Bunny caught in passing on the lawn.

Taken on 16 July 2023 at 19:27 US Eastern Daylight Savings Time.




Bunnies are of course going to favor weedy green lawns over elegant stone yards punctuated with waxy sculptural ornamentals. This one looks like an Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus); Marsh Rabbits (S. palustris) (1), tend to have shorter ears, and my neighborhood strikes me as a bit too far from the water to attract them during the dry season.

It’s on alert, reacting sensibly to the arrival of a member of the deadliest of the Thousand, and so this was the only shot I was able to get before it went PATWINNNG! under the seagrape bed (the round-leaved shrub at center right, bordered by white river rocks.)

(1) Today I Learned the scientific name of the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvilagus_palustris_hefneri

Yes; that Hugh Hefner funded endangered rabbit research, and was commemorated accordingly.

Photos: House Yard

Today I took pictures around the yard. It's cloudy, so the lighting is bad, but so much is happening that I wanted to capture it. See the House Yard, South Lot, Savanna, and Prairie Garden.

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Photos: New Rocks

Today I planted most of my new rocks! \o/ I'm waiting to sink the pink mica rock until I get a second one to point the other direction along the road, to catch headlights from both ways.

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A National Geographic animal held still for me today.

4 March 2025, 13:43 U.S. Eastern Standard Time. This guy, about a foot/30 cm long before figuring in the tail, was sprawled out basking on the walkway leading to the apartment dumpsters; the maintenance crew had come through shortly before, perhaps flushing him from cover:





Once more, apologies for the limitations of my equipment. Even after applying an intensifying filter, the photo does this iguana’s coloring nothing near justice: I’m talking road-cone orange spines and neon-red underarms. Somebody seems to be looking for love.

Photos: House Yard and South Lot

These pictures are from Sunday, but it's after midnight so the timestamp will say Monday. See the savanna and house yard.

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tozka: Laputa Castle in the Sky floating (ghibli laputa castle)
[personal profile] tozka2025-02-27 03:33 pm

darwin's barberry

Spotted this really pretty plant on my walk today! According to PlantNet it's a Darwin's Barberry.



From Wikipedia:
Berberis darwinii was discovered in South America in 1835 by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. It was one of many named in honour of Darwin. The berries of this species are known to have been consumed by prehistoric native peoples in the Patagonian region over millennia.

It is a popular garden and hedging shrub in the British Isles. The Royal Horticultural Society has given the species its Award of Garden Merit. The edible fruit is very acidic.

First Flower

The first flower is blooming here at Fieldhaven! :D

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A happenstance silhouette at the neighborhood grocery.

Taken at 5:52 PM EST 22 December 2023, this is something I really should’ve posted a year ago; I’m squeezing it under the wire just as the outgoing Lunar Year expires.

From the parking lot of my neighborhood Publix: the Rabbit prepares to hand the year over to the Dragon.



Photos: Winter Sunset

This afternoon I went outside intending to fasten the decorative wagonwheel, but it was half-buried under snow. I noticed the view looked pretty, though, so I went back for my camera and took pictures instead.

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Photos: Midwinter Grove

The sun came out, so now the snow sparkles and much wildlife sign is visible.  This set of pictures shows the north end of the house yard, driveway, and Midwinter Grove. Cottontail rabbits like this area, as shown by their tracks. (See also House Yard, Savanna, and Back Toward the House.)

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Photos: House Yard

Today I took some pictures around the yard. These are images from the house yard.

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Lake Pictures Part 1: Approaching the Path

Today we went out to the lake. These pictures primarily show the pollinator gardens around the parking lot and the approach to the lake paths.

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Squirrel Flet and Sunflower Heads

Branches have fallen all over the yard from recent storms. Today I started picking up some of them, and noticed that there was a fallen squirrel flet. A squirrel's nest may also be called a drey.

Also today, I started harvesting dry sunflower heads. The small to medium ones I have hung as bird food. Those with big heads or good multiflora form I am putting in the septic garden, hoping they will reseed like the 'Autumn Joy' did last year.

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Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar

I found a giant silk moth caterpillar crawling around a can on the patio. I love Saturniid moths. They get huge, and many look spectacular. Even their caterpillars are big and interesting. This one is about the size of my pinky finger, so it's probably a middle instar and still has a lot of growing to do. I'm really excited to see one of these guys. I expect the birds will be excited too -- these are the Polish sausages of the caterpillar pantry.

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Granadula Mushroom(?)

I'm hoping for some confirmation and/or information on this dude that's growing in my yard again. A tree used to be where it grows, but the tree never had visible fungi on it. When I did a Google search, other users shared similar photos that were said to be some kind of granadula.

click for full size

A bit of a close-up. )