The Blessed Country Mom: nature

Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Friday, March 13, 2015

Help the Monarch Butterflies!

For a limited time, while supplies last, National Wildlife Federation is giving away a Butterfly Garden Starter Kit to everyone who pledges to help the monarch butterfly. Click the link below to learn how to make your pledge and receive your kit!

Help the Monarch Butterflies!

According to the website, your kit will include:

A Seed packet with native milkweed or a flowering nectar plant
A list of milkweed and nectar plants native to your region
Ranger Rick Nature Notebook
Butterfly Heroes Sticker and Poster

Here are the boys making their pledge

This is such a great opportunity, we just love monarchs! Last year, we found eggs on milkweed plants around our farm and raised them to butterflies. It was amazing and the boys learned so much. When I was a kid, my sister and I raised black swallowtail butterflies every year. I just love butterflies!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Creepy Evening

This evening I happened to look out the window and I saw something I haven't seen on our property before. A coyote. They don't generally worry me too much since we don't have anything for them to get, except the barn cats, but what can you do? They manage to stay safe for the most part. But seeing this coyote trotting across our back field was just kind of unsettling. It was neat to see him and I wish I could have gotten closer to take better pics, but there is just something about those animals that creeps me out! I watched him follow our fence line to the neighbors property where this pic was taken.

Cody was going crazy barking at him and the horses were just watching. Jim was in the barn so I beeped him on his phone and told him to go look. You can see him peeking around the corner of the barn with the horses. Mr. Coyote just trotted right between our barn and the neighbors house without a care in the world, maybe heading to the woods or a pond up the road. It was neat to see him, but I can do without seeing him again. Just hearing them howling at night is enough to send shivers down my spine!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Ruby Tuesday - Flowers

A brilliant Cardinal Flower growing wild in southern Ohio.

Check out more Ruby Tuesday

Friday, September 4, 2009

Find Me Friday

Welcome to another Find Me Friday! And a nice big welcome to my new participants from last week, I hope you are able to join in again this week! Thank you so much to everyone for playing along =) Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge it so you can find what's hiding!

A Bluejay I saw in the trees behind the cabin we stayed in last weekend.

And a couple camo kitty pics

If you are new this week, all you have to do is post a photo of whatever you want (within reason of course, keep it clean people! ;-) ) and it has to have some element of "peekaboo," "hiding" or "camouflage" in it. Think of one of those hidden pictures where you have to find the hidden images. Or a green frog blending into the green leaf he is sitting on. There are tons of options! Have fun with it!

If you would like to join in, please make sure to link back to my blog and use my button if you like. If I decide your image(s) is/are inappropriate, I have the right to delete your link. Other than that, have fun and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Oh, and I plan on having weekly themes in the future, but if you don't have a photo that falls into the category, you can still participate. And I don't mind if you add this into another Friday blog carnival. As long as you remember to link to me, that is great! Ok, that's all for now, lets see those photos!

Here is a button for you to use if you would like to participate. Thanks!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Find Me Friday

Here are some "find me" pics from our hike at Shawnee State Park last weekend.

Can you find the spider and the beetle?

Another where's hubby =)

Check out this camouflage:

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thankful Thursday - Weekend Getaway

I am so Thankful for time away, God's beautiful creation and family. We went to Shawnee State Park in southern Ohio this past weekend and stayed in a little cabin with Jim's family. It was so nice to get away! We went swimming, took a little hike, ate lots of food and just relaxed! It was great. Jim's parents were so very kind and generous to invite us along and they took care of everything. We are so blessed and so thankful for them! Here are some pics of our "mini vacation."

The Lodge

Our Cabin

Sunrise behind the Lodge

Grammy bought Jimmy a souvenir raccoon, he loves it!

Jimmy wasn't too sure of this big Indian

Or these bears, at first, but then he warmed up enough to pick baby bear's nose (leave it to my child)

Family swim pic! We were in the indoor pool because as luck would have it, it was a bit too cold to be outside (the water was actually warm, but the air was too cold for little Jimmy)

Jimmy's first "airplane" ride lol (he always looks so serious, he really did love it!)

What has Jimmy found?

Awww! A cute box turtle!

Ok, time for a flashback: When I was a little girl, it was my DREAM to find a box turtle in the wild. Of course, back then I would have wanted to keep it, but its illegal to take wildlife home from state parks, etc....so I couldn't keep this one (not that I would have, that's his home, I know that NOW, plus, I already have a pet turtle) Anyway, so this is the first one I have ever found while hiking! And he was right at the beginning of the trail, Jim almost stepped on him (I did move him off the trail so no one else would step on him or be tempted to give him a new home)! I was so excited, I took lots of pics of him. Ahhh a childhood dream come true lol.

Aww, isn't that sweet? Happy trails! ;-)

Oh and PS, we are off this weekend for another little getaway, I will share about it next week =)

Do you have something to be Thankful for? Let everyone know about it! Just enter your name or name of your blog and add the link to your specific Thankful Thursday post (not your blog's homepage please!) Also, please add the Thankful Thursday logo or link to my blog in your post. Have fun and thanks for joining me!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Canooooing

Today Jim and I went canoeing with some of my family. There were 8 of us, so 4 canoes. It was a nice time. And while we were away, little Jimmy got to stay with his Grammy & Grandpa allll day! And he was a good boy and didn't cry at all!

Our canoeing adventure was a 3-4 hour trip down the river. Not a very exciting river, but its exciting enough for me! We even tipped over once...luckily I was a smart cookie and had my camera (NOT my big Canon!) in a plastic zip bag (2 actually) and then inside of another tote bag type thing tied to the canoe. So it didn't get ruined! We came upon a rope swing and stopped there for a while to have a snack and then Jim, my step cousin Jesse and I all jumped off the rope. It was a blast!

Jim

Jesse

We saw lots of turtles and birds along the river bank, and some little fishies in the water. Not much else wildlife, some dragonflies & bugs, but the ride was pretty and scenic.

Our little buddy for part of the ride

Then, after our ride, Jim and I changed our clothes and went to an early dinner JUST THE TWO OF US!! I think we have only done that one other time since Jimmy was born! It was so strange, but it was nice to get away for a little while. And my little man was so excited to see his daddy & mommy when we picked him up, it was so cute. Well, I am off to bed, hope everyone is having a nice weekend!