As a birder who has just barely passed the novice level, my code of operation when I go on nature hikes is to shoot first, ask questions later. Especially for birds, I must point and shoot in the nick of time. When I get home, I’ll have lots of time to find out what it is that I’ve captured.
The resulting effect is… I’ve accumulated many unknown subjects.
Ignorance is no bliss when it comes to appreciating nature. Could you help me then in identifying some of them… You who are living in the warmer south among flowers and trees, birds and bees, fruits and fungi.
First off, what happened to this tree trunk and what are these growing out of it?
And for fruits, I can only identify them by their colours. But I’m sure they all have a name. Here are the red berries:
white berries:
purple berries:
and these orange ones like strings of Christmas lights hanging on the branches,
Here’s a close-up of these succulent orange berries:
What is this creature? A centipede? Name? I can’t make head or tail out of it, which side is which:
Or this unknown bird that I’d stalked but could not get closer before it flew away. It walked most of the time…
Here’s another unidentified flying subject taking off:
Or a name for these fungi:
… knowledge is bliss when it comes to appreciating nature.
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Great photos! You do a wonderful job or getting the berries or birds to be the primary focus of the shot. Sadly I dont know what any of the names are for the berries or birds.
Sean at His and Her Hobbies
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Thanks for visiting, Sean.
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The orange berries may be on a Russian Olive tree… my in-law’s had one in their back yard. Is the bird a mourning dove?
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JoAnn,
I’ll check the bird out, thanks for a name to get me started. As for the berries, they are from low shrubs, not trees.
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Beautiful photos! The caterpillar is a Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758) SPURGE HAWKMOTH. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyles_euphorbiae
I found it from the checklist on this site: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Caterpillars
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Thanks, Cathy! 😉
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You’ve captured a mourning dove and a blue jay in flight. No question about those — right now I have six of the doves outside my window, and the blue jays already have shown up for their morning peanuts.
I’ve seen the first red berries, and once knew their name, but I’m going to have to look them up again. I think I recognize the white ones, too, but that will require a touch more research.
Fungi and caterpillars? Not my area of expertise. I know a few common mushrooms, but tree fungi and such? Not a clue. But I’m glad I recognized the birds.
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Linda,
Yes, thanks for naming the birds. You see them so often and in hosts and groups. I only see a single one, too few and far in between. But, maybe that’s what make any bird sighting a precious moment for me.
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But of course you get to see many which don’t come down here! I’m still waiting to see a Canadian goose – they’ve been absent for too long!
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O yes, I suppose. I see the Canada Geese a lot, but by now they’re all gone. I have lots of Chickadees all the time. They fly right into me hoping for some food. I’m sure you have Chickadees too?
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They’re common in the state, though I don’t have them because they prefer woodlands. I often saw and heard them up in the Hill Country. They’re delightful little birds!
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Mourning doves are quite common here so, for once, I recognize that one! Appropriately enough, those white berries are from a bush called Snowberry. And the orange berries might be sea-buckthorn. I’ve had the juice and it’s quite good, though a little disconcerting when you’re expecting something citrusy given its orange color.
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nikkipolani,
Yes, I’m sure they are quite common in warmer climate. Also, thanks for the tip on the berries… juices out of these succulent fruits? Impressive. I’ve always thought they are for the birds. 😉
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I agree about the mourning doves. The purple berries might be what we call “chokecherries” but I am sure. I will have to check the leaf shape better. Wonder photo none the less. Thanks.
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jkb4664,
Thanks for the info. I’ll check that out.
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Lovely photos! As the others mentioned, I think the bird is a mourning dove. I’m not sure about the rest though…
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Letizia,
Guess the Mourning Dove is known by everyone except me. I admit this photo was the first time I saw her/him.
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He/She must have been happy to have such a captive audience.
When my mother saw a chipmunk for the first time, she stopped her car and pointed it out to the people walking by thinking it was a rare animal.
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LOL! 🙂
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Beautiful photos Arti. That tree trunk is so interesting…
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The tree trunk is very colourful actually, yes, an interesting sighting. 😉
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Great photos. I love the fungus and the centipede/caterpillar. Nice berries too.
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Booketta,
They are colourful and the centipede or whatever it was was only an inch long, but so colourful that I noticed it.
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That tree trunk is the coolest thing ever. I’m mesmerized by it, and can only think of what my mother has told me all my life: “Courage grows strong in a wound.” What that tree must have endured…
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Bellezza,
I was captivated by it when I first spotted these bulby growth out of the trunk, and very colourful. Your mother’s words remind me of The Glass Castle when Jeanette’s mother told her about the Joshua Tree. 😉
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I can help you on the red berries, I think. In Missouri, we call it bush honeysuckle or amur honeysuckle. The botanical name is Lonicera maackii. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d617
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Joy,
O thanks so much for the link and the info! 😉
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That tree fungus shot blew me away, Arti. I tried to find out more about it by using your image in a Google image search but I drew a blank. Have you ever used that Google search tool?
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html
The only thing I know for certain is what other commenters have observed: that the bird is a mourning dove. Sometimes they perch on the sill outside my window at The Grind.
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I didnt know about this. What a great way to search, using image. Thanks for the link. As for the mourning dove, wonderful that you can do bird watching while working at The Grind, and that the birds come to you. How convenient. 🙂
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I am afraid I can’t be any help with names. I do like the little bug photo, which looks to me more like a caterpillar.
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Ginny,
It’s wonderful that other people know much more than I do… collective wisdom here. So, just reading through the comments is a learning exp. 😉
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I have a photo of those same unknown white berries.
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jmcguin7,
I’m sure I can Google and find out more info. Just wonder where you saw your white berries.
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Well I’m learning a lot from these comments! I had no clue what any of your subjects were, though I did appreciate the beautiful photos. If you have any questions about French literature, I’d be happy to help with those! 🙂
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Litlove,
I’m sure I’ll have lots of questions about French literature for you… after I’ve familiarized myself enough to know what to ask. 😉 O, BTW, I’m doing a slow read-along of Proust’s The Guermantes Way with Stefanie and Bellezza, maybe I’ll indeed have some Q. for you in the coming days.
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Well, I learned something from other commenters who helped identify the creatures in your lovely photos, Arti!
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Jean,
Yes, I always feel the comments are the gems in a post. Thanks for visiting. 😉
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So much joy and inspiration in your pics, what a beautiful cacophony.
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I knew the birds! The berries, can’t say for sure. the white ones look kind of like the ones my red twig dogwood get in mid-summer but if you took that photo recently it would not be a dogwood. Have no idea what’s up with the tree in the first photo but it’s looks amazing!
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I’ve seen those red berries before but never knew what they were. And the orange remind me of mountain ash but I’m not sure that’s right either — been a long time since I saw one.
I love all the photos, though. There is mystery in not knowing everything! The fungi is especially beautiful!
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