Happy Friday! This week I was blessed to witness some interesting private moments in nature; some scenes that we rarely are privileged to see...
While looking toward Still Waters Pond I noticed something fluttering on the side of this pine tree.
From a distance I couldn't tell what it was, but I knew it was something unusual. So I got my camera and zoomed in and this is what I saw:
I believe we are witnessing a mating ritual between two dragonflies!
Either that, or they are practicing an amazing trapeze act in the air, way above the ground and barely hanging on to anything on the tree...
It was beautiful to see, but after watching for several minutes I decided to give them some privacy.
Wasn't this amazing?
Moving along to our daily walk...I noticed this very interesting caterpillar inching his way upon the stem of this fragile wildflower.
The caterpillars are munching away on their host foods, preparing for the next stage of their development, which I assume will be the pupa or chrysalis stage
I noticed there were many of these all around on the bushes along the road.
I believe this is the caterpillar for the Buckeye Butterfly. This picture below was taken earlier this year in the same area where there were many of these caterpillars this week. So I expect we will see a lot of Buckeye Butterflies sometime in the near future.
I decided to take a little side road today to see if I could see something different than the usual things we see each day. I noticed some movement going up the side of this tree, and at first I thought it was probably a squirrel. But upon closer inspection, I noticed the ringed tail of a raccoon...so then I got really excited.
Can you see who's looking at you?
There wasn't just one, but two very young raccoons. If you look closely toward the bottom of this raccoon, you can see the outline of the ears of the other one just coming up the tree beneath him.
The other one is looking up toward the top raccoon in this picture...look closely. Aren't they sweet?
Obviously these are very young raccoons, and I was keeping a close watch around for a mother to come charging after me.
But thankfully no angry mother showed up. I hope these babies haven't been left on their own already. They seem pretty young.
What an exciting morning! Of course, my camera was again having battery issues, and I finally had to shut it down so this was the end of this group of pictures...but Oh!! What a delightful time!
Seeing these wonders in God's beautiful creation made me stop and give praise to the Lord, the Creator of all. "Praise the Lord!"
"All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing!
Alleluia, Alleluia!...
O Praise Him, O Praise Him
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"
Psalm 148:7-10,13
7. "Praise the Lord from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8. Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9. Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10. Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl...
13. Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven."
Hope you have a wonderful weekend...and be sure to keep your eyes open to the beauties and wonders of all that God has placed around you, wherever you are. You may be surprised what you will discover!
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ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
DeleteYou have a wonderful eye for he the things God has given us and that camera takes it all in. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for the gift of the camera, and the gift of God supplying the beauty around us to see and capture for everyone to enjoy! It is a special blessing that I believe the Lord has blessed me with so I can make it a blessing for others as well. Thank you for popping in. Hope you are doing okay.
DeleteOh yes, raccoons are sweet, just don't get to close to them, smiles. Beautiful photos my friend. I hope you have a lovely day, smiles.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. Yes, I was very careful not to get too close. Wasn't about to climb the tree after them! LOL. Thankfully the mother was nowhere around, so I was safe! It was one of those special little blessings that don't happen very often, so I was happy I was there at the right time...
DeleteCapturing those dragonflies and the young raccoons is a miracle in and of itself, Pamela! God's glory is all around us, and sometimes, we are fortunate to see something new and unusual in our field of vision. What a blessing these photos are!
ReplyDeleteLet us know, too, how everything turns out at the doctor's.
Blessings!
Oh, thank you, Martha. I knew you would enjoy these pictures! The raccoons really made my day. Re: the Dr. I may write about that. Most everything is ok, but I am going back on some medicine for cholesterol. boo hoo. Was hoping to stay off of it. Oh well, that was the worst of the news. Everything else was good, except I've gained weight...bad girl, bad girl! LOL. Thank you for asking. I am thankful overall.
DeleteOh how neat to see the raccoons! They really do have the sweetest faces...so innocent looking. You just never know what you'll see! We are seeing some neat sights every time we go out. Haven't seen a raccoon in ages though! Enjoy your day! We're off to hike in a bit! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope you had a great hike. The weather is modulating a bit...not quite as hot as before, so hiking should be more pleasant from here on out. Not sure why these babies were out in the daytime, although it was probably about 9 am which isn't too late. I'm just so thankful I obeyed the prompting to take that little different path at just the perfect time! God is good!!
DeleteThe raccoon pictures are wonderful as well as the others. Maybe the mama was asleep and the little ones didn't know they shouldn't be out during the day:)
ReplyDeleteHa Ha! Perhaps they were being naughty while mama was away. But they knew to climb the tree when "danger" was near, so she has taught them well! I was certainly pleasantly surprised to see them!
DeleteSuch cute little faces raccoons have. Glad that you followed your curiosity and waited to see what was next.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vee. Yes, I am glad also that I decided to take a little different path than usual. Not sure what prompted me to do so, but apparently God wanted me to see the raccoons. It was a "chance sighting" that only He could have orchestrated so perfectly! I love it when things like that happen!!
DeleteNatural wonders indeed! You witnessed so much, and all so beautiful in their own way. Of course, the furry, cute raccoons are my favorite!
ReplyDeleteYes, the furry cute raccoons were my favorite too. But the dragonflies were certainly "interesting" to say the least. And I love the fact that the caterpillar will one day be a beautiful butterfly! We are blessed to see God's creatures in action!
DeleteHow beautiful! Yesterday I witnessed something I've never seen before and could not capture. I was walking on a busy city street doing my errands and a hummingbird flitted around some hanging baskets hanging on a restaurant patio. I had to stop and watch it but it was a very fleeting moment. It brought a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing your dragonflies. I love the raccoons up in the tree too. I haven't seen one for long because I never get to the park.
ReplyDeleteOh, weren't you blessed to see the hummingbird so close! I know that would bring a smile to my face too! I would think your hummingbirds would already be gone south for the winter! Ours have already left. There may be some stragglers pass through, but not to stay around. You were meant to see that lovely bird! so happy for you.
DeleteYes I happen to love hummingbirds and I rarely ever saw them. These days one comes early, very early in the season to my patio and then I hardly saw it throughout the summer. Now I see one late in the season. They always bring me a small. So small and delicate, yet so marvellous and strong.
DeleteI love the raccoons! I am always amazed by nature and what it offers. Every day, there is something new. I looked out the window into our back yard to watch the birdies this morning and there were a dozen mourning doves all sunning themselves in the sun. They seem to love our back yard because they are out there a lot. Rarely do I see that many all at once though. They are such peaceful birds and their call, so soothing. I love where we live! Five minutes from shopping but it is quiet here and there are fields and trees all around. A little bit city; a little bit country too. It is hard to beat! God knew what He was doing when He planted us here. Have a wonderful weekend, Pamela.
ReplyDeleteOh, Sandi, I am so glad you visited! And yes, I agree, the Mourning Doves are so pretty and peaceful. We used to have a lot of them in our yard at our previous home, but not quite so many here. We are also a little bit country and city, although a very small city. Just right for me! Enjoy watching your pretty birds. Do you feed them through the winter months? I hope you are doing well, and thank you again for visiting. Always a pleasure to have you here.
DeleteAmazing photos this week! Those baby raccoons are sure cute, but good to watch for Mama. If I learned anything having a dad in the Game Commission and living in a wildlife preserve it's that raccoons are very unpredictable and quite fierce. One can be a pet its entire life and one day just flip on its owner. They will also keep fighting even if their insides are hanging out and trailing behind them. I've seen that in person. Best to watch them from afar.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am always mindful of those mama raccoons and other creatures. It's best not to get between a mama and her babies. Thankfully these babies were safely up the tree so mama wouldn't have to worry, wherever she was. I'm glad I had this opportunity. This doesn't happen often!
DeleteThanks for sharing these special pictures. I think Raccoons are so cute. These little ones still look innocent .
ReplyDeleteDon't they look innocent? Yes, they do...but mischief seems to be lurking behind their eyes...just give them time to figure it out. LOL.
DeletePam, this is such a sweet post. The beauty you capture never ceases to amaze me. And yes, all of creation does praise and worship its Creator; however, we humans frequently don't.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
I agree, Kim. We can learn from God's creation. They go about their business doing what God has given them to do without complaint. I love to hear the birds singing their songs of praise every day. They really do show us humans up with their praises.
DeleteOkay, I know they can be mean, but I do love me a raccoon.... or two. I once watched as a little guy oh-so carefully unwrapped a Hershey's kiss, ate it, and begged for another.
ReplyDeleteHa Ha! I would have loved to have seen the Hershey's kiss antics. How cute! Yes, they are cute little beggars, but they can be very mean so best to not get too close.
Deletelovely. But be careful of raccoons out during the day. I had some in my yard a while back before we got the new huge garbage cans. They would rifle through my garbage for left overs. There were 4 one night including Papa who had to be well over 3o lbs.. huge.The babies and mama hid behind the tree.. but Papa stood his ground at me and he was big as a medium sized dog. I am the one who hid from him! He was not playing games lol. Baby raccoons are so cute!!! Now please Pamela stop being a peeping tom at mothy "mating".. ahem..inappropriate LOL!!
ReplyDeleteha ha! I love your "peeping tom" comment. I think you are the only one who noticed! LOL. Yes, I was very much aware and watching for that possibility of the mother raccoon to come after me. I know they can be pretty aggressive and mean. I am happy they allowed me these special moments to watch them watching me! As for the dragonflies...they were oblivious to my peeps. LOL.
DeleteGreat photos Pamela!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. It was kind of special to see these. Not every day offers such blessings!
DeleteYou always choose the perfect Bible verses to go with your photos! Those baby racoons are so precious!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Terri. Most times God does the picking...I just have to listen and pay attention. Sometimes I am ready to publish it (or already have) and have to come back and add the verses after The Holy Spirit whispers them in my heart. I am not always in tune and have to be prompted. And yes, weren't the raccoons just the sweetest little faces? I'm so glad their mama didn't come after me and spoil our fun.
DeleteVery beautiful scenes from nature. Thank you for sharing the photos, hymn lyrics and Bible verses. I saw about seven monarch butterflies this afternoon on the butterfly bush. So pretty. Have a blessed weekend,
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mildred. Wow, you are blessed to see so many monarchs in one day! What a treat!! I would have loved that!! Did you take any pictures?? Sometimes it is nice to just watch and not be caught up in trying to focus.
DeleteI did not take pics, I just was in awe! Wishing you a good evening and a blessed Sunday.
DeleteHowdy Pam, love all the pictures especially the adorable raccoons! I just love their cute lil faces and the rings on their tails??--just precious. They are looking at you with great curiosity! here's to a happy happy weekend!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Yes, they were adorable! I was so thrilled to discover them at just the right moment...another one of those "God moments" that only He could have arranged because I never walk down that little road but for some reason I just felt led to do so... So yes, it WILL be a happy weekend. There's always something exciting waiting for us out there!
DeleteI cannot believe you got a photo of the raccoon looking right at you! I wonder how old they are when they go out on their own. Looks like they are still in the nest. Mama may have been nearby, maybe watching you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandi. I was thrilled to make such a pleasant discovery when I felt led to walk down that little road where I rarely ever walk. It was almost as if God was pushing me down there because He had something He wanted me to see! Yes, they were pretty young. I imagine Mama wasn't too far away...but I'm glad she allowed me the privilege of seeing her sweet babies without interfering. Another blessing!
DeleteWhat an interesting blog post today. You saw a lot of nature, more than what the casual observer usually catches (but you know that!).
ReplyDeleteThe raccoons look so cute but I do hope they steer clear of your property. My son has problems with raccoons at his house in Colorado. It would help if his neighbors would stop feeding them!!!
Thank you, Barbara. Yes it was a wonderful time of watching God's creation in their natural state. As far as the raccoons go, yes I know they can be a nuisance. These sweeties are far away from our house. The place where we take our walk is across town near the "Parsonage" where we stayed last summer while waiting to move into our house. It is about 3 miles from here. However, we have seen raccoon tracks in the back yard here and around the pond, so we know they are near, but we never feed them. You definitely don't want to try and make a 'pet' of them as they can be very vicious even if they do look so cute. LOL. Have a blessed and wonderful Sunday.
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