September 26-October 2

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My yard

Rainy mornings, appointments and commitments, needed yard work, and a lack of enthusiasm about wading through water were enough to keep me off of trails this week. Pepper Ranch Preserve is hosting its public sunflower viewing Friday through Sunday this week and next week, so that wasn't an option either. I'm working at the preserve both Saturday mornings.

But it wasn't a wasted week by any means.

The first of the winter migrants, a Gray Catbird, showed up in the yard on Wednesday, so the small tube feeders were cleaned and ready. One was filled with good bird seed and hung, but so far, no buntings have appeared although they are in the area.

Birds at the sunflower seed feeder were just Northern Cardinals and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. One Northern Mockingbird has been very vocal at the side of the house, and Mourning Doves and Blue Jays have been elsewhere in the yard.

The juvenile female Black Bear visited two nights along with Virginia Opossums and a family of Raccoons. One mother brought four little ones with her. I haven't put peanuts out for several nights to encourage the raccoons to go elsewhere. The baby raccoons just roam around and sniff at everything, but the mother has been dining on Sea Grapes that are beginning to ripen. The babies haven't discovered those yet.

On Friday morning, I walked around the yard to see if any other migrants might have appeared, but none were seen or heard.

However, there were a surprising number of wildflowers in bloom for the first week of October. A collection of the Friday blooms is below.

 

Firebush

Peregrina

Lilac Tasselflower

Madagascar Periwinkle

Blue Porterweed

Forked Blue Curls

Melochia

Pickerelweed

 

 

Bidens alba

False Buttonweed

Richardia grandifolia

Sida concreta

 

 

Golden Aster, Camphorweed

Golden Aster, Coastal Plain

Helianthus debilis

Lantana camara

 

 

Necklace Pod

Partridge Pea

Golden Aster, Pityopsis

Senna alata