Quilt the Swamp

Quilt the Swamp is an annual exhibit at BREC Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge, LA. The exhibit featured small quilts inspired by nature. Many of the quilts were sewn by locals.

This picture (below) is my favorite! I thought it was the best quilt there. I especially love the Barred Owl at the top. The Bluebonnet Swamp has plenty of Barred Owls but I haven't seen one yet. After we looked at the quilts, we walked the nature trails and I spent the whole time looking for owls. I was sure I'd spot one since the trees are without leaves.....but I didn't see any!

The Bluebonnet Swamp also has tons of snakes on display! Thankfully they are kept in glass cages and can't get out. Most of the snakes are native non-venomous snakes, but some are venomous. The snake in this picture is venomous, I think he is a rattlesnake but I can't remember. All I remember is how big is he was! He was bigger than my arm!

These are newly built wood duck houses. I'm hoping the next time I visit I see some wood ducks!

I think this turtle is a box turtle, but I'm not sure. There is small pond near the front entrance parking lot and the pond is full of these turtles!

Spring pictures

January is a bleak month for gardening. In my yard, not too many plants are blooming and most plants haven't come out of winter dormancy. Basically I don't have anything to write about; so I've decided to post some flower pictures from a vacation we took to St. Louis, Missouri in August 2009. Enjoy!

Plants Don't Know Its Winter

A few days ago I noticed that several plants were breaking out of winter dormancy, which is not so unusual to see in south Louisiana as we have mild winters. Lately we've had day temps in the 60's and night temps in the 40's. Every now and then a cold front will move in and it will be cold, as in a day high of 40-50. Here are a few pictures from around my yard.

Here are pictures from two of my petunia hanging baskets. Last year's petunias set seeds and now the seeds are just beginning to grow. I planted these petunias 2 years ago and they always set seed! In a few months I'll have blooms.

This is the only flower in my garden! This is a dianthus and it mainly blooms in colder months.

Here is one of my hydrangeas putting out its first leaves of spring. The hydrangeas don't realize its still winter; I guess they have been fooled into thinking that it is spring since we haven't had very cold weather.

This is a new leaf bud on my Red Buckeye tree (Aesculus pavia). Its a slow growing tree and is always the first tree to leaf out in spring. Red Buckeyes also have very pretty red flowers. I'll be sure to post pictures of them whenever it blooms.