Since I grew up in the cold country, large leafed plants like this were very rare. The closest thing to that size would be skunk cabbage. Here is a picture I found on the internet:
Elephant ears get a lot bigger and don’t smell bad. We had the plants around for a few years and then one of them surprised me; it bloomed. Now, I had never seen an elephant ear bloom before. They must have to reach a certain size, or the weather must be just right, or something. Here is a picture of our plant blooming:
Have you ever seen one bloom? Maybe I just never noticed before.
Now, about woodpeckers. My favorite by far is the Pileated Woodpecker. Here is a picture I took a couple of years ago of one on one of my trees:
Maybe it is always a coincidence, but it seems that they always show up in a group of three. Could it be momma, papa, and child? They have a very distinctive call and sure do make some noise when searching for bugs and larvae that have bored into the trees. Last year was the first year that I didn’t see them. That doesn’t mean that they were not around, but just not when I was outside to see or hear them.
Have any of you watched these magnificent large birds?
I worked second shift and awoke many mornings south of Houston the to their peckering!
ReplyDeleteI lived in western North Carolina for 5 years in a forest of trees, and saw many varieties of woodpeckers, but the pileated are the most fun to watch. They can destroy a tree though.
ReplyDeleteHad a pair of them here a couple years ago. Called them Woody and Wanda! Our windows are mirrored on the outside and he would often come lite on the middle bar and tap tap tap on the glass at his reflection
ReplyDeleteAs for the elephant ears , had them at the house in The Seabrook area, they do like the warm climates
I really love the sound of the woodpecker! Somehow, it seems to make me feel at home!
ReplyDeleteFunny how certain sounds can do that!
Frann, These are large birds and can sure wake up a sleepy neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteGypsy, Yes, they can do damage, but if the tree is that infected with bugs, it would probably die anyway.
Ben, you are lucky he didn't smach your window in. They are powerfull.
Hermit, they do have rythm and each variety has its own drum beat, so to speak.
No Iv'e never seen an elephant ear bloom,didn't know they did until now. As for the woodpeckers, I don't recall ever seeing them. Blessings jane
ReplyDeleteJane, I didn't know that elephant ears bloomed either, until one did. In fact, that is the only one I have seen blooming. And the Pileated is not all that common, but you would know if you saw one.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what kind of pecker it was back in Plano, but it thought it was a metal pecker. I'd hear it and see it many times perched on a street light just pecking away at the metal part on the top. It resonated so loud you could hear it blocks away. Crazy Bird!
ReplyDeleteDavid, And here I only thought Loons were crazy, you know the expression, "crazy as a loon"? Woodpeckers have been known to do crazy things, as do people.
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