Our mother thought we had a koala or panda bear in our tree, but it turned out to be baby owls. At the time these pictures were taken, they were about the size of a pineapple. Here is their story as it relates to our most recent adventure on Green Oaks Farm.
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| The morning after she showed me the little ball of fur I went outside with our St. Bernard, Winston, to take pictures. There was only one in the tree at this time. Having taken my pictures, I stood around in amazement at this precious little thing, when all of a sudden a huge whoosh of air and a grand bird flew by my head. Startled, I watched it fly across a pasture and land on a huge oak tree down by the road. I walked out into an open field thinking this must be her nest and she was worried I was getting too close to her little one. I thought to myself, "Oh, isn't that sweet."
As soon as my thoughts were finished, she lifted off of the Oak tree, extended her claws and I watched in slow motion as what seemed to be her 5 foot wingspan flew her straight towards our St. Bernard, Almost as if in a trance, I watched her pull his fur up and then fly on by. I was stunned and realized the seriousness of the moment. He, on the other hand, looked around as if to say, "What was that? I didn't see anyone standing by me trying to pet me." She thought he was out to get her babies, and she was not going to let that happen. Whether that was just a warning, or she had just tried to lift him up was not something I wanted to happen again.
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I knew i had to get Winston back inside. but before I knew it, she had lifted off again and was heading back towards Winston with talons extended. Still not knowing what was going on, he moved closer to the one white baby sitting on the trunk of a live oak. Momma Owl swooped down and lifted Winston's back and hair, but was not able to lift him. She flew above me and landed on the Live Oak that hangs over the Master Bedroom deck.
I called out to Winston, telling him I had a treat even though there were none to be found. He happily flopped my way and I grabbed his collar, and pulled my pajama shirt over my head as we ran passed the Momma Owl in the tree right by us. I knew how ridiculous it was to think my t-shirt would make any difference, but it was this false sense of protection that gave me the courage to run by! We made it inside and looked back to see Momma Owl fly back to her huge Oak at the road.
Winston and I got Mom up and told her this story. We immediately thought of the Audobon Society and of the Lanigs. Jackie and Brenda Lanig came out to see the Owl and her babies. Brenda, who is also a photographer, was nice enough to send us these photos she took. Her photography website is: www.Blanigphotoart.com These are some great images for Green Oaks Farm!
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| Running Trail and Nature Path |
| The following Images submitted by Nan Wilson, Thistledown Studios |
Peter Pan Island - or, 2d Waterfall
| Coral Honeysuckle
| Black Haw
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Images of Native Plants on Green Oaks Farm
Coral Honeysuckle
Attracts: Birds, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Blackhaw
Attracts: Berries attract birds and mammals.
Yupon
Little Blue Stem, or Wild Prarie Grass
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| What is this plant with the strange green fruit?
| Answer from...
Joe Marcus
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Avenue
Austin, TX 78739
Email: jmarcus@wildflower.org
Your mystery plant is a red oak (Quercus sp.) exhibiting a common malady called oak apple gall. A gall is an area of abnormal growth on a plant (similar to a benign tumor on an animal) caused by some external influence. In this case the cause is a tiny wasp larva that causes the gall to grow around it and provide a safe home for it while it develops. This type of gall is very common.
Here are some links with more information:
http://www.jmu.edu/biology/k12/galls/oakapp.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth/pubs/oakpests/p34.html
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| Miscellaneous Images from the Property |
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