Monday Photos

There is a plant with small yellow flowers growing in the second big pot in the yard, next to the tomato pot. It’s a wildflower/weed, but pretty with its smooth rounded leaves and yellow blossoms.

An ant visiting one of the flowers.

I saw several brown anoles today but only got photos of this one. I was happy to see this big male on the gate–there haven’t been many anoles in that area lately.

Bobbing his head and flashing his dewlap at me.

One more of the brown anole.

Shadows of tree branches on the fence.

I cut back the overgrown vines the fence a week or two ago, but they’re already coming back.

Sunday Photos

The little female brown anole that’s living in the tomato pot was out today, her front legs on the pot rim as she looked around at the yard.

She knew I was there but didn’t run and hide until I moved in pretty close to her. She seems to be getting used to seeing me and the camera.

A pretty Gloriosa lily.

I happened to be looking out the window over my computer when a fairly big bird flew over and landed in a tree across the street. I picked up the camera and took a few shots through the window. Then I went outside but by that time the bird was gone. The through-the-window pictures weren’t great, but enough to recognize the bird as a young Cooper’s Hawk.

The big pine tree at sunset tonight.

Flowers and a Brown Anole

A hot sunny day today. I took a couple of photos of tiny flowers down in the grass–this little white flower is about 1/4 inch in diameter. When I brought the camera close I saw the ants wandering around.

This flower was a bit larger, maybe 1/2 inch in diameter. The petals have a pale blue/violet tint.

And this is a handmade glass flower marble. Getting enough light for the flower while avoiding glare was tricky and this was my best effort, taken outdoors.

The big male brown anole was in his favorite spot on top of the fence this afternoon. He had just chased away the skittish red-headed male anole and was showing a bit of his dewlap.

A closer shot of the anole.

Lulu is continuing to do well as she recuperates from her surgery. Lots of dog cookies are helping.

 

Poor Lulu and More on Friday

Lulu is doing well after her surgery yesterday. Her stitches look good, she seems comfortable, and she’s adapting to her e-collar–the funnel-shaped collar she has to wear to keep her from bothering her stitches. She is still putting on a pitiful expression and whimpering when she thinks it will get her an extra cookie, but she spoils the effect by wagging her tail and looking happy when she gets the treat. Here’s poor Lulu looking sad.

Sophie spotted a cat passing through a corner of the backyard, and after that excitement she kept busy patrolling the back fence.

A pretty little butterfly, one of the Skippers, just about to fly away.

And a mailbox frog just hanging out on the edge of the mailbox.

Thursday Photos

Lulu went to the vet today to have her teeth cleaned and to have two large lumps removed, one on her side and the other on her opposite hip. Both lumps were benign and harmless. Poor Lulu is now wearing a funnel-shaped plastic collar to keep her from licking her stitches, and she’s looking even more sad than a basset hound normally looks. She’s enjoying the sympathy and extra attention though. I’ll take some pictures of her tomorrow.

I saw several brown anoles today. The first one was a male displaying on the fence, doing push-ups and showing his dewlap.

I saw another tiny baby brown anole today, a bold little one that sat still for a long time watching me with the camera. It was around 2 inches long from nose to end of tail.

And I was very happy to see one of the females from last summer, the one I could always recognize because she had markings shaped like a heart in the middle of her back. She was out of her old area on the fence by the lantana plants and had moved back a few yards to the corner of the house.

Lichen on a palm tree–a mixture of different colors and textures.

And buds opening on the vines on the fence.

A Few on Wednesday

It was sunny and hot all day today, too hot to see much activity going on outside. I didn’t see any anoles and there weren’t many birds around. I was sorry I missed a chance for a photo of a Great Crested Flycatcher–it had flown away by the time I grabbed the camera! The Gloriosa lilies are continuing to be a burst of color in the corner of the backyard, and I took a couple of  pictures there.

The bud that was beginning to open on Sunday was fully open today.

This flower has been open longer, and the petals are spread out wider.

This is part of a flowering spike of grass. You can see the little dark pink flowers.

Today I tried a new arrangement for indoor doll photography, using a trifold cardboard display board as a background positioned near the sliding back doors for natural light. For the test I used Francesca, a 23 inch vinyl doll by Gotz. She’s been put away in her box for quite awhile and it was nice to have her out again.

 

A Frog, Anoles, and Lulu

A Green Tree Frog was in the mailbox today. They like to hang out in the mailbox, I guess because it’s shady and out of the sun. I took the little frog out and it sat calmly on my hand long enough for a couple of photos.

After this it hopped off my hand into the bushes below.

In the backyard I came across a pair of brown anoles mating on the fence. The male is behind the female, holding onto her neck with his teeth and throwing his leg over her.

Very suddenly another male anole appeared, his crest raised and his mouth open, and he rushed at the pair of anoles. He tried to bite them as they broke apart and ran off. Then the second male sat there looking triumphant. Here he’s still got his mouth partly open, showing his teeth. The first male ran under the fence rail and his foot is at the bottom right.

Second male looking very important.

Lulu checking out the scents in the yard this afternoon.

Then she saw me by the door and ran to me as fast as she could. She loves me, but she was also hoping I’d hand her a dog cookie as we went into the house.