Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we share bits of urban nature. Well another week of Spring is in the books but like always, we are joining those cuties from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what other posts were shared.
Elsa: Yo…yo, House Pony, wake up…it’s time to dish up a few images of spring from around the neighborhood.
Wilson: {soft snoring} Huh…wha….Oh good morning. The crisp morning air left me wanting to stay in bed a bit longer but now that I’m awake, let’s get rolling!
Elsa: My goodness…aren’t you the eager beaver. So what’s on today’s hit parade?
Wilson: Not sure about any parade but with all the miles we’ve put on this week sniffing around, Mum said Spring is in full display The tulips in particular have been quite posh this Spring though they always disappoint me since they have no fragrance-trust me-I’ve checked. Mum’s red tulips are finally blooming. And notice the volunteer grape hyacinths in the background? Mum has been trying to corral them and even dug som to give to a friend who came by to take some irises and perennials for her garden. Talk about prolific!
Elsa: Yeah, I’ve noticed those little scamps popping up in the oddest spots. There’s a whole patch in the garden where they’ve spread like weeds. I’m surprised Mom hasn’t gone on a terror yanking them up.
Wilson: She told me she didn’t mind them naturalizing but then said they were beginning to start acting like the lupines so she may need to start some remediation so they don’t go crazy. I haven’t seen the lupines but Mum told me there likely won’t be many this year. With all her talk about them, I was rather hoping I’d get to experience them. You can see past photos here.
Elsa: Yeah, she took zillions of photos, first with Sam and me and then Norman and me. I dreaded seeing them because it always meant we’d have to pose for 87 hours in the middle of them. Everyone who walked by would wax on about how beautiful they were. They had no idea how us dogs had to put up with photo sessions. I mean, it was almost animal cruelty!
Wilson: Oh gosh, sorry you had to endure that, Ninja. Must have been awful.
Elsa: You have no idea. It was like Christmas pictures. Hours and hours of “sit-stay” poses with all manner of Christmas decorations. The only good thing about it was Mom doled out lots of treats.
Wilson: Treats? Sign me up! I’ll stand on my head if there are treats involved.
Elsa: You say that now, but trust me, you’ll change your tune come later this year when we do our annual Christmas photos.
Wilson: Well I’m up for the challenge. I know Mum has some very high value treats she dispenses when she wants me to do something. I’ll humor her.
Elsa: Jeez, what a brown nose!
Wilson: {correcting} No-no…I have a very black nose. It’s one of those standout features about us Old English Sheepdogs.
Elsa: I was talking figuratively, New Guy. We’re gonna have to work on the meaning of ‘figuratively’ and ‘literally.’ You just don’t seem to understand the difference.
Wilson: I just go by what you tell me. I’m not a mind reading dog, I’m a herding dog. There’s a difference.
Elsa: Whatever. What else have you got?
Wilson: The lilacs are in full bloom and Mum is quite surprised since it’s early in the season. Now, those things DO smell great. Especially on a pretty blue sky day.
Elsa: Be careful where you stick that honker, bees like those flowers for their nectar.
Wilson: I’m not afraid of bees but I think wasps like this one might make me reconsider. Yesterday he was drinking from the solar fountain, buzzing around. I started to take a snap at him but Mum said that would be a very bad idea.
Elsa: Trust me, dude. Stay away from those nasty things-they’ll make your tongue swell up if you try to eat one of those things. And then you won’t be able to taste the treats Mom gives you.
Wilson: Egad!! Thanks for that advice. I’ll try hard to avoid them. You can believe I want to be able to taste all the tasty treats Mum gives me.
Elsa: {head shaking} My gawd, you’re like a canine garbage disposal, aren’t you?
Wilson: Mum never gives me garbage.
Elsa: I can’t. I just can’t even begin to school you on the difference of stuff like that.
Wilson: What? I don’t understand…
Elsa: {interrupting} Precisely and I don’t have the time nor the patience to teach you. Let’s move along, House Pony, shall we? Beside that wasp, I think there was another encounter with some urban wildlife, though in all my years at the Ranch, I’ve never seen one of those.
Wilson: I have no idea what the bloody hell that thing was doing sashaying across this yard. I did have a feeling Mum did me a solid but not letting me try to herd it.
Elsa: Darn straight she did. You don’t want to mess with those birds. They’ll mess you up but good. Probably came from someone’s city chicken coop.
Wilson: I could sense there was danger in that turkey by how tightly Mum held my leash and kept reinforcing the “leave it!” command with her clicker. Naturally I was a good boy and complied.
Elsa: {hysterical laughter} Complied? Right…I’ve seen how you handle the command to “Leave it!” when there’s a squirrel anywhere around {more raucous laughter}.
Wilson: If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were being quite cheeky with me.
Elsa: Umm, that’s one way of putting it. Good catch. Maybe you’ll figure things out eventually yet. Hope springs eternal.
Wilson: I’m just going to ignore you and show you some other images we encountered yesterday afternoon. Mum tells me this plant is the state flower.
Elsa: Well technically it’s the blue one that’s the state flower but like many of the perennials in the city, it’s blooming early.
Wilson: It’s quite striking, I say. But nothing compared to this purple flower. Mum said she’s never seen these blooming in April.
Elsa: Yeah, I’d agree. It was quite a shock seeing that pop up in a pile of weeds. Mother Nature seems to be teasing us.
Wilson: Right you are. When Mum and I walked back from the library, we came across this field of yellow flowers. I had to stop and admire them.
Elsa: I hope Mom told you those yellow flowers are weeds and the bane of gardeners everywhere. With the moisture we’ve received this Spring, they have been a bumper crop of them everywhere. But they are kinda pretty.
Wilson: I should say so…they are quite cheerful. Well, that’s all I have today. I heard we’re going to visit our Grandpa this weekend and I will get to meet Mum’s youngest sister who’s coming from Texas for a short visit. I’m excited to meet more of the family and promise I’ll be on my best behavior.
Elsa: Uh, huh…best, eh? Not sure what you mean by ‘best’ but it should be a nice visit for a few days. What are your plans for the weekend? You doing anything exciting for this last weekend of April? We’re still amazed that May is upon us and just around the corner. Where is this year going?
Wilson: Not sure but it does seem to be moving along quickly. Whatever you do, we hope you’re able to see loads of Nature’s finest. Just avoid the turkeys and wasps.
Live, love, bark! 🐾