Nature's Surprising Colors

It has been a busy summer, so much so that I haven't had time to simply walk around our yard to just listen and observe nature around me. This past Sunday morning I decided to do just that. As is typical, Nature was full of surprises. The first thing I noticed was the noise from all the birds - almost as loud as in the spring. There were quite a few robins, which was interesting because I haven't really noticed that many all summer. Up by one of my gardens, a hummingbird was sipping nectar from the Anise Hyssop and then perched itself on the fence. I ran back to the house to get my camera, and of course, by the time I returned it was gone. I spotted another unique bird at the top of a tree. It was yellow, but was larger than the goldfinches that frequent the thistle feeder and are abundant every morning. I took a snapshot of the bird and then ran back to the house to get my binoculars to get a better look. Alas, by the time I came back it had flown away. Fortunately, my one picture turned out pretty well.

Yellow bird in birch tree

I used my Merlin Bird ID App through Cornell Lab of Ornithology  to identify it. I was surprised to discover that it was a female Scarlet Tanager. Although I know that female birds are typically not as colorful as their mate, I did not know that the mate of this bright red and black bird could look so different. Similarly I learned last year that a female red-winged blackbird is brown with white streaks. Now I can readily spot them near wetlands.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird in a Vermont Wetland

As I continued to walk around the garden, I saw out of the corner of my eye what first appeared to be  a leaf on one of my raised bed frames. I took a closer look, and saw that it was a tiny frog.

I did not know what kind it was and was intrigued by the color. I looked it up later and identified it is a Gray Tree Frog. With that name alone I wouldn't have made the connection, but its scientific name is hyla versicolor - meaning variable in color. In fact, it changes color like a chameleon, although more slowly. I'm not sure if it knew if it was on a brown log or if it was trying to blend in with the green moss. It is also possible that this particular frog had recently metamorphosed, at which time they are typically bright green.

I was glad that I took the extra time to take a closer look at the environment that is literally outside our back door...you should too.