birds

So everyone knows that Texas gets hot in the summer.  But this spring and summer have been beyond hot.  We have beaten pretty much any record ever made in the no rain and high temperature departments.  I have lost count but we have had over 70 days of triple digit temps so far this year.  It’s pretty ridiculous.  Our poor, poor yard or what used to be a yard is hanging on the best it can.  We hand water all of our plants about once a week.  We only have native or adapted plants and even most of them are struggling.  But yesterday morning when I was watering I saw a small ray of hope that one day we may see that mystical thing called rain again and that the Earth will eventually revolve around the sun enough that our part of the world should start to cool.  The magical thing I saw was a butterfly.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a butterfly.  That’s because there are no flowers around here for them to come to.  But there it was on our one lantana that is flowering, a beautiful blue butterfly.  Unfortunately, I went in to get the camera and when I came back it was gone.  But then as I continued to water another butterfly showed up!  And then another!  All three were different and incredibly camera shy.  I am guessing that they are starting to migrate down to Mexico maybe?  This would mean that Fall will show up one day.  Hooray!

Two days ago the high was 112.  Yesterday, it was only 108 I believe.  As I write this after 10 pm it is still in the mid 90’s.  So, my poor kids can only play outside until about 10:30 am if we stay in the shade.  I have felt so bad for our plants but also the animals.  We have feeders for birds, hummingbirds, squirrels, and a bird bath.  I love watching from our kitchen windows all the critters that show up to drink the water or eat the food.  As I started making lunch yesterday I noticed our squirrel trying his best to stay cool.  Poor guy is just too hot.  I love his little foot down by his tail.  (Sorry these photos aren’t the best, I was taking the pictures through our window so I wouldn’t scare the animals away.)

Here are some of the birds talking around the water cooler.

And lastly, the squirrel kept cracking me up by laying his belly on the ground while he ate fallen birdseed.  I guess I would do that too if I were stuck outside in a fur coat!