen them set pods. 2. Virginia Mountain Mint. This one is pretty common on my land. I think it would be a well-behaved plant in a flowerbed.

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  #Gardening #Squash #Iowa Happy little squash on the floor of the squash forest:

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  #Caturday #Cats #Gatos #CatsOfMastodon Tiger + Lilies = Tiger Lilies

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  #Spiderweb Ooh.

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  #Insects #Butterflies #Flowers #Iowa #Flores Orange Sulphur Butterfly (most likely, but Clouded Sulphur seems possible). Two shots of the same individual.

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  #cats #gatos A sultry #ToeBeanTuesday (89°F / 32°C at 6:40 pm).

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  #Birds #BackyardBirds #FediPajareo #Sparrow #Herbs Chipping Sparrow on dill: Up, up, and more up.

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  #Gardening #Summer #Iowa #Flowers This afternoon, I temporarily removed the chicken-wire anti-rabbit fence. The weeds had grown as tall as the fence (24” / 50cm). Cleanup completed! I re-installed the fence after taking the photo.

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  #Birds #BackyardBirds #Iowa Time to spring into #Wrensday!

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  #ThickTrunkTuesday #Sycamore #Haiku #SmallPoem Every year at about this time, I try to write this poem. Sycamore, July Scattered on the lawn Tattered scraps of parchment scrolls Old and brittle bark

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  #SilentSunday #Birds #Woodpecker Leafy, green world and... what?

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  #FlowerFriday #Flowers #Flores #Iowa Triple treat: Butterfly Milkweed at its peak Yellow Asiatic Lilies almost done Purple Coneflowers coming on strong

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  #Bloomscrolling #Cactus #Iowa First flower on the prickly pear!

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  #SilentSunday #Iowa Cottonwood, clouds, cows (and fifty shades of green)