The River at Nearby Area - Nature

 We have at several rivers and streams around our neighborhood. We just try to walk around to one of them.

Image 01 - A boat on the river.

The river is quite natural, with almost no pollution. What can the river and the area around it offers to visitors?

Some of the offers are:

- stunning views of wildlife

- watching boats and jet skis

- enjoy a peaceful moment by the water.

- even cast a line for some great fishing

- and chances for kayaking.

Image 02 - Signs to the river and pond

Image 03 - River's side

Image 04 - Calm water

Do you have rivers around your areas.

# Previous postings:

- Spicy Food and Alzheimer's Disease – Part 3 - Alzheimer's 14

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- The Rainbow Evening : A Female only Needs to Mate once in Life - Nature 130

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Have you Tried Cactus Fruit? - Food 44

- The Bees Pollinating Morning Glory Flowers - Nature 131

The Dirt Dauber on a Fig Tree - Nature 172

We saw this kind of insect when we were picking figs last season. We believe it is an insect called as Dirt Dauber. 

Image 01 - Dirt Dauber on the fig's leaves.

It's scary looking for many people. However, this wasp is common in our southern state, Louisiana. 

The insect has other common names such as:

- a black and yellow mud dauber.

- a dirt dinner

- a mud dauber

- a mud wasp

- a blue mud dauber

Image 02 - Fig fruit, ripe

Several sources reported that Dirt Daubers no harm to the leaves and trees, they just consume other insects live around there.

Image 03 - A dirt dauber, walking on.

Do you know about this insect?

# Previous postings:

- The Minorca Rooster and Leghorn Hens - Nature 125

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- A Grasshopper on the Leaves of Gardens - Nature 127

- The Spring is Coming around Here - Nature 128

- Spicy Food and Alzheimer's Disease – Part 3 - Alzheimer's 14

Blooming of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana - Nature 171

In our areas, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana has blooming time in the late winter or early spring, around December or early February to March.

Image 01 - Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, blooming.

We know this flower with other common names, just some:

- Christmas Kalanchoe

- Florist Kalanchoe

- Window Kalanchoe

- Madagascar Kalanchoe

- and Flaming Katy

We might wonder why the flower blooming during late winter while temperature "little bit lower." even in our southern area.

Image 02 - Kalanchoe sp in the corner

It is because the flower needs longer darkness or short-day light to bloom.

Image 03 - Flower indoor.

Do you know about this flower?

# Previous postings:

- What is in the Valentine's conversation KISSES?

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- Leaves of Maple Tree Hardly Turn Red in our City - Nature 124

- Spicy Food and Alzheimer's Disease – Part 2 - Alzheimer's 14

- The Minorca Rooster and Leghorn Hens - Nature 125

The Volunteer Sunflowers from Birdseed - Nature 170

In some seasons, especially from Spring to Fall, we have volunteer sunflowers and (wild) flowers in our backyard. 

Image 01 - A beautiful sunflower.

As we might know, there are certain critters that plant wildflowers include sunflowers from birdseed on the backyards. 

We observed some wild animals that responsible to do "this business." Just three of them are:

- squirrels

- birds

- and raccoons

In addition to 3 of animals, wind and rain might play important roles as well.

Image 02 - A raccoon on the lawn

Image 03 - A squirrel plays on yard

Image 04 - Finches on birdfeeder

Image 05 - Another sunflower.

Do you have Volunteer Sunflowers from Birdseed?

# Previous postings:

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- Rainbow Evening : The Interesting Plant at Neighborhood - Nature 122

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Babies of Black Bellied Whistling Duck - Nature 169

We saw beautiful colors of ducks with cute babies walking on the street at nearby our house in the last Summer. 

Image 01 - Babies duck

Babies duck (ducklings) belong to duck called as Black Bellied Whistling Duck, also known as: 

- Mexican Whistlers.

- Mexican squealers

Interestingly, these ducks don't quack, but they are whispering. When wandering, they are in group of 20 to 30.

On the sandbars of Mississippi river, we use to see them by the hundreds or might be by thousands.

Image 02 - An adult of Whistling Duck.

The Whistling Ducks are noisy around or on the branches of trees at night until they go to sleep.

Image 03 - Ducks and ducklings

Have you seen these duck around?

# Previous postings:

- Rainbow Before Evening : Chickens Enjoying Freedom Outside - Nature 116

- Winter Blooming of some Flowers in the Garden - Nature 117

- The Rainbow : A Lizard Called as a California Newt - Nature 118

- Rainbow Before Evening : The Yellow Four O'clock Flowers - Nature 119

- The Rainbow : Farming nearby Our Neighborhood - Nature 120

Pollinators of Mexican Torch Sunflower - Nature 168

The Mexican Torch Sunflower grows well in the yard in this time of year. Flowers continuously blooms from spring to frost,

Image 01 - Butterfly with Mexican Sunflower

By far the best attractor for pollinators in the yards. We observed some pollinators as frequent visitors:

- Butterfly

- Bees

- Hummingbirds

- Moth etc.

Almost every morning, we enjoy seeing pollinators sip nectar of multi-headed Mexican sunflowers.

Image 02 - Bee as a pollinator

We bought the plant from a local nursery close by our neighborhood, or you might order seed from online stores.

Image 03 - Swallowtail butterfly

Do you know this flower?

# Previous postings:

- The Free Ranging Chickens - Nature 109

- A Little Fig Tree in the Yard - Nature 110

- The Roles of Dirt Dauber in the Nature - Nature 111

- The Purslane Flowers in the Pot - Nature 112

- The White Bunny Runs around the Corner - Nature 113

Blooming of African Lily - Nature 167

We posted the beautiful flower from Africa. Flower has "3 colors combines white, yellow and purple blue."

Image 01 - Purple African Lily.

The flower called African Iris, you may read the posted:

- The Flower of White African Iris – Nature 68

The different that African Lily is purple with scientific name Agapanthus africanus. Another common name is Lily of the Nile.

We believe the flower has grown well in our areas, because of similarities with flower origin in terms of:

- warm temperature

- average sunny time more than 8 hours

Image 02 - Plant in the market.

The maintenance of flower is not so difficult, we just need watering and little bit fertilizers.

Image 03 - Purple in blooming

Do you of African lily?

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-  What is the Species of Frog? - Nature 106

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- The Free Ranging Chickens - Nature 109

The Alligator in the Man-made Lake - Nature 166

We have several Man-made lakes around our cities. At least two lakes close by the state university. 

Image 01 - Alligator in the lake

We saw an alligator in one of manmade lakes, the size about 6 feet (2 meter) length or may be more.

Actually, it natural to see alligator in nature in our state. Just to let you know, the greatest number of Alligators in the states:

- Louisiana is about 2 million.

- Florida is around 1.3 million.  

However, it is dangerous that Man-made Lakes in residential areas are not "natural" habitats for apex predators.

Image 02 - Another alligator

Wildlife and Fisheries will come out and relocate the gator to another less populated location where there aren’t people jogging and walking pets.

Image 03 - Handbag, look like alligator skin

What do you think?

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- The Rainbow Before Evening : What is the Species of Frog? - Nature 106

A Box Turtle Passing Through the Yard - Nature 165

We saw a turtle sneaking around the yard for sometimes. We believe the guy is a box turtle. 

Image 01 - Sneaking around a yard.

As watchers of nature, we believe the turtle come from a nearby pond, a quite big pond, like a small lake. 

The pond is about 16 houses that surround it. Turtles come up on the bank often to sunbathe and female turtles bury their eggs.

Late in the afternoon many of them come up to the shore to eat bits of bread that some people hand feed to them.

We recognize many of those turtles, and then we have named a few of them. They look so cute.

Image 02 - Another turtle

Turtles need to be left in their domain. They have an area imprinted in them. They DO NOT do w    ell relocated.

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- The Rainbow Before Evening : The Night Sky at our Neighborhood - Nature 96

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The Night Blooming Cereus is Popping off - Nature 164

The Night Blooming Cereus also known as the queen of the night. If we are lucky enough, we may witness its beautiful flowers to display at night. 

Image 01 - Blooming of Cereus

Not all Cereus may produce flowers; some people observe the blooming after take care for many years.

The blooming happens at night, and at one night only. In our case, the first blooming in the Summer this year.

Some signs of pre-events and time of popping off are:

- at about 8.00 PM, we observed that buds start to open

- around 10.00 PM, flower begin to bloom, and produce fragrance

- at 12.00 AM, flower is seen glowing and full blooming as of Image 01.

Image 02 - Full blooming

As time moving, around 4.00 AM, very early morning, flower's petals starting to lose its structures, then dropping at sunrise.

Image 03 - Two flowers at yard

Have you observed the blooming of this flower?

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The Light-colored Squirrel Comes to the Yard - Nature 163

 The Light-colored or blonde squirrel is very rare in our areas. We just saw twice in the long time period.

Image 01 - She just arriving.

The blonde squirrel came in the yard at late Spring this year, a beautiful little squirrel looks so cute.

We love watching her play or run on the ground, then she has disappeared for long time period. 

We are wondering where she was and how she was. Actually, she could jump from one yard to another one in the neighborhood. 

Hope, she is just around the area. She is in good health and happy when we see her again. 

Image 02 - Blonde tail.

About two years ago, we saw a squirrel with blonde tail. Some people call its "a fox squirrel." 

Image 03 - She runs on fence.

Have you seen the blonde squirrel in your areas?

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- Is Brisk Walking better than Slow Walk? - Part 1 - Healthy Life 28

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Blooming of the Confederate Roses - Nature 162

We have posted several hybrids of roses in our areas. This one called as the Confederate Rose. 

Image 01 - The White Confederate Rose

Other rose hybrids at previous postings:

- Peggy Martin Roses - Nature 133

- The Rose of Queen Elizabeth - Nature 158

What is fantastic about Confederate rose?

These majestic flowers may change color in several stages when they are blooming. The first stage is white, then followed by:

- light pink or pink

- and red

Image 02 - Pink color

The color changes in a day, from morning to midday to evening. So, we should to keep watching it to catch all stages of changes.

Image 03 - Become "red" at final stage.

Do you know about this Confederate rose?

# Previous postings:

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- Is Brisk Walking better than Slow Walk? - Part 1 - Healthy Life 28