As songbirds gather all around my yard and greet me with the morning chorus I noticed that my snowball bush has fully bloomed. This particular bush reminds me of my great aunt Dolly. She had one identical to this one growing in her back yard near a little trail into the woods. I seem to remember very young kids getting into trouble for having a snowball fight with some of the lower blooms as well. In the imagination of a child it’s very possible for a tree to yield actual snowballs! This one however is the haven of a group of native goldfinches that frequently visit my feeders. And the males are in full color now. The make me think of little drops of sunshine zipping across my window as I work. Occasionally they sit in some of the undergrowth on the forest edges and sing all day. The females are more tolerant of my presence like the cardinals that live in the forsythia but the males disappear into the dense branches of the snowball bush as soon as I open the door. I believe this is same six individuals that I’ve watched all winter and with a little luck I’ll have a forest full of them soon.
Now snowball bush is an alien species to North America but it doesn’t really seem to produce viable seeds here. I have plans to bring in more natives a little at time and when the snowball bush ends its life cycle I’ll probably replace it with buttonbush. Buttonbush doesn’t have as large of a bloom but it does have a ball shaped cluster of flowers that gives the same anesthetics as snowball bush. The seeds of buttonbush are also food for waterfowl and wood ducks like to use buttonbush to build their nests. Overall, buttonbush is a better choice for wildlife.
Still though, there is a certain romantic image of a Victorian lady and her beau having tea beneath a snowball bush in a well manicured garden that draws us into a more civilized past. Simple pleasure are hard to beat.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup
Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
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Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 