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

Posted on June 26, 2025 by dunngone

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.

Also, a couple of wildflower blooms were recorded.

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.

Friday through Saturday, May 23-31, 2025—Butterflies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, and a Dance Recital

Posted on May 31, 2025 by dunngone

Kay and I are in full swing with golf and pickleball; she plays golf a couple times a week and pickleball three or four times a week, and I play golf three times a week and pickleball four times a week. In as much as it doesn’t occupy all of our time, we’re usually too sore and tired to do much of anything else.

Our Memorial Day weekend consisted of pickleball on Friday and Saturday, followed by a visit of the Maumelle kids (Karyn, Ridge, and Aker) on Sunday. Of course the kids had to play pickleball and take a trip to the beach.

Tuesday evening was “Hand and Foot” night at the Starr’s as seven couples played after heavy hors d’oeuvres, Both our teams won a little bit of money.

Wednesday, May 28, was a busy day for the both of us. Kay played golf in the morning, while I photographed at home, Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area, home again, and then I played pickleball followed by having the car serviced in the late afternoon. The first photo session at home proved to be a good one as several “first of season” (FOS) butterflies visited the garden: Common Buckeye, Horace’s Duskywing, Little Glassywing, and Fiery Skipper.

Even dragonfly appeared long enough for a photograph

And then, my FOS Diana Fritillaries were observed at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area.

Not many other species of butterflies were observed, but Common Buckeyes, Eastern Tailed-blues, Little Wood-Satyr, and Hoary Edge Skipper.

Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area is still producing nice wildflower blooms.

And then, back at the house, an Orange Sulphur was observed.

Also, an Eastern Amberwing dragonfly was seen near the lakeshore.

On Thursday, a few dragonfly and damselfly species were observed near the lakeshore at home: Common Green Darner Dragonfly, Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly and Slender Bluet Damselflies sharing a stick-up, a Variable Dancer Damselfly, and a Black-shouldered Spinyleg Dragonfly.

And the pollinator garden was quite active. Below are photographs of a Dun Skipper, Hoary Edge Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, and Southern Brokendash Skipper.

And then on Friday, more FOS butterfly species showed up at the garden including first time visitors Diana Fritillary and Hackberry Emperor.

Not to be outdone, a Tufted Titmouse took advantage of the bird bath for a good soaking.

After pickleball Saturday morning, Kay and I drove to the Memphis area to attend Sutton and Harper’s dance recital. They were both beautiful and amazing, and growing up entirely too fast!

We returned home on Sunday, tired but playing a few holes of golf to end the month.

Wednesday through Wednesday, April 16-23, 2025—A Busy Lifestyle

Posted on April 23, 2025 by dunngone

Kay golfed Wednesday morning, though she did not have a great round, and I played the Diamante Pickleball Ladder in the afternoon, playing better than previously.

She then played pickleball with the Peaches at Diamante on Thursday morning, and I played golf with the guys on Thursday afternoon. Golf with these guys is always lots of fun. In fact, our Tuesday and Thursday golf games and Hole 19s are my favorite activities of the week!

Carolina Chickadees are one of the most popular subjects I photograph, and on Friday, April 18, one posed just long enough for a couple of portraits. (If you want to see more detail, just click on each photo.)

Saturday was without any planned activities, and after a couple of Ruby-throated Hummingbird photos,

a short excursion to Middle Fork Barrens was in order. Many of the target wildflowers were in the final days of their bloom, a few butterflies flitted about, and even a dragonfly landed on a nearby stone.

Easter Sunday was uneventful, and then on Monday, it was back to our regular routines of pickleball—Kay at Diamante while I played at Desoto HSV courts.

A group of Spotted Sandpipers flew though across the lake on Tuesday morning, landing on a neighbor’s rocked bank. These are the first we’ve observed in the neighborhood.

Around lunch, we drove to Bald Knob to watch Ridge compete in a junior high track meet (he’s only in the 7th grade). Prior to the meet, Kay and I had footlong chili cheese slaw dogs at the Bulldog Cafe and Kay topped her’s off with their famous strawberry shortcake. The food was okay, but not near as good as we remember. At the track meet, Ridge did well and had good times, and we were delighted to visit with BIL Gerald and niece Lisa, who met us at the meet.

Kay played golf on Wednesday morning with the Duffers, and shot a really good game with great drives and putts. While she played golf, I took a few photos and then played in a couple of pickleball ladders at Diamante. We were both pretty tired Wednesday evening.

Monday through Monday, April 7-15—Back to Fun and Games

Posted on April 15, 2025 by dunngone

After bunches of rain, it began to dry on Sunday afternoon, allowing play on most golf courses and on the outdoor pickleball courts. Our “Old Men” group reformed and we played some challenging pickleball Monday morning at the DeSoto courts in the Village. It was obvious that a number of us were rusty, but got better as the morning progressed. After pickleball, we drove to Vilonia to watch Ridge participate in a track meet. That kid has a huge heart and outran the closest competitors in both the 4X100 and 4X400 relays despite being significantly behind when he received the baton running the last leg of both relays. While he didn’t win any of the dashes or hurdles, he made a good showing.

The golf courses were too wet—cart path only—resulting in most of our group cancelling Tuesday afternoon golf. On Wednesday morning, Kay played on a wet Coronado golf course; play was slow and tough. And at home, a few birds fed at the seed feeders, yielding photographs of mostly American Goldfinches with a Carolina Chickadee thrown in.

The Diamante Pickleball Ladder welcomed a full house on Wednesday afternoon with two times: 12 noon and 1 PM; I played both, some 7 or 8 games and while loads of fun, it wore me out. Kay also played after the grueling 9 holes of golf, and said she would never do the two on the same day again. And then on Wednesday evening we hosted a Hand and Foot tournament; Gary and Jolene, Janice and Harlan, Helen and Don, Bev and Ron, Marcia and Norm, and Kay and I played. No one was allowed to partner with their spouse. Janice and I came in 6th, but we’ll do better next time.

Kay did The Book Club on Thursday and I played golf. She followed up with pickleball on Friday afternoon while I played Saturday morning with some of my favorite people—Stephanie, Sue, and Gayle; it was like old times when the “Chicks” played everyday. Kay and I sure packed in a lot of activities this week. And then temperatures in the low 80s prompted a visit to Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area to chase butterflies and dragonflies. A few butterflies paused long enough for photos, but the wind kept most in the air.

No dragonflies were observed clinging to shrubs or limbs, or on the ground for that matter. A few wildflowers were evident, though the Fire Pink I was hunting could not be found.

We were both sore and tired from the week’s activities, but we wanted to play golf Sunday afternoon. Helen and Don Baggett joined us for a very windy nine holes at Grenada followed by dinner at the Granada Grill. Golf was painful, i.e. we both played poorly, food was good, and company was great!

Pickleball Monday was with the old men’s group at DeSoto. Don, Tom, Ed, and I played and had a great time. Kay played pickleball with her “Peaches” group at Diamante. Upon returning home, I took a few photos of birds in the back “yard”, and was happy to get two species that do not frequent the feeders: a Pine Siskin and a House Finch.

While Kay played pickleball Tuesday with the “Peaches” group at Diamante, I played golf at Magellan. It was not my best game, though the G&T afterwards was great.

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

Posted on March 30, 2025 by dunngone

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 Saturday, March 16-22, 2025—Wow, Spring has Sprung

Posted on March 22, 2025 by dunngone

Kay and I continue playing pickleball (her more than me) and golf when weather allows. Though our lives are not boring, there are no new adventures to report.

Good news; bad news. The good news is that wildflowers have begun blooming, but the bad news is that high winds have prevented most flower photography these first few days of spring. Nevertheless, with a high shutter speed, a few of the blooms have been photographed. Also, a few “new to us this season” birds have shown up at the feeders.

Grandson Ridge ran several races in a multi-school track meet on Monday, March 17, 2025. He placed first in all but one, and second in that one. Not only is he a great athlete, but he’s a great kid, too.

On the first day of Spring, Thursday, March 20, 2025, feeders in the back yard attracted enough birds to generate several photos. An American Goldfinch came in close enough for a portrait.

And then, a Purple Finch, the first I’ve photographed, landed in a nearby birch tree before coming in to feed. The immature female Finch didn’t hang around long though, and only came that one time.

More American Goldfinches visited the feeders, landing in the nearby birch tree. The tree seems to be a popular hangout for birds!

And finally, a Tufted Titmouse landed in the birch tree.

Wildflowers were the order of the day on Friday, March 21, 2025, despite heavy winds. The photographic quest for the day was a white Trout Lily spotted at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area by good friend Dan. I walked the usual circuit twice trying to find one in bloom, but no luck because of cool temperatures. However, several other wildflower began blooming as the morning progressed towards noon.

And most surprising—and best of all—a Black Swallowtail butterfly flitted by and landed in the grass about 10 yards away. I began photographing it, approaching nearer and nearer with each burst of shots. The butterfly photographs made the almost two-mile walk worth it.

From Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area, I drove to Cedar Creek Trail in search of the more numerous yellow Trout Lily. Several other wildflower species presented blooms as noon arrived.