Two for Thursday

A half-day more and the students’ school year is over. I gave out some awards to the kids today, and then we cleaned and packed things up in the room. We have a faculty and staff luau luncheon tomorrow after the students leave, a couple of post-planning days to finish up the tasks on our check-out lists next Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we’re done for the year.

A brown anole was sitting calmly on the fence this afternoon when I came around with my camera and took some photos.

 

Tuesday Photos

The countdown at school continues–today we had our graduation party for my two graduates, with pizza and cake and lots of music and dancing. Two and a half more days to go, which we’ll mostly spend packing up for the summer. Tomorrow night is graduation and of course I’ll be there for that.

Here’s a brown anole I don’t think I’ve seen before. It seems to have a reddish orange color all over its body.

A green anole looking up from the fence rail.

Vine shadows on the fence.

A dandelion bud.

And a tiny bee on another flower.

 

 

 

Monday Photos

We’re down to our last week of school–three and a half more days now. I still have a lot to get done, but it’s nice to see the end in sight!

This green anole kept ducking out of sight in the palm tree today, and then looking out from its hiding place.

Green anole in the sun.

On the side of the house the big guy–the dominant male in that area–was in his favorite spot on top of the fence, surveying his territory.

Down below the skittish red-headed male tried a few dewlap displays, but then quickly ran away into the vines.

We had a brief shower this afternoon that left a few raindrops on leaves.

Sophie watching birds flying overhead.

A Few for Sunday

Just a few for today. On the palm tree I saw a female brown anole today. There’s a bit of molted skin still on her nose. She was watching the area down below her, and suddenly she darted down there.

She was back in a couple of seconds with a bug in her mouth. The bug was upside down from my viewpoint and I never saw its back, but it looked like a young palmetto bug.

This palmetto bug (assuming that’s what it was) seemed to be just about the right size for the anole to handle.

And in a minute or so she was finishing it up.

My mystery plant is flowering again. Sooner or later I’ll find out what it is.

A fallen leaf on the handrail to the shed.

A brown anole on the big branch by the fence.

 

Mostly Birds on Saturday

There are Mockingbirds everywhere now–this one was sitting a wire out front this morning,

The Mockingbird grooming its feathers.

A Mourning Dove on the wire, trying to keep its balance as a breeze was blowing.

In the backyard there was a group of starlings. The adult starlings were shiny black with speckled backs and iridescent green and purple colors on their heads.

The juveniles were brown and kept chasing after the adults, often with their mouths open. Maybe they were hoping to be fed.

One red-headed brown anole by the shed.

And some lantana flowers on the side of the house. The lantana and vines really need to be cut back, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

Friday’s Here

Friday finally arrived in this long next-to-last week of school, and it turned out to be the most difficult day. But the weekend is starting now, and I’m happy about that.

Palms waving in a light breeze.

Green leaves lit up by the sun.

I saw some grackles on a wire out front, and I took a series of photos of the male grackle’s display for the female. First he sidestepped along the wire to get closer to her while she was looking off in another direction.

He started fluffing up his feathers.

More fluffing and spreading his tail feathers.

He also lifted himself up so he looked taller and even more impressive. I love how she just sat there looking at him through this whole process.

Then he lowered himself back onto the wire, pulled in his feathers, and returned to his normal size. A few minutes later they both flew away.

I have a few anoles for today. This green anole was watching a brown anole nearby and beginning a little display of its own.

This male brown anole seems to be the dominant male on the fence on the side of the house.

Another brown anole that had just caught some prey. I couldn’t tell what it had caught, but the little anole had bug legs sticking out of both sides of its mouth.

Mockingbird and Lovebugs on Thursday

There was a Mockingbird perched at the very top of the redbud tree this afternoon. It was overcast but bright, so the background looked almost white. I took several photos of the bird.

Mockingbird singing.

A pause for a scratch.

A look over his shoulder.

And back to singing again.

I posted a photo of a single lovebug a few days ago. These little red and black bugs pair up and fly around while mating, and while they don’t sting or bite, they can be a nuisance when there are a lot of them. Today a pair of lovebugs stopped on the gate for a few minutes and I took a few photos. Seeing them up close, I was surprised to see how much longer the female’s body was, and how much bigger the male’s head appeared to be.

Anoles on Wednesday

Just a couple of photos today, some anoles that were out in the yard this afternoon. This female brown anole was hunting, watching for insects down below.

Another brown anole, a red-headed one on a fence post.

We are down to our last week and two days of school, with lots to get done in that time. I’m looking forward to summer break and having more time with my camera!

 

 

Tuesday Photos

Sophie and Lulu outside together.

And Lulu by herself.

The basil plants are growing quickly.

This brown anole was climbing on the fence.

There were several grackles in the backyard this afternoon. Grackles are black birds with shiny iridescent feathers and pale eyes. This is a male grackle, and he noticed a nearby female.

The male grackle displayed by fluffing out his feathers, making himself look much bigger and more impressive. A bright ray of sunlight made his eyes look like they’re glowing, adding to his somewhat scary look.  The female just watched him for a moment and then went back to eating.

Sunday Assortment

Several birds chose to perch on the wires out front this morning while I was at my computer, and I took some photos through the window. The first bird I saw was a Mourning Dove.

A Bluebird turned up next.

And then a Starling came along.

When Sophie and I went outside, we came across a pair of mating green anoles. He’s gripping her neck with his teeth.

He looks like he’s got some scars and marks on his head. He may be the same battered-looking guy I’ve seen before, but somewhat more healed up now.

There was a big brown anole on top of the fence on the side of the house.

The tomato plant seems to be doing well, with new dark green leaves growing while the existing tomatoes are ripening.

I took Jayden outside today for photos. He’s the smallest of my life-size Masterpiece dolls, 29 inches and about the size of a 1 year old. He’s wearing an embroidered seersucker romper from the sale rack of the children’s resale shop nearby.

Sunset tonight with the big pine tree.