A couple of mornings ago when we were sitting on the back porch with our coffee, I heard the distinctive call of a yellow-billed cuckoo in a tree nearby, but I wasn't sure which tree and I couldn't see it.
Yesterday, when we went outside to drink our coffee, I brought my binoculars, just in case. I heard it again, and this time I was able to spot it in the top branches of the catalpa tree, eating caterpillars.
Judging from the chewed-on appearance of the leaves, the tree appears to be full of caterpillars, which is what attracted the bird.
Indeed, the caterpillar of a variety of sphinx moth appears partial to the tree and caterpillar tree happens to be one of its names.
The cuckoo is also known as the rain crow, but unfortunately, the bird has not lived up to its name. The drought continues.
We collect water from the shower, rinse water from the
dishes, and the rinse water from the washing machine to keep our tomatoes and
peppers watered. But because we are on a well, we can’t water the yard and so
it is starting to burn up under the unrelenting brutal heat, and...
some of the smaller trees look as though they are dying.
I wish we had a Burt Lancaster to come and make rain for us, but we must depend on the Creator to do that, and I hope He does it soon.
1 comment:
I sure hope you some rain soon. Droughts are scary. We were very dry here for the longest time but your drought sounds much worse. Finally, here in the dog days of summer, we are getting thunderstorms and rain in the afternoons...it is so hot and humid!!
I just read your last post about your friend June. She must have been a wonderful person.
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