Barred Owl

Dave and I drove out to Sherburne WMA today in hopes of photographing wildlife. Dave spotted this Barred Owl sitting on a branch close to the road. The owl was so close to the road that I only had to roll down my window to snap a picture. He sat there several minutes and let me take tons of pictures. I've never seen or photographed an owl in the woods before, so I was very excited to see this one. He is so cute!

Alstroemeria

I bought this Alstroemeria a few weeks ago at Lowe's and it has been blooming ever since. I planted it under a live oak tree and it seems to like it there. This is my first time planting this in my yard.

A fellow blogger, David from Tropical Texana told me that some varieties of Alstroemeria can quickly overtake an area. I'll need to keep an eye on my plant and not let it push surrounding plants out the way!

Carolina Jasmine

This is picture is from my Dad's garden. The Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) blooms in early spring and puts on a show with its bright yellow flowers. In Louisiana, it is a reliable deciduous perennial. The flowers smell sweet and attract bees.

Carolina Jasmine is known by a few other names like Carolina Jessamine or Yellow Jessamine, but in Louisiana it is widely known as Carolina Jasmine.

My Dad planted this vine years ago and every year it get bigger and bigger. You can't see it from this angle, but the vine has swallowed a bluebird house! The bluebirds still manage to use the birdhouse. Since bluebirds are shy, I think they welcome the privacy that the vine gives them.