New Addition and Flying Flowers!

This afternoon brought more violent thunderstorms to the Bayou. There was much wind, lightning and torrential rain for most of the afternoon on into the evening hours. This all made me concerned about the newest additions to our hillside. This morning during my early walk, I came across the telltale sign that a baby had hatched. A snow-white eggshell had been discarded away from the nest. It was still moist meaning that obviously the big moment had just occurred. This egg was that of a Mourning Dove and this was probably the second or third hatching this summer. Scanning the low limbs, I soon found what I assume was the father bird standing guard. Slowly I circled the area..almost immediately Daddy Bird literally flopped out of the tree. He staggered, dragging his wing as if hurt. Ahh, the nest was quite close. Sure enough, in a sapling oak covered with a wild Muscadine vine..a nest! Careful not to get to close (since I did not want to disturb Mama Bird) I snapped a few pictures of the nest and then backed away. Daddy Bird went back to his guard post and Mama Bird remained with her hatchlings! I will check on them in the morning, hopefully they made it through the storms alright. Doves actually are not much as construction workers. Their nests are very sloppily made, sometimes with just a few twigs. An interesting note about doves though, they feed their young "pigeon milk" instead of bugs or seeds. This milk is made in the crop of the parent birds and then is regurgitated to feed the babies. These babies will stay in the nest for about two weeks if all goes well.

Mourning Doves are such sweet birds..at least as sweet as a wild bird can be, I suppose. They are not easily frightened by humans which sometimes is not to their advantage. These passive birds are hunted for sport which seems pointless to many. I am not against hunting as a way of obtaining food but doves are small birds to be of much use as a food source. They are only maybe twelve inches in length from beak to tip of the tail. You would have to kill a mass of them to have a meal! I think these doves will stay as "yard ornaments"! They frequently visit the feeders and are a joy to have in the garden.

I also noticed a Monarch butterfly in the garden this morning. Although I am not sure about this, it seems to be a mite early for one to be this far south. If I am not mistaken their migration should be a bit later in the Fall. Maybe this one is getting a jump on the traffic congestion or maybe it just overslept and missed the northward migration. Also, a beautiful Black Swallowtail visited the Phlox. These "flying flowers" add beauty and charm to any garden, although their catepillars have decimated my poor Fennel and

Parsley plants! I guess this is a small price to pay

for the happiness they bring. I am determined to have a "butterfly friendly" garden so I suppose I will have to plant more herbs. Maybe I need to move some inside so I can get my share!