Froggie Went A’Courtin~

On July 28, 2018July 28, 2018 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life236 Comments

Either Mrs Toad is expecting, or she is feasting on far too many bugs! She is over 5 inches long and quite chubby.

Dragon, the fly, needs to keep his distance, because Mrs T can spring into action quite suddenly.

Mrs T is a clever critter, who waits patiently at the right time of day for the drip line to start emitting precious water, providing needed relief for an overheated toad on hot summer days.

T is a California Western Toad, a threatened species of ‘special concern,’ due to die offs caused by fertilizer contamination, disease, and habitat destruction.

Western Toads are terrestrial, and we have a thriving colony of them inside The Holler fences.

Cheers to you & happy weekend from the comfortably chubby, and quite toadish, Mrs Toad~

Winged Lightning~

On July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life274 Comments

Of all The Holler’s,

flying folks,

Hummer’s are the fastest of the fast.

They pause, only seconds, to sip,

and then flash by,

like winged-lightning.

Cheers to you from the The Holler’s fastest flying folks~

Baby Peter Cotton Tail~

On July 15, 2018July 15, 2018 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life212 Comments

So far, Baby Valentine the owlet, only looks at Baby Peter Cotton Tail,

and visa versa!

They don’t know what to make of each other……

yet!

Cheers to you from The Holler’s still safe baby buntings~

Baby Valentine~

On July 7, 2018December 30, 2022 By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life346 Comments

Sleepy owlet Valentine wears his heart on his face. (Click to enlarge and see Valentine better).

Mama has left him, and it is his first day alone, out of his nesting box.

Valentine doesn’t know what to do,

so he decides to fly down near the human,

watch her out of one eye,

until he falls asleep, clinging to his cactus bed.
Cheers to you from Valentine the confused little owlet~

Note: We have a barn owl nesting box at The Holler, usually woodpeckers nest in it, but this spring a barn owl family actually moved in. Valentine is their chick. I kept an eye on him for his first 24 hours out of the box, which was easy because he seemed quite unafraid of me. I think he was a bit shocked and confused. He passed his second night last night, and I could hear him in the oak groves. Today I haven’t seen him, but have heard him in the trees, so I think he is starting to figure things out.

Holler Hot Summer Blooms~

On July 1, 2018 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS204 Comments

Spring time blooms,

have long since passed,

as summer sun bakes the land.

Prickly cacti,

wake and yawn.

Emboldened by the heat,

they burst with blooms.

Delicate blossoms,

grace the garden.

Cheers to you from The Holler’s Summer Bloomers~