We have been so extremely lucky lately.  We've been blessed with small bits of nature in suburbia.

The most recent addition to our studies have been killdeer.  While driving my husband to work one night, driving along a golf driving range on one side and a factory on the other, a screeching bird flew in front of the car.  The underside was pointy and white and I had no idea what it was. 

About a week later, I noticed a bird over on the small patch of lawn by the driving range's fence.   I had never seen this bird before.  I spent over an hour searching the internet before I found the killdeer.

The_Killdeer 

(I'm sorry the picture is so bad -- I took it out the car window, while driving!  But hopefully you can make out the killdeer)

Apparently they are common summer migrants to our area for breeding purposes.  They live near water, but breed wherever.  Usually in rocks to camouflage their eggs.

Anyway, every day we drive my dh to work, we would see him.  Then two.  Then three.  Then four.  All adults.  They were in the same area every day, so we figured that they had eggs. 

Yesterday we got to see the babies!  It was so awesome!  They were just tiny little things identical to their parents.  Running on their little legs, they can't fly yet.  Just so adorable!

 We also have the most adorable baby bunny!  I saw it the other day in the grass and had Em run in to get carrots.  This is like fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand baby bunny!  Poor thing must have been traumatized!  Big woman tossing carrots in its path as it tried to dart away!  Em saw it again the next day and it seems he had eated the carrots.

 This is NOT my picture, but this is just what it looked like!  A little more brown and less gray perhaps. 

And our daily friend is Mr. Squirrel -- even though we found out later that he is a she.  Nobody's perfect!  But the name "Mr. Squirrel" has stuck.  I am traumatizing animals left and right around here!  I make up for it by feeding her.  A lot.

Bread.

 Sunflower seeds.

 And lately we have been blessed with the sociable Red Admiral Butterfly.

(Once again, not my photo)

These butterflies visit every evening and land on us like we're old friends.  Emme feels that closeness to God when this happens as well -- and I couldn't give her any greater gift than teaching her how to find that connection here on earth!

"Red Admirals are considered to be people-friendly butterflies that will approach and perch on human beings" 

And I am going to assume that they live in my tiger lilies --  "Male Red Admirals generally claim an elliptically shaped area ranging between 4-13 m wide and 8-24 m long. To protect this area, the males will patrol their territorial boundaries up to thirty times an hour" -- which is why I probably see them flying all over the place as I water the flowers in the evening!

I got this info HERE 

Well, that will end part one of our backyard (or close to our backyard) critters.  Part two will focus on a recent field trip we took to a local park where we discovered two different animal oddities!  (And an icky educational surprise)  And part three will be all about my best backyard friends -- the birds!

Have a blessed time in nature!

Sherry