109 Degrees Yesterday in Central Oklahoma

I was at an event and my mother called from Arizona to marvel at how freaken hot it was yesterday.

Because of the dearth of flower blooms this summer, I have had to feed my domestic bees. In the area that is my garden, because it get's watered, I have had a lot of crown and beards and wild sunflowers pop up. So I leave them and have let them bloom so the domestic and the wild bees and butterflies have something to gather pollen and nectar from. This morning I saw a Sunflower bee, a Svastra of some kind, and there are leaf cutter bees, brown belted bumble bees and various sweat bees. I have seen a few Monarchs, Painted ladies, Tiger Swallowtails and a lot of skippers. This year no Question Marks though, but I suspect they prefer wetter conditions. We only see them in these parts when we have a lot of rain.

Moles, mice and gophers have been a real pain because there is water and food here. The day before yesterday we put a juvenile bluejay back in the tree.

There are lots of ravens, jays, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, bluebirds, and scarlet tanagers.

We still occasionally see deer, though they are getting more sparse as urban sprawl encroaches. Turkey too and the occasional road runner.

What I do not see any more, Horned Toads or Tarantulas. Both were plentiful in Central Oklahoma when I was a child. Now I only see them in zoos or in books. :(

Publicado el 10 de julio de 2011 a las 02:52 PM por greenmother