A Mockingbird reaches for one of the hundreds of termites that suddenly swarmed out of an old stump on the first sunny day after much rain. Lizards raced around the rocks and pathways gobbling them up and licking their lips with their little pink tongues. Other birds caught the insects in mid air. It was a termite festival.
Also called a Nutmeg Mannikin, this Scaly-breasted Munia is moulting and changing from juvenile to adult plumage.
The Cape Honeysuckle is a mass of brilliant orange flowers along the backyard fence. The more blooms, the more hummingbirds, and the more aggressively they defend their territory. They stake out an area from two or three favorite perches. With vocalizations and aerial displays, they guard their turf. It goes on in several bursts of activity throughout the day and becomes especially intense as the sun is setting and they're having their last meals before nightfall.
Rainwater, collected in the curl of a Giant Bird-of-Paradise Leaf, provides a bath and a drink for this little warbler. In the first photo you can see, through the leaf, the outline of her feet where she is standing in the water.
You never know who you'll meet in the grocery store parking lot! These two engaging cockatoos were thoroughly enjoying their outing in Santa Ana. Their dad, Dustin, says Baby Baby and Bird Bird named themselves. How delightful that animals have the ability to generate smiles and bring strangers together for a friendly exchange without the need for introductions!
Meet Tip and Sam - Tip on the right and Sam on the left. In a stroller festooned for the season, they were out holiday shopping with their person in Old Town Pasadena. The two pups put smiles on the faces of many who encountered them. Someone once questioned me about why I sometimes "wasted my time on cute things." I can answer that: because cute brings moments of joy to people of all ages.
Glimpses of magical little faeries flitting through the trees. Love, love, love them!
Abruptly-bulbous Agaricus, Destroying Angel, Brown Dunce Cap, Bleeding Mycena, Dead Man's Fingers, Stinky Squid, Velvety Fairy Fan, Orange Earth Tongue, Wolf's-milk Slime, Hairy Rubber Cup, Green Stain, Witches' Butter, Chocolate Tube Slime.
- from the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. |
Paula MaxwellMFA Archives
December 2021
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