A Room With a View

In my recent "Habitats" article I mentioned that it's difficult to articulate my passion for the topic, to distill down—among other things—years of accumulated moments of delight, from which my passion grew. Here are just a few of such moments. =)

It's starting to heat up and I've pooped out after a very busy spring season! Paul (my husband) and I have taken a ton of photos, but I have yet to organize them—though I did manage to participate in the iNaturalist "City Nature Challenge" in May, which is also when I had my very first in-person bobcat sighting (so beautiful)! =D There's been lots of planting, new critter visits, birds bathing, tadpoles hatching, plant swapping, and more!

5/1/23 My first ever in-person bobcat sighting! =D It's a shame I didn't have the long lens on the camera, since the feline was across the street and two doors down, but at least I caught it!

Last fall we started a new "pocket prairie" of native plants in another area of removed front lawn. As a result, there are so many more flowers this year—I love it so much! =D In the photo below you can see yellowstars (Lindheimera texana), a little winecup (Callirhoe leiocarpa), prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera), beebalm (Monarda citriodora), and black-eyed susans (Rudbecki hirta). In the background you may be able to see purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) in the main native garden and volunteer blanketflowers (Gaillardia pulchella) in the easement. There are even more plants growing in the pocket prairie that will fill out in future. =D

Also, several of the water flowers—white water lily (Nymphaea odorata), yellow water lily (Nymphaea mexicana), and pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)—opened earlier and have been more prolific since they're now established (a year after planting). The rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala) by my bedroom window is also larger, with more flowers—I love how they look like miniature hibiscus flowers!—and today I saw a native bee visiting! =)

[1] 6/1/23 Part of pocket prairie, taken from my favorite front window. [2] 6/1/23 Blue dragonfly on American water willow (Justicia americana) and yellow water lily (Nymphaea mexicana) in back pond (formerly pool), taken from the back door window. [3] 5/31/23 Rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala) bloom captured by Paul.

There's just so much going on in the gardens, even while only viewing from the windows! I don't know if you can see the little blue dragonfly very well in the middle of the photo below, but they were riding that prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) bud in the wind like a cowboy on a bucking bronco! 😂

6/1/23 Blue dragonfly riding the wind while hanging on to a prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) bud! =D Taken from my favorite front window.

I just saw two tiny red damselflies mating on a giant volunteer squash leaf (from last fall's decorations, which we leave out for the squirrels to eat and for seeds to grow); out of the corner of my eye I saw a green anole lizard take a flying leap from the outside wall, over the tops of the blue mistflower (Conoclinum coelestinum) to catch a snack and safely land on the buoyant leaves; the other day I looked out and four Mourning Doves were loafed next to the front wildlife pond; and a couple nights ago around 1 a.m. I was in the kitchen refilling my water glass when I stopped to look out the window in our back door to admire the moon and saw our giant resident bullfrog sitting out on the near side of the back pond (formerly pool)—we know this is a male frog partly because of the size of the tympanum (the external ear of the frog—that big circle on the side) is much larger than the eye, and also because we've heard and seen him calling for a lady friend! 😅 Late that night, standing alone in the quiet dark, I suddenly saw streaks of light flashing in the water! I think it was moonlight reflecting off the water just right as critters swam near the surface, but it looked almost like bioluminescence and was totally magical! It only lasted for a few minutes since the angle of the moon soon changed, so I was really grateful to have been there at just the right moment. 🥰

[1] 6/1/23 Red damselflies mating, taken from my favorite front window. [2] 5/28/23 Mourning Dove sunbathing/napping party by the front wildlife pond, captured by Paul, taken from my favorite front window. [3] 5/28/23 Resident bullfrog (in the back pond), captured by Paul one afternoon from the back door window.

6/1/23 Cicada shell left on black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), taken from my favorite front window.

Oh! And earlier today I just heard the cicadas humming for the first time this year; it's officially summer. =)