Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Art In Nature #15.
Hello again everyone! Still a very cool day here, but these pics today will help us think of warmer days from last summer. And those warm summer days will come back again soon, I hope. There is so much out there in nature that we can look at that really is very much art. Today we will once again look at some wild berries that certainly showcase a wonderful artistic view. But some are also dangerous in their beauty however, so it’s necessary to know which is which so you don’t end up with something you don’t want.
This first one in the photo above is the bunchberry. We will be looking at the curious flowers once I begin my wildflower series. These berries are ripe when red and are edible but rather dry with a large seed or two. However, they can be added to your homemade jams and jellies for added color, plus they are loaded with pectin which is helpful for adding to fruits that don’t have much natural pectin. But they make a nice picture by themselves too, bright red berries surrounded by those green leaves.
In the pic above is a beautiful looking blue berry, but not to be confused with real blueberries, they are called clintonia. These are a nice art picture, but, they are very poisonous, just a few would make you very sick indeed. Actually the whole plant, leaves and flowers too are very poisonous, so a good one to stay away from, except for a nice picture.
In the photo above we have wild lily-of-the-valley berries. These are ripe when red and are edible, but once again rather dry but a good source of vitamins. They can be eaten raw or dried while green and boiled at a later time to soften and add to other food.
Then in the photo above are white baneberries. These are sometimes called doll’s eyes, I think I showed them last year. These are very poisonous, 4 or 5 can make you seriously ill, more can kill. But they make an interesting addition to a photo collection of art in nature. I hope you have enjoyed our walk through nature today enjoying the beauty of natural art. Have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Coffee Time #104. Tuesday’s Ramblings.
Good morning on this beautiful Tuesday! Coffee is ready, nice and hot, needful to warm up today. Yes, it is a cold one again, 23F (-5C) and going all the way up to 33F (1C) by this afternoon. Not exactly spring weather, actually the temps are below normal even for us for this time of the year. And it’s cloudy with the possibility of snow flurries again as well. So why is this a beautiful morning? Why not? It’s another day, so it’s beautiful. You’re all here, so it’s beautiful. We should always try to look at the positive aspect of things, that’s what makes it beautiful. There are lots of birds out there this morning, that makes it beautiful.
And I mean there are a lot of birds out there, the ground is crawling with little birds looking for seeds, there has got to be at least 200 and I think even more than that. Even my deck is full of little birds. They are mostly juncos, but also about 2 dozen fox sparrows and at least one tree sparrow. This is my third spring trying to get a picture of a tree sparrow. It isn’t easy it seems. And they are only here for one or two days as they head much further north for breeding. So it doesn’t give much time. I’m hoping he will be here again today so I can try again. He was here yesterday when it was nice and sunny, but whenever I went outside with my camera, he was nowhere to be seen. Amazing really.
Even the shy fox sparrow is more cooperative, though I admit not getting any pics of them yesterday either. And sunny pics are just so much nicer, it really brings out the colors of these birds. A new bird this morning, Ricky, my ring-billed gull showed up this morning, the first time this year. He was here last year too, but only shows up once in a while, definitely not a regular. I figure someone else must feed him and some days though miss so he comes over here instead. He’s quite tame, but I didn’t try for a pic this morning, next time he comes. I also saw something different this morning, a herring gull was sitting on a hydro wire.
That may not seem strange, birds sit on wires all the time. But gulls are different, their feet are different than other birds. They have flat webbed feet, they don’t curl up and around branches or wires like other birds feet. A branch would be easier than a wire though. It was a thicker wire, but still, very odd. So I went out with my camera and he was not there. I came back inside and 15 minutes later he was back, on the same wire. Out I went with my camera. He was not there. Sigh. Must be camera shy or something. But it would make a great picture. Maybe another time. Thank you for reading today, I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
