Another surprise brought by the rainy and coolish summer — coral fungus. This was one we’d not seen before in the neighborhood.
Winged beauties
The last few weeks in the Ouachitas have been a treat for the eyes.
Anticipating spring
The equinox that marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere is still 15 days away. No matter. Seems like everything else believes it to be here already.




Ticked off
To say central Arkansas has had a mild winter is an understatement. Just yesterday, the National Weather Service reported a record high of 83 at the airport, tying the old record set back in 1904. While it’s great for getting out in the garden or on the trail, it also means there was no winter kill for little arthropodic nasties like ticks. Below are photos of a hitchhiker found after having waded for an hour in the brambles to knock back dead canes, possibly improve blackberry yield and probably scare the stuffins’ out of the snakes in hiding.


Random
Not feeling terribly creative this morning, but felt compelled to post these two photos. One of a goldfinch who stopped at the net bag holding the outside temperature sensor and the second with another sort of netting, chomped out by hungry larvae no doubt.


Urban wildlife
A look at the Out walking the dog blog reminded us of our urban coyotes. We’ve heard them at night yipping and howling. We’ve heard them at night ripping something to shreds. Closer to town, suburbanites reported their dogs and cats disappearing. One horse barn manager reported seeing a pack wander through the property in the middle of the day. Needless to say, coyotes are highly adaptable and successful in rural, urban and suburban settings.
One trotted behind the office one day in March. Hands barely made it from keyboard to shutter on this low-light day.

Watch the skies!
For our 300th post, here’s a look at one of our favorite things: the sky.





Yellow
Plenty of yellow in the landscape. Not pictured are the yellow mums that are hanging on in the shallow soil of the sad northside garden. The deeper soil that holds a small garden in the middle of what used to be a bermudagrass lawn has brought forth two seasons of floral and insect delight.




Mad pears
For years, Bradford pears were the ornamental tree of choice, the chief reasons being their showy early spring blooms, beautiful fall foliage, pleasant symmetry and general willingness to grow in parking lots and other urban settings. However, the years begin to tell on them. As they grow, they can lose their symmetry and their brittle wood snaps easily. And despite being a delight to the eyes, their bouquet is more akin to bilge water. Still, they are a welcome sign of spring.
