LITTLE YELLOW BUTTERFLIES FLUTTERING AROUND MY YARD & A CUTE BABY ELEPHANT (NOT IN MY YARD :)

LITTLE YELLOW BUTTERFLIES FLUTTERING AROUND MY YARD & A CUTE BABY ELEPHANT (NOT IN MY YARD :)

It was really cold for several days.  Now, it's been in the 60's and very comfortable.
  A friend in Wisconsin sent me a picture of their first snowfall.  I can't imagine living in that kind of weather for months at a time.
Because of our warmer weather, we have lots of little yellow butterflies.  Two different shades of yellow are fluttering all around my yard.  I'm glad I still have lots of flowers that haven't frozen back, yet.
Yesterday, I got some pansies for my flower pots.  I always put them around my front door because they're so fragrant.  And, the butterflies love them, too.

Isn't this the cutest little elephant, climbing all over it's sibling!!

LOVE the baby elephant!

PUNKIN ON A BOX & BIRDS ROOSTING IN MY GARDEN

PUNKIN ON A BOX & BIRDS ROOSTING IN MY GARDEN

We have been in the middle of some kind of weather situation where a cold front or something was coming down from the north and something was coming up from the Gulf.  The last several days have been cloudy and drizzly and raining and I absolutely LOVED it.  I was working on some furniture at home, so I didn't have to get out and drive on the slippery roads.

Today, it's a cool beautiful sunny day.

I found this "Fresh Flowers" box at Sprouts and asked if I could bring it home for my cats to sleep in.

Looks like Punkin perfers sleeping on top of it.

For several days I watched for Ms. Woodpecker to come to her roosting place in the tall green birdhouse and didn't see her.  I learned that I was looking for her too late in the day.  A couple of nights ago, I was at the kitchen window just after 5 o'clock and saw her fly to the tall green birdhouse and check and check and check to make sure nothing was in the house, then entered for the night.  

POST FOR TALL GREEN BIRDHOUSE FOR MS. WOODPECKER

  When the wrens are getting ready to roost, they start watching from afar to make sure it's safe to enter their sleeping quarters for the night.  Then, at the right time they enter quickly so they won't be seen.  This is what I've always observed in my garden.  Just at dusk, you can hear the little wrens calling and if you had to time to watch for several minutes, you would see their special place for the night.  The woodpeckers start calling before they enter, too.  They do this across the yard from where they're planning to roost.  

Hoping you have a wonderful week! 

LOOK AT MY SMALL LIGHTWEIGHT FOLDING DOLLY

 LOOK AT MY SMALL LIGHTWEIGHT FOLDING DOLLY

 Found it at Lowe's.

It was 25.99 and holds 150 lbs.

When it's folded I can store it anywhere, even in my car.

It will certainly come in handy in my work.

See how it folds?

I have two other dollies, but they don't fold like this one.

Great find for me!

MY BLACK EYED SUSAN VINE & MS. WOODPECKER IS ROOSTING IN MY GARDEN AGAIN

MY BLACK EYED SUSAN VINE & MS. WOODPECKER ROOSTING IN MY GARDEN AGAIN

Oh, my black eyed susan vine!  

The seeds that dropped last fall came up everywhere.  All spring and summer I always keep breaking it back so it doesn't completely cover all of the other plants in my garden.  Then, around July I let it start weaving it's way anywhere it wants to go.  Because in October when all of the other plants are looking tired and worn this little vine with it's beautiful bright yellow flowers will be all over my yard and blooming up a storm.  It will bloom now until it freezes back, drop more seeds and come up everywhere in the spring, again.

Finally, a really chilly cold front came through a couple of days ago.  At this time of year, I notice the birds looking for their winter roosting place.  

The top portal of this green birdhouse was chewed wider by a squirrel a few years ago.  About four years ago, I planned to repair it.  Then, about dusk one evening I noticed a woodpecker checking, checking, checking inside of it and then climbed in, turned around and went in backwards.  I kept watching and it never came out.  Many winter evenings, I would watch for it and it did come around dusk and check it out, then climb in, turn around and go in backwards because the house is very narrow.

So, as I was watching for it one evening, it came and started checking the inside before it went in.  Then, it started pecking and pecking at something.  I thought it might be a snake curled up in there.  After several peckings, another woodpecker climbed out and flew away.  I was amazed!!

You never know when it's the last winter for each bird.  So, the last few days I've been watching and about four days ago, here she came.  She inspected several of the other birdhouses and then she climbed in the green one.  

See her climbing in at the top of the birdhouse.

She turned around and hung her head out, checking out the surroundings.  I haven't seen her at dusk yet, but I'm sure this is her winter roost again.  See her leaning out of the portal at the top of the birdhouse?

This is the nesting house I built for the woodpeckers a few years ago.  I've only seen them in it once and they raised two babies.  I always watch for them in the spring.  Maybe next spring they'll use it again.  I COULD NOT keep the squirrels out of it, so I put 6" metal flashing around the bottom.  That made it hard for them to reach from the post and climb up.  The flashing is slippery and 6" wide.

Anyway, I was glad to see Ms. Woodpecker choosing my yard as her roosting place again.

These are the things that make me happy.