Nikki’s Photography

OK, so the subject of sunflowers grows weary and cliche for some, but the plant has so much character, especially when the flower heads droop with the weight of seeds. Sunset is spectacular tonight with their swaying sillhouettes against the sky.

After two weeks away, one of the first things I did was inspect the garden, most curious about the cucumbers, because it’s the first year they’ve survived this far into the season. There I was at midnight, feeling around in the dark, and found a cucumber that had grown from 1/2 inch long to 8″L X 3″ wide during that short time. I expected to find a virtual Jack And The Bean Stalk situation this morning, but all the other cukes are average-sized. The heart-shaped cookie cutters I placed around some veggies have fallen off, so will have to try again; now able to monitor the progress of growth.

Everything in the garden looks so beautiful when sprinkled with water.

The Good: A beautiful orange flowering plant called a Sun Star.The Good: all the little unexpected surprises, like this toad that I never would have seen if it had not popped out of the hole at the exact moment I happened to be looking there. The clay container with a hole in the center is designed to coil and contain garden hose, but being used as a plant pot.

The Bad: having no choice about mowing the lawn on a 98*F day, and keeping edges formally trimmed because the neighbors have it that way. Also Bad: Fire ants that bite before you know you’re standing on a nest with bare feet……but Good: Fire ants keep the tough Texas soil aerated.The Ugly: me with ant-bite blisters, mowing and edging the lawn on a 98*F day.

The first Red variety of Sunflower buds are forming. They don’t even have to open because they are already gorgeous as buds.

Green Thumb - Sunflower leaf

This is the second time around for doves nesting in the wreath by our back door. I’m sure it’s the same pair who devotedly cared for two eggs, taking turns in shifts as they are now. The chick in the second thumbnail is from the first brood hatched in May. It mysteriously disappeared after two days and the other egg didn’t hatch. There was no trace of that chick anywhere..no body, bones, feathers..nothing. It was not old enough to fend for itself. Did other birds carry them away to eat I wonder? or ate them on the spot? or could the parents have eaten them? We do have Anoles, but I would expect that they would be too small to manage a comparatively large egg. A mystery.
Maybe there was something wrong with it, or the parents were first-timers. The lizards and salamanders around here are too small to eat a meal that size, and other birds would not have been brave enough to come so near to the door I don’t think.  Nature takes care of itself though, so no tears! Hopefully these ones will survive and we can watch them mature. Sept. 3rd:One of the chicks hatched!

There were about six Starlings on the roof overlooking the eavestrough, which is not usual for them - at our house anyway- so I’m thinking maybe they are interested in robbing the chick from it’s nest. Maybe they  were the egg-robbers from the first nest.

Sept. 4th update: The chick appears to be so much larger today, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it so exposed. It seems so vulnerable on that small flimsy nest.  Sept. 5th: The chick has been left on its own a lot in the past 24 hours, also becoming quite vocal.  The other egg is unlikely to hatch. Sept.9th: The nest is overcrowded. When the parent sitting on the chick is up in the air above the nest, it’s time for little chicky to leave!

It’s so funny when the parent sits on top of the chick trying to hide it - there is hardly enough room for two in the nest, and she/he is not fooling anybody! The chick ruffled its feathers and snapped its tiny beak at me when I took these photos - how sweet is that?! - the survival instincts are strong. Sept. 12th: Fortunately I walked out just in time to see the chick fly from the ground to the fence nearby. There it remained for about 90 minutes then it was gone.

I wondered where it would be sleeping that night, and if it was truly on its’ own now without parents, and how it would survive. Less than a month before it was not even in the form of an egg!! Sept 13th: ..didn’t expect to see it again, but while sitting outside at dusk, there they were, the mom (or dad) and chick. It was so pleasing to see them sitting on the fence together.

Sept16th: I still see the little one come into the yard, much bigger now. It is smaller than an adult, and I’m sure that must be the same chick.

Warm colors of the Razor Grass flowers are airy and soft against the morning sky. Ironically, the grass blades are vicious if swiped against the skin, like when going in around the plant to tidy up the dead leaves.

I’ve taken a lot of photos of this plant and its flowers because it has such strong character and creates a beautiful sillhouette during any time of day or season. It does crowd all the other shrubs though. Still learning about gardening in the South, next time I would plant it in an open or isolated spot allowing at least 3 feet of space around it. It grows so large so quickly, with a massive thick root ball, so it’s pretty much permanent once it’s been growing for a few months.