An ongoing cycle of life . . . contracting and expanding . . . continues to unfold in the gardens, fields and forest here at Flower Hill Farm.
Flower buds swell . . . casting off their protective outer calyxes, just as nestlings grow . . . filling fledgling forms and seeing an exciting and dangerous world beyond the carefully woven nests of their parents.
Precious and fleeting life . . . not so unlike these tiny droplets . . . clinging to what they are attached to.
Outer casings give . . . along finely, engraved cracks . . . yielding to a swollen force of will. A poppy plants burgeoning blossom no longer can exist within the confines of contraction . . . expanding from within . . . out towards light and fulfillment of life.
Paper-like petals neatly folded opening to first shafts of sunlight.
Warm sunrays will iron wrinkled flower leaves smooth.
Luscious reddish-yellows glow . . . a corolla afire opens to reveal contractions deeper within.
Spider-like landing pads lure needed pollinators.
Spreading wings . . . free to fly into compliments of green.
The only other orange in the gardens right now are the beloved Baltimore Orioles. A protective father perches just over his nestlings.
Partnership in parenting is helpful to the female and nestlings alike. The male stands guard while the female forages for food.
One little caterpillar, who will never expand into mosaic wings, is about to become part Baltimore Oriole.
I believe the former nestlings have become fledglings . . . here the mother is searching for her young.
Papa looks on as his progeny expand into their own.
Now the remarkably woven nest is empty . . . the male Baltimore Oriole has more time for preening.
I can see the nest, from where I sit writing, and do miss the comings and goings of the parents, as well as the chirping sounds of the young. I still see the father . . . somehow, he seems lost as he flies about the branches and calls out for his mate, when he is not preening that is. Yesterday I watched and photographed him fluffing his feathers for over fifteen minutes. I do hope he is not bothered by lice.
The lovely tonal trills the male sings out are not as numerous now. I have not seen or heard the calls of the female this morning and do hope all is well with her and the little fledglings.
Flowers bloom and fade and I do regret the absence of their fragrance and ephemeral beauty. I find I feel a larger loss with the flight of fledglings, while, of course, I am elated that new life comes into being and flourishes within the gardens and land I steward.
This year I am given the rare joy of seeing a bluebird fledgling grow day by day. While her mother sits on new eggs within the nest box I cleaned, the fledgling waits patiently nearby. I can see her foraging on her own too. It is amazing how quickly birds become self-sufficient. The father bluebird spends time with his immature offspring and is attentive to his mate . . . bringing her bits of food to sustain her during the gestation of their new brood. They are a devoted family.
I think I just saw a flash of female Baltimore Oriole. I shall go out and explore and give you an update soon. The father's presence near the nest gives me reason to think the female and fledglings are nearby.
Wishing a Happy Father's Day to all Papas . . . especially to L & J.
.jpg)
12 comments:
The summer oranges are about to burst in the garden with the golds...the orioles have not visited the pons since they have been nesting nearby...I would love to see their nest but thx for providing me a bird's eye view :)
Our bluebirds burst their house on the tree so I just ordered a new one so we can get them back nesting soon. I feel the same way when the fledglings leave the nest. Our robins fledged and we hope the parents decide to nest again. The nest is waiting for their special touches. Lovely post and gorgeous pictures of the poppies.
Hello Carol:
We have absolutely marvelled at your photographs of the 'birth' of a Poppy.The blast of zingy orange as it bursts forth from its cosy cover is an amazing sight and really does make for fireworks in the garden's borders.No matter that they are fleeting for the energy and sheer exuberant joy that they give in their short lives is worth it all.
Looking at your images after just returning home from a piano concert with an extremely young and extremely talent Russian pianist reminds us of the passion of the Poppy. Such vitality, one feels, enters one's very soul. Can we ask more of a flower or a musician, we think not!
We wonder if we are the L and J in your kind message? This is indeed the first Father's Day without either of our fathers and so it is a particularly poignant occasion. Thank you, dearest Carol, for keeping us in your thoughts.
Fantastic photos and post ! Hope all daddy's there have a wonderful fathers day !
Your photography is superb! I can remember as a child being fascinated at the different color poppies that emerged. I do know that a times I was too impatient to wait and would pop them open to peek!
Hello Carol, those are great photos of flower developmental stages. And i love how you were able to capture the drama of your orioles, which i cannot with ours because my lens are short and they are way up so high. However, it looks like they have almost the same nest structure. I forgot if you saw my oriole post. A more familiar person on our oriole said there is no obvious sexual dimorphism, unlike in yours which is so obvious in colors.
Hi Carol, the photos of the poppies are stunning. You really have the most magnificent photos on your blog. We have several pairs of Orioles nesting this year, but the nests are too high for me to see. They nest in our Liquidambar trees and I love to hear their chatter each day. They are one of the first birds that remind me that spring is here.
I am back Carol for your query, but i replied also in my post. Clapping your hands to drive away crows is the kindest way to do, we actually throw stones and sticks to frighten them. We in fact, want to hit them, but of course they are faster than our stones. Old folks also shout "wana, wana" with the last a so long, and somehow they fly away. I think it is the shriek of our Brahminy kites hawk. Maybe our crows are afraid of them, but we have few hawks now. About Kalantikan, i described and posted photos in the first post in my other blogsite. It is a long ridge directly viewing the mountains and overlooking the sea, so that is a very strategic place in the area. I love that place although it is 2km walk from my place. It is an adjective describing the shape of the ridge, root word is 'lantik' meaning two ends slightly slanting upwards.
Those macro shots of the poppies were exceptional. Love them. I think you must be one patient lady to also get the bird shots. Wonderful. I learn something new every time I visit. Thanks.~~Dee
I really enjoyed watching your poppy bloom. Usually I only notice them in full bloom in a full field. They are spectacular. Baltimore Oriels are stunning too.
Amazing macros of the poppies, and the orioles ae so colourful.
You're gardens are gorgeous as always this year! What an inspirational and peaceful setting (when you're not hard at work!)
I had those same lovely Poppies but they were destroyed by the recent rain.
Post a Comment