WIP Progress & a Wednesday Walk

Here's where I left off on this Crown and Thistle design last week.

I've just about got the viney border all stitched and can begin to work on the bee skep. 

Finally it has cooled down from the upper 90's to the mid-70s!  Super weather so let's go outside for a stroll.

In August I challenge myself to find bits of green to contrast with the browns and taupes of late summer.  This meadow provides the taupe. 

The sword fern the bit of green.

Places with damp shade are still green and lush looking.

False Solomon's Seal berries add a pop of color.

Our meadow near the big creek is dotted with dandelions and still very green. 

The spent blooms of the Spirea still make a statement.

And if I look up the tree canopy is green.

This photo may not look like much at first.  But upon closer examination, the grasses are bent over in a pattern that leads me to believe a group of deer bedded down here to rest and chew their cud.

The Ocean Spray is taupe colored now.

The Blackberries are many colored!

The trees canopy near the Big Creek includes Ash, Cottonwood, Willow, backed with  Oak, Douglas Fir, and Pine.  Everybody loves a bit of water!

I've received several comments asking for more details about the Jays hiding Hazelnuts.  On my walk I found the husk of the hazelnuts and several shells.  I do not know if you can tell, but they are on top of a large flat rock.  I believe the bird came here and extracted the nuts from the husks.  Then beat the nuts against the rock until the shells broken open.  I have then observed the birds 'planting' the nuts in our backyard for later retrieval. 

I went to the National Wildlife Federation Website and found the following information about Scrub Jays:

 "Jays are known as planters of acorns. They scatter these in many hiding places for later retrieval. They move thousands of acorns each fall, often depositing them in damp soil. When some of these acorns aren’t retrieved, they sprout into seedlings and replenish the forest. Western scrub-jays have been shown to have an ability to plan ahead in choosing food storage sites, remembering the locations of their caches and storing enough food to plan for the future. Jays can also be quite sneaky when it comes to acquiring and storing food. They steal acorns from acorn woodpecker caches and from stores hidden by other jays, and then look around to make sure no one is watching before they re-hide their prize." 

So there you have it!  I hope you enjoyed today's walk. 

One year ago today my Mom, sister, and I spent a last day in London together before my sister returned home.