Nature in action

I happened to catch a couple of pictures out in the back yard of stuff I don't see very often.  One is a Pileated Woodpecker.  I've only seen them a few times, although the Audubon Society says this is part of their normal range.

A good photographer would have taken a shot like the one below (Audubon Society shot)

Also I got to see a couple of young bucks practicing their fighting.  Fortunately I had the presence of mind to get my phone out and take a couple of pictures.  It was pretty slow and gentle, not a massive cracking of antlers.  I've seen pygmy goats hit harder :)

More wildlife

Closer to home this time!  This poor little fellow was quite gaunt, considering the time of year.

Gardening tips

My mother-in-law has been staying with us this past week. She is a dear lady, and one day while she and my wife were out shopping, she bought several plants to add color to the back yard.

Today she planted the a couple of dozen violas. By early evening, they had been eaten down to the ground! I suspect it was deer, but who knows... Looks like we will have to do hanging flower baskets!