ABC Wednesday ~ O

ABC Wednesday

O is for........

Orange Hawkweed

Ox-Eye Daisy

We still have snow in the woods so these pictures were taken last summer. Its nice to look at them and dream about taking pictures of wildflowers, instead of snowscapes, again.

For more fun with the letter O

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ABC Wednesday ~ N

N is for Naughty

When Tucker is licking his lips and looking intently at a little critter (in this case Zeus the mouse who is visiting us for a couple of weeks) you can be sure there are naughty thoughts going through his head. Zeus is living in our bathroom most of the time so I can close the door to make sure he doesn't get eaten.

Please visit ABC Wenedsday for more ideas brought to you by the letter N

ABC Wednesday ~ M

ABC Wednesday ~ M

M is for Moldow

Moldow (a.k.a. moldown or maldow) is a local term for beard-moss which is actually a lichen that hangs from the branches of spruce trees. When I was a child we also called it moose moss because, of course, moose enjoy munching on it. You can check out this word and many others in The Dictionary of Newfoundland English.


The way it hangs from the branches always reminds me of how my mom would hang tinsel on our Christmas tree. Though she appreciated a beautifully decorated tree, she had little patience for fussing with details. My dad would usually take over and hang each strand individually.

I just love the way nature decorates the somewhat plain spruce tree.

For more words brought to you by the letter M, check out ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday ~ L

ABC Wednesday
L is for Ladyslippers

L is for Ladyslippers. Ladyslippers are wild orchids. We have 3 varieties growing in our area. They bloom in late June and Early July. As we still have a significant amount of snow cover, I had to use pictures that I took last summer. Our snow is melting and I am looking forward to seeing these beauties again

This is the Showy Ladyslipper. It grows in open areas in large masses. They are spectacular and are sometimes as tall as 3 feet.

Pink Ladyslippers on the other hand are much smaller. They are a deeper pink and are more likely to be found in forested areas with little undergrowth. You have to look for them as they often stand alone. The word Orchid comes from the Greek word for testicles......

And we also have Yellow Ladyslippers. They are much smaller than the Showy Ladyslippers but also grow in open areas and in clusters. Some of them have red markings on their leaves.

I am so looking forward to seeing these orchids in bloom again.

For more pictures brought to you by the letter L please visit ABC Wednesday.

Ducks on the Pond

Just Ducky!

We have a few new ducks on our pond. It took me a while to figure out what they were as they tend to keep to themselves so it was hard to get a close look. After several attempts I did manage to get close enough to get a decent zoom shot. These are Common Goldeneye ducks. I've managed to confirm this with a couple of people and my Peterson Field Guide book. They are great fun to watch as they are super divers and dissappear for quite some time.

This is a female Mallard. there are lots of them around the pond this year and they stayed all winter. This picture was actually taken on the marsh below the pond. Its behind the Glynmill Inn and below Park Street. Its a small area on the Corner Brook Stream trail and is protected by Ducks Unlimited. I liked this picture because of the Cat Tails in the ice.