Backyard Wonders

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As I mentioned in a previous post, you don't have to go far to enjoy nature. Sometimes, you only need to venture into your own back yard.

Our back yard is nothing elaborate--in fact, my husband's shop is there, and much of the yard is landscaped with rock, mulch and stepping stones.

But we have a great maple tree, viburnum bushes that grow like crazy, a patch of grass and some overhanging trees and flowers from the neighbors' yards.

The snake in the photo above, a southern black racer (as identified by the "community" after  uploading the photo to may iNaturalist account) was slithering through the viburnum probably looking for something to eat--maybe something like one of the brown anoles shown below.


Trying to capture photos of monarch butterflies was challenging. They don't keep still for long. But I was able to snap a shot of these beauties when they lighted on the maple tree.

The northern cardinal acted like he was posing for me as he gazed at me from his perch on the  fence.



Sometimes you can enjoy the environment from your front yard, too. We've had geese and ducks travelling along the road and onto the driveway, and egrets walking along the neighbor's yard.







You never know what interesting sights you'll see without ever leaving your property.

It's also nice when the neighbors grow sunflowers to brighten your day.


The point is, the more you look around, the more you'll notice the beauty that is right in front of you.

Maybe even a blood moon or an awesome sunset.


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