January 31, 2010 Discover Life on Rainbow Creek by: brendasue

WELCOME To the last Day of January!
Time Marches On at Kates Cabin Out of Winter and Bound for Spring! Come on in and join our Nature Class where we are studying the Nature of Rainbow Creek. Welcome to Birders, Welcome to Gardeners, Welcome to Photographers and to Nature Lovers All Over the World. Come help me write my book for Kate!


Buzzbee just flew in with a special announcement: Bee all that you can Bee is the new site motto. He also wants to be the site mascot in place of Kay Lonnie, King Buzz or Little Rambo. He is demanding more time on the site. We will take a vote on the site mascot next month!


Also Coming attractions for next month: The Wars of the Sugar Port! (starring: buzzbee)



(And more guest appearances by buzzbee) Bees are a very important part of the lifecycle of Rainbow Creek. I must try to keep them happy as the busy season for them is about to begin. Soon they will be pollinating the spring flowers on the fruit trees! Happy bees mean lots of fruit, so I feed mine sugar water on winter days when they come out. They do not seem to fly if it is below 55 degrees (F.).
Okay, Let us return to our regularly scheduled classroom on the roof. See ya, buzzbee!



Kay Lonnie, Will you give the signal to begin our class?



Let the class begin! Good Girl, take your place.



Our Photostudy today will be on this little tree. Above is what his spindly top looks like. This is a tree Holly (as opposed to a shrub Holly). The name of this Tree is: Savannah Holly. Again we are in zone 9 (USA). This tree may not grow where you are. Check with your Garden Store and if it will thrive in your area, you must get one. (You can buy them small and they will grow).


Our Photostudy will focus on the red berries from a bird's eye view!




The Birds love these tasty treats! They do not eat them until spring. I suspect our winter freezes help start a fermentation process inside the berries that results in a sweet treat.



We will be looking at these photos to notice the growth pattern of the red berries.




This bush is under the tall pines where the buzzards live. So as I move the camera around under the tree, I record different patterns of shade and light.




The shrub hollies yeild berries more in clusters. This Savannah Holly shows berries growing up and down the length of the branches.



The leaves still have little points on them, but they are not as sharp as others.



The berry is a fruit. Any left by the birds will fall to the ground. The fleshy fruit will rot away exposing a seed for a new tree. Likewise, birds scatter the seed to places far from the tree.




These photos are all the same tree. I bought 2 ten dollar trees and planted them side by side in one hole. They are about 10 feet tall now. Planted right by the bridge to Grandma's Cabin.



The leaves of this Holly are more lime green in hue. The Buford or Mary Nell are a dark forest green.



I contribute photos to a Discover Life research Site. (You can google: brendasuewatson@att.net and you will see 6 pages of Discover Life Pages with my Photos).


So I had asked them what they wanted to see in species identification photos.




They wanted many photos from many points of view.



On trees (and plants) they wanted close ups of the leaf where it attaches to the branch. Underside and top side.



They want to see how any fruit is attached.


They want to see the color of leaves, branches and fruits.



They want to see the trunk and where the branches are attached.



They want to see spaces on the trunk between the branches.



They like closeups to look at detail.



So I try to keep all these things in mind when shooting identification photos.




I want to show it to those who cannot stand here and look at it.





I want the photos to reflect the beauty of the tree as I see it. As the birds see it.




I want you to feel like you are here under the shade of the larger trees looking at this pretty Holly Tree that lives here with me on Rainbow Creek.



The more we as humans learn about other species on earth, the more we find out about our selves. We all have to live together as there is no other choice.



I would like for all of you who do not live in the USA to know that we as individuals are not bad people. We are the same as you-Human.




We enjoy beauty.



We all know sorrow and pain.



We know love.



We know happiness.



I love my children with all of my heart.




I love my Grandchildren.




My Mom and Dad are Dead, but I still love them and miss them.



I am a good person because of the love I received from Mom & Dad.



I know what loneliness is. I know how sad it is to feel frightened and alone.




These feelings are Human Bonds we all have, we all share as being human.




It is these Bonds we as People of the Earth need to Strengthen. I invite you to come be my friend and Welcome You to Kates Cabin on Rainbow Creek. It is time we start a new trend as a family together on Earth.
This concludes our Photostudy of the Savannah Holly Tree & Humanity.



I put this photo in so you can see an example of how the camera thinks differently sometime than we do! As you see I thought I was on the red berries in the above shot. My autofocus thought I was on the big pine tree! An interesting effect!



Thank you for joining the class and for all the encouraging words I am receiving from you all.
We have one month of class complete now. Spring will be a wonderful time around here. Hope you will come back and that you will email me around the world! It is a hard job to reach everyone!



Well guess who just landed on top of a pine tree?



Yes it is our King Buzz settling in for the night! Look at his beautiful Feathers!
Goonite King.




And Goodnite Kate!




All right Kay Lonnie, you can say it. She says: "And Goodnight Everyone, Everywhere"

Come on Kay Lonnie, Let's go in to your warm bed. It is still cold here tonight.
...................brendasue signing off from Rainbow Creek....We will sing in the Sunshine!


katescabin@gmail.com or snailmail: P O Box 743, Hempstead, Texas 77445

January 30, 2010 Discover Life On Rainbow Creek by: brendasue

BRRRRRRRRR! It is so cold the roses have turned blue at Kates Cabin on Rainbow Creek!
Welcome to a new page of our mini Nature Class for the World. Let's go on up to the roof where a cold Kay Lonnie is waiting to begin our class.

Kay Lonnie it is too cold for our class on the roof. Go ahead and give the signal, please.



Let the Class Begin!



Still going---my, what a long signal. We can actually see the signal where your hot breath hits the cold air and makes smoke!



Come on down to your warm bed and we will have class on the computer today.



Yes, it is a lovely day in here! Just for a quick review for our new classmates: We are using the bird sanctuary here at Kates as our observatory. We are looking at different living things that live here with us on the planet. You may not have these species of Rainbow Creek, so I am bringing them out of the woods for you to see here on this blogger venue. I am presenting a daily photostudy of a topic as I come across things.
I hope I encourage you to pick up your camera and photodocument the living things around you. I offer examples of different shots with my camera (which is a point & shoot).


Our Photostudy today will be on this little fruit. Does anybody already know what it is?




This is the fruit of an Eleagnus Shrub. It is called a drupe. The 'tail' seen above was the flower before it was pollinated. Once the flower was pollinated by the bees, the ovum at the base of the flower began to grow into this fruit. As the fruit ripens, the dried up, now useless flower petal 'tail' will fall off. The purpose of all flowers is to be pollinated and make seed for the next generation. The new seed that is growing is inside this fruit. It is one large seed. The sweet/tart fruit is adored by birds which eat the fruit and fly to another location to deposit spent seed after fruit is ingested.


The drupe turns bright red when it is ready. Birds are attracted not only to the fruit, but also the insects that like the ripe fruit.



This is not a rare bush, just no longer as popular as it once was in the smaller flowerbeds as it gets large. The leaves are not as pretty as more popular garden shrubs.


But for those who have the space, a long hedgerow of these eleagnus shrubs is wonderful as a wind break and fantastic for the birds with its dense growth habit. It is evergreen.



In my zone 9 area, this shrub flowers in December. The small white spotty flowers have a very strong cinnamon smell.



The fruits have a distinct lemony taste and astringent. But when they are ripe, there is a lovely sweetness.



When I spent some time at the tree farm, I helped the guys harvest the fruit. We had to suck the fruit off and spit the seed on a paper plate then put them in the sun to dry where we could watch that the birds did not steal it away! Then we would plant one seed per pot of dirt to make new shrubs. It was a very tasty part of the job!


Also, I have made jelly and sauces from cooking the fruit. Very good and pretty color.



Check to see if this plant will grow in your zone. If it will, get yourself one or two.
You can plant it for the birds.



Now look closely. Here is someone else who likes this fruit!



He is spotted like the fruit. I do not know his name. I had a dear scientist friend who identified everything I ever sent her. She left us last summer. So if anyone out there knows what this guy is, please write a comment or drop me a line at: katescabin@gmail.com



I was eating these fruits after I took a photo of them. Good thing I spotted this spotty guy before I popped him in my mouth!



He has wings.




And a big appetite for this fruit!




These fruits are ready now (end of January).




The shrub again is eleagnus. I just call mine ellie.



If you find this fruit, you should try it.




This is the sky directlly above my ellie bush. Yes those are the sun trees for the buzzards on the right. They have all gone off to bed. The last one is going over now.




Wouldn't you know, it is King Buzz heading for the pines.
Goodnite King and Goodnite Kate,




Good night Everyone, Everywhere!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again.
.................................this is brendasue signing off from Rainbow Creek. C.A.S.B.M.S.I.Y.L.M.