Tag Archives: gardening

Saturday through Monday, September 1-15, 2025—Twenty-five Years

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We were privileged to host our Maumelle kids this Labor Day weekend. They arrived on Saturday afternoon and stayed through Monday morning. As always, we played a lively game of pickleball, and Kay and I were amazed at how much progress Aker has made, getting almost all of her serves in and doing a great job of rallying—is proud for her! And of course, her mother and brother are both super competitive making for a great afternoon of fun.

On September 2, Kay and I traveled to northwest Arkansas to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We toured Crystal Bridges Museum upon arriving in Bentonville, and continue to be amazed by the presence of such a facility in Arkansas. Afterward, we ate our anniversary dinner at Fish City Grill in Rogers—what a magnificent meal.

The restaurant is owned by the daughter and SIL of a friend of Kay’s, and I can’t recommend it enough. We were comped an appetizer tray and dessert, and the appetizers were to die for!

The following day, we drove to Springfield, Missouri, to tour the Wonders Of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium. It was indeed a sight to behold, and I particularly enjoyed the nature photography exhibit. We returned home early on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, we drove to North Little Rock to watch granddaughter Aker play volleyball. She did really well, and though her team was outmanned, they still made a respectable showing. As for the rest of the reporting period, our calendar was filled with pickleball, golf, haircuts/beauty appointments, and social activities for Kay.

Butterflies and dragonflies have just about disappeared from the pollinator garden and lake shoreline. A substantial cool front that moved into the area in early September must have pushed them away. Consequently, photo opportunities for these creatures have been far and few between. However, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have ramped up their migration, and we are seeing a lot of immature and mature males at the feeders. In addition, a few birds are beginning to hang out in nearby trees. On the morning of Monday, September 15, a Baltimore Oriole was observed near one of the hummingbird feeders hanging above the deck; regrettably, it didn’t hang around long enough for  photos. Kay and I put an orange half out hoping to entice it back, but to date, it has not reappeared.

On Saturday, September 6, a few hummingbirds were photographed.

Hummingbirds were again photographed the following day, Sunday, September 7.

In addition to Ruby-throated hummingbirds, a Tufted Titmouse and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher hid in the fully leafed birch tree, but appeared in an open area long enough to be photographed.

Birds, butterflies, and dragonflies were not out and about on Sunday, September 14, but a frog was caught “climbing the wall” and a hummingbird sat still guarding his food source.

Friday through Friday, August 1-31, 2025—Weather!

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The first three weeks of August were hot and humid before cool weather made its way to the area. Despite the heat, we engaged in our regular activities. Interestingly, if one looks at our calendar, it is filled with pickleball, golf, haircuts/beauty appointments, and social activities for Kay. We did get to spend time with our Maumelle kids and grandkids, both at a soccer game and during their visit over Labor Day weekend. Also, the pollinator garden is paying dividends as I was able to make photos of butterflies and dragonflies at will.

I spent a great deal of time working on VLOGs (video logs) of our trip to France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland in late June and July. The last VLOG, “Trier Highlights, and Cochem, Reichsburg, and the Moselle Valley”, seemingly took forever as it incorporated a number of videos along with still photos, maps, etc. These can be viewed on YouTube; just search for DunnGone.

Rather than bore you with ALL the photos shot on August 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 17, 20, 22, and 27, here are a few photos representing the yard visitors. Each group is in a “gallery” but just click or double click on a particular image to enlarge it.

On Friday, August 1, a Painted Lady, Dun Skipper, Fiery Skipper, Prairie Lizard, several dragonflies, and a Silver-spotted Skipper were photographed.

And then on Tuesday, August 5, a dragonfly and a couple of butterflies (Common Buckeye and Little Yellow) were photographed.

On Wednesday, August 6, a few more skippers showed up.

A Strawberry Clearwing moth, aka butterfly moth, was buzzing around and a Giant Swallowtail made a first time visit on Saturday, August 9.

Another “big” swallowtail (a black version of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail) showed up on Sunday, August 10, along with a Pearl Crescent, Little Yellow, and Halloween Pennant dragonfly.

A week later, Sunday, August 17, a dragonfly, Ruby-throated hummingbird, a little brown kipper, and a Sulphur were photographed.

Friday, August 22, was a special day in as much as a female Diana Fritillary showed up. This rare butterfly (Arkansas state butterfly) has been cherished by people who chase butterflies. It’s the middle top photo. Also, a damselfly, little brown skipper, and “gold” dusted bee were photographed.

On Wednesday, August 27, I celebrated my 76th birthday. It was a relatively quiet day, and the central Arkansas kids and grandkids took us out to dinner. Another highlight of the day was that it was perhaps the best “butterfly” day in the pollinator garden this season. A fresh Monarch, a Summer Azure, and a Strawberry Clearwing moth were photographed, but several other species were observed.

Saturday through Thursday, June 14-26, 2025—Welcome Summer 2025

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Rain, early in the reporting period—Saturday through Tuesday—pretty much kept us house bound upon our return from eastern Virginia. And the down time was needed. We found the gardens had prospered in our absence. A great boat ride Wednesday evening around Balboa Lake with the Andersons, and hosted by the Nobles, was a great respite from the heat that had entered our area. Thursday was another quite day spent mostly inside. Finally, we both were ready for pickleball on Friday, June 20, the first day of Summer 2025. The weather was a bit disruptive, with temperatures hovering in the low 90s and the humidity about the same, i.e. low 90s. I was soaking wet after playing a couple of hours. A quick walk around the pollinator garden revealed only three species of butterflies: Common Buckeye, Fiery Skipper, and Delaware Skipper. However, the Delaware Skipper was a first time visitor to the yard/garden, making it the 14th species observed this season (2025), and the 42nd species observed since I started recording last year.

Common Buckeye
Fiery Skipper
Delaware Skipper

Also, a couple of wildflower blooms were recorded.

Button Bush
Primrose Willow

Also, dragonflies were plentiful—a great way to start summer.

Saturday was basketball day with two games in Cabot. Regrettably, Ridge did not get to play much (9th grade team), but his team played well against significantly more height.

Apparently a heat dome has settled in for a good portion of the US, and we’re right on the edge with heat advisories almost every day. That means staying inside as much as possible—not something desirable for us folks that like being outside. We attended church Sunday morning for the first time in three weeks having been out of town. Our new pastor begins his term next week, but we’ll miss his first three services; are we off on another adventure?

Kay played pickleball twice on Monday while I lazed about the house, piddling with photo and computer gear. Truth be told, I just can’t get in the mood for any outside activities with this high heat and humidity (the humidity was 95% early Monday morning). And, of course, that just fuels bouts of depression! I did print a couple of photos after not having used the printer for some six months, and it performed just fine.

Monday through Wednesday, June 9-11, 2025–Visiting Family

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Kay and I drove east Monday some 300 miles to visit family in eastern Virginia, arriving about 1:30 pm. The first couple of hours were spent catching up, and then we sort of unpacked, visited some more, and “crashed and burned” for a decent night’s sleep.

We all ventured out Tuesday to see their community pickleball courts, hike a James River trail. And visit their Master Gardener’s pollinator garden. A few butterflies were observed, including a new lifer, a Cabbage White.

Cabbage White

Also, several damselflies were bouncing from place to place.

And then, even a few dragonflies were spotted.We all enjoyed a homemade shrimp and egg noodle alfredo dish for dinner, before watching a bit of television and retiring for the evening.

On our final day, Wednesday, we had coffee at a large church’s coffee shop, and visited their off-site thrift shop, where brother-in-law George volunteers.  Afterwards, we went shopping. One of the neat things about high population areas, such as the greater Richmond, VA, area, is the variety of shopping available, and many “big name” outdoor stores are available such as REI and Sierra Trading Post. None of us bought much, though I did buy a pair of cheap sunglasses for the trip back home. And then we stopped at a pollinator garden created and maintained by master gardeners; both Nan and George are master gardeners. And then, it was off to their public pickleball courts which were really nice, including the two individually covered courts. Both Kay and I found groups with which to play, and we had a good time.

We visited with Geoff and  in the afternoon, and again that evening. He is an outstanding young man (though maybe not so young anymore), and we enjoyed his recap of a recent work trip to India.

All in all our family visit with Nan and George was really good, perhaps the best we’ve experienced, and we thank them much for hosting us.

Thursday through , May 1-15, 2025—Butterfly Garden and Springtime, i.e. Windy and Rainy

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The first couple weeks of May have been beset with wind and rain, and generally mild temperatures, making gardening and photography difficult. 

On April Fools’ Day, Thursday, our Green Heron hung out by the dock for a while, and allowed a few portraits to be made. The bird looks so funny with its crest sticking up. It was intent on catching small fish for breakfast.

Kay spent most of the day assisting with preparations for the United Women of Faith (UWF, formerly United Methodist Women) from our church prepare for the annual garage sale. It’s a BIG deal, and over $20,000 is raised each year for deserving charities. I played a pretty decent game of golf at Magellan golf course. Also on Thursday, a gardener removed leaves from the from beds, trimmed all the shrubs in the yard, and planted four azaleas. 

Kay worked as one of the cashiers for the UWF garage sale on Friday, and I played pickleball at Diamante. Pickleball was a blast with a number of really good games.

The gardener returned on Saturday and placed mulch on the front beds, and removed gravel to expand the butterfly garden. Removing the gravel really saved my back! Six bags of top soil were dumped in the newly cleared garden. Last year’s garden, though smaller, attracted 41 species.

After a trip to Home Depot Sunday morning, more top soil was added to the butterfly garden, and  butterfly and hummingbird friendly flowers were planted. While it looks good, it is till relatively bare until even more flowers are planted and all the flowers mature. That will also help control weeds.

Kay and I both played pickleball on Monday morning; she played at Diamante and I played at the POA courts on the west side.

A few bird photos were made on Tuesday morning, and our Tuesday golf game was held to nine holes because of rain; and, it did rain the entire nine holes.

Kay played golf on Wednesday morning, and had a good round. Meanwhile, I observed a lone Great Blue Heron pausing on a neighbor’s dock, offering a “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” photograph.

Without any planned golf or pickleball I began a new project, a dust collection cart for the workshop. Anytime woodworking power tools are used, sawdust envelopes just about every surface in the garage. I acquired the components to build a dust collection system, and it worked well. However, it was not very mobile. Consequently a dust collection cart was designed and built using limited lumber and various available items. The cart was designed to be mobile and hold the vacuum cleaner and the dust collector and bucket. Parts of the next few days (when temperatures were cool in the garage) were devoted to building the cart. Rather than go into a lengthy and verbose description of the process, here’s a photo of the end result. There are still a couple of items to be added such as a “box” on the bottom shelf to hold vacuum cleaner parts. 

The Book Club May meeting rolled around on Thursday, May 8, and I played a poor game of golf.

A competitive round of pickleball was played on Friday morning. I’m almost too old to be competing with the “youngsters” playing in the group. Kay celebrated Mother’s Day having dinner with her kids and their families Friday evening (I had a queazy tummy and remained home).

Kay and I both played pickleball Saturday morning, and enjoyed a quiet Mother’s Day Sunday.

Pickleball was again the activity of the day on Monday with Kay and I both playing in the morning with our respective groups. And then our resident Green Heron posed for photographs on the shoreline while “fishing”.

A successful visit to the cardiologist on Tuesday morning was followed by yet another poor game of golf in the afternoon. For some reason, I seem to be topping the ball with all the clubs—it’s got to be caused by lifting the body up on the front swing! Kay is correct when calling golf the devil’s game.

Kay played golf on Wednesday morning and took the opportunity to capture a few birds in the back yard. I played the pickleball ladder at Diamante in the afternoon. Kay played bridge Wednesday evening.

Even a damselfly was photographed.

On Thursday, I finally broke out of the weeklong golf slump, and shot bogey golf on the back nine of Desoto golf course. Of course, luck had a lot to do with it!

And that wraps up our mundane first couple weeks of May 2025.

Friday through Sunday Noon, March 28-30, 2025—Yard Work, Pollen, Spring Cleaning, and Wild Flowers

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It’s late March in Arkansas and that means yard work and spring cleaning, blooming wildflowers, singing birds, and quite literally tons of pollen in the air!

Kay and I did a bit of weeding and shrub trimming on Friday, and now we’re waiting on warmer soil temperatures before planting flowers for hummingbirds and butterflies. And when the wind would blow huge clouds of pollen would blow off the pine trees. We wised up a few days ago and each of us began taking an Allegra everyday to lessen the impacts of the pollen on our allergies

We also worked a bit in the crawl space which we use for storage. That occupied an entire Saturday morning. It is packed full of Christmas decorations, gardening equipment; sporting goods; fishing rods, reels and tackle; now unneeded RV accessories; and loads of empty cardboard boxes. Two large waste bags were filled with useless stuff for garbage haul-off, and other items were identified and sorted for sale on Facebook marketplace or as donations for the large Women of Faith garage sale in early May. We hardly made a dent!

I ventured out to nearby Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area on Sunday, March 30, in search of white Trout Lilies. No such luck. However, other wildflowers were blooming, adding a bit of color to the mostly prairie floor. 

Monday through Monday, September 16-30, 2024—Was It The Greatest Butterfly Day Ever

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There’s not much to report this two-week period; we continued with our usual activities and meetings. A couple of highlights, though, were dinner out and cards with the Nobles and our annual COVID and flu injections.

Dinner on Friday, September 20, 2024, was at Mulligan’s, and Kay, Celeste Noble, and I had catfish while Tom had pizza. Kay and I used to eat catfish there every Friday evening when Troy and Patty owned and operated it, but had not been overly impressed when new owners/operators took over. This particular Friday evening was good. I can’t remember the card game we played, but it was similar to Hand-and-Foot and Tom won ALL the games!

A couple of butterflies and a hummingbird were photographed Saturday, September 21, 2024.

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Kay and I had our annual flu and COVID injections. And, as usual I began having a reaction to the COVID injection at 2 AM the following morning. The reaction is tolerable, but a nuisance—fever, achy joints, and a headache—lasting about 48 hours. It is yucky at best.

Sunday, September 29, 2024, was a great day for butterfly photography. In fact, it’s the best day we’ve ever had in our yard. The small butterfly garden was full of various species of butterflies flitting here and there, nectaring on the wide variety of flowering plants. Of special note, a Long-tailed Skipper briefly appeared before disappearing for the day; however, I did get a decent photo of it. It’s only the second Long-tailed Skipper I’ve seen in Arkansas.

Also a first in the garden was a Gulf Fritillary.

And then a huge Great Spangled Fritillary, a bit worse for wear, was seen nectaring on a nearby flower.

The first Monarch butterfly to grace the garden then flew in for a brief visit.

And finally, a tiny Red-banded Hairstreak was spotted on a flower; this was another first-time visitor to the garden.

Not to be outdone, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird seemingly begged to be photographed.