Critter Time!

Ok, so this is getting a mite ridiculous! My pond invasion of tree frogs has gotten a little out of hand. Never before have I seen so many tree frogs in one place..they are everywhere! I was out turning off the sprinkler in pea patch when I noticed a cute little frog under the waterlily. "Now that is cute!" I thought to myself as I snapped a picture. Then..I noticed the ones on the stem of the lilypad..and the ones on the leaf of the arrowplant and the ones on the stem of the hyacinths..and the ones..well..you get the picture. There were so many tree frogs that every plant was literally covered with them. Then a thought..if these all mature and stick around my yard, nighttime might be a tad noisy in a few months! Their chirping will most likely fill the air especially when it ever starts to rain again! Oh..what fun it is to live on a Bayou with all the critters!

Another critter caught my eye today. Actually, Hubby spied it first as we were out walking this evening. On or rather "in" (as inside) an oak tree, the Pileated Woodpecker was working. He was so busy pecking that at first I do not believe he even saw us! The Pileated Woodpecker pounded away..tearing at the rotten wood on the inside of a damaged oak. At one point, he was so far inside the tree that it was hard to see him except when his red crest would flash like a flag! Both Hubby and I were pondering the fact of whether this tree was its home. I learned several interesting facts about the Pileated Woodpecker from my birding book. They will drill up to 16 holes in the tree in which they nest. These escape routes allow them to evade any predators that might make their way into the nesting tree. The Pileated Woodpecker will also peck small holes around the entrance hole to allow the sap of the tree to run. This gooey sap deters intruders such as snakes from entering the nest. And lastly..they sometimes peck so many deep holes in small trees that the tree will actually break in half. Now that is some serious pecking!

I will have to investigate the oak tree a bit further in better light to see if this is a nesting tree! No use in meandering around in bad lighting, I might just find a moccasin instead of a bird's nest!

One other point of interest on the Bayou..the Liatris are blooming! These tall spikes of purple feather blooms are incredibly beautiful. My Sweet Daughter-in-law gave me these bulbs several months ago. I planted them in the corner by the then cabbage patch which has been replanted to being the bean garden! The Liatris is a very beneficial plant to have in the garden as it seems to lure bees. This is great for any garden..pollinators! I have been told that Liatris is one of those foolproof garden plants. One that makes even the novice gardener look like a pro! I am all for that type of plant! Supposedly only two things can be done to ruin the Liatris..one..planting the corms upside down. If you do this, the plant will not grow. Well..I guess I planted mine all the right way since every last one of them came up and are flourishing! And two..have soggy ground. That one is easy for me! I live on top of a hill..of sand! Our yard seems to be nothing but sand so it drains extremely well..perhaps too well at times. Still, the Liatris seem to be doing well in spite of the drought and heat. Thank you, Sweet Daughter-in-law!