Around The Border and Along The Edges

I decided to take a little trip around the border and along the edges of our backyard this afternoon to see what I might find there. Here are a few of the things that I discovered and observed...

New England Asters Growing Along the Back Fencerow

Late Boneset Growing Along the Edge of the Grapevines

An Empty Snail Shell

A Lovely Shelf Fungus Growing on a Dead Branch

More Fungi and Lichen Growing on Another Branch

A Pecan

A Large Fungus Growing Out of an Old Stump

A Wooly-Worm Making His Way Along the Edge of the North Shed

A Live Snail Inching His Way Along Not Too Far Behind the Wooly-worm

Tiny Brown Mushrooms Growing Behind the North Shed

These are just a few of the things that I discovered and observed on my walk around the border and along the edges of our backyard today. What can be found around and along yours?

Until next time...

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might be interested in reading...

Sunday Morning Musings

Early Morning on the Tallgrass Prairie

Modern Day Cowgirls (Well, Sort Of)

Early Morning on the Tallgrass Prairie

As summer fades into fall, there's nothing quite like an early morning excursion out on the tallgrass prairie. In fact, it's a completely different world.

As warm days give way to cool nights a misty veil of morning fog hangs over the whole of the prairie landscape.

As morning sunlight spills over the tall grasses they sparkle and shine as though some overly-industrious fairy had come in the night, sprinkling the whole of the prairie with glittering diamond dust... 

...and every cobweb looks as though it has been strung, laced, and outlined with beautiful, glittering diamonds.

When visiting the tallgrass prairie early in the morning...especially at this time of year...it's easy to see just how many spiders there really are living in North America's tall grasses (an estimated 2 1/2 million individuals per acre) and their glistening gossamer webs are spectacular! 🕸

As the sun rises a little higher in the morning sky, the fog quickly fades and the dewy cobwebs begin to dry.

Soon the late-summer sun is out in full force. The temperature rises and the morning magic is over. The wildflowers, who just moments ago were taking a backseat to the sparkle and shine of diamond dust, are left standing, straight and tall, to endure another happy day on a sun-soaked tallgrass prairie landscape.

Until next time...
~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Modern Day Cowgirls (Well, Sort Of)

A Prelude to Autumn

Nature At The Center

A Tallgrass Prairie Wildflower Garden

The wildflower garden in front of the nature center at Prairie State Park is decked
out in splashes of summer splendor amidst rapidly growing prairie grasses.

The garden provides visitors with a taste of what might be blooming out on the prairie in any given season. This is particularly appealing to handicapped visitors who are unable to hike the prairie and experience it for themselves.

Some of the plants that are blooming there now are...

Gray-headed Coneflower

 

Wild Bergamot

Butterfly Weed

Prairie Clover

Until next time...
~Rebecca

Five Minute Friday: Frost

Cut and pasted from Rebecca's Hearth and Home 12/18/15...



Today's Five Minute Friday assignment was a little different than most weeks. For the final Five Minute Friday of 2015 Kate Motaung let everyone pick their own one-word prompt and the word I chose is frost.

Here's why...

Frost On The Windshield

Upon going out to warm up my van this morning before work, I discovered that, overnight, Jack Frost had completely covered my van windows in an intricate frosty pattern. A few minutes of heat on high and the beautiful artwork of nature gave way to nothing but water droplets that rolled away with a swish of the wiper blades and a rush of wind as I drove out onto the highway.

Frosty-Backed Bison At Prairie State Park

At the park (I work at Prairie State Park in Mindenmines, Missouri), I was greeted by four great beasts, their brown backs white with frost, against a backdrop of white-frosted prairie grasses. Over the crest of the hill and the whole herd of white-backed bison encircled the nature center where I work.

Bison Dot The Landscape At Prairie State Park

As I pulled into the parking lot, the morning sun spilled across the tall grasses, instantly melting the guazy frostiness that only moments before had grasped them in misty whiteness. The massive beasts (bison) that dotted the prairie landscape separated lazily and made their way around and behind the building. With each grunt and snort, the chilly air made their hot breath come out in billowy puffs of icy whiteness.

Frost Flowers At Prairie State Park

As I made my way to the building I noticed that frost flowers were in great abundance in the wildflower garden out front...

Mullin Outlined And Covered In Frost

...and that every plant was outlined and covered, sparkling, and glistening white, with frost.

I love frosty mornings on the prairie and wish that I could share one with YOU! They are soooo beautiful! <3

All My Love,
~Rebecca


For more information about Frost Flowers click: HERE!

A Foggy Morning At Prairie State Park

It was another gorgeous day out on the prairie today, but this morning was super foggy. I hiked the quarter-mile loop before the fog burned off and took several pictures. Thought I'd share a few here.

The sun trying to burn through the fog.

Spider webs strung through tall grass like lines on telephone poles.

Big bluestem and sumac.

A spiderweb delicately strung between tall grasses hangs heavy with morning dew.

A close-up view of the same spiderweb.

More spiderwebs low in the grasses.

Spiderweb among sumac.

Stems of big bluestem stand like sentinels on the prairie patiently awaiting to herald news of winter's first icy blast.

Spiderweb mid big blue and sumac.

Spiderwebs strung and looped through the grasses.

Tiny web of some ground dwelling spider.

This spider web is delicately woven in a half-circle on the lower part of a big blue.

A lone meadowlark flies low across the prairie as the fog retreats, rolls away, and evaporates.

The dried red head of sumac plants stand just above the grasses on this south-facing slope.

The reds and golds of tallgrass prairie in autumn.

Fiery red sumac against a backdrop of gold and bronze.

A close-up of fiery red sumac with asters and what's left of late summer's ashy sunflowers.

The last bit of summer's green against prairie gold.

Pollinators On Thistles

My favorite flower...the thistle!

A fat, little bumblebee atop a beautiful thistle. 

A black swallowtail atop a beautiful thistle.

A gorgeous tiger swallowtail atop a beautiful thistle.

Another shot of the tiger swallowtail atop the thistle.

Another black swallowtail atop a thistle.