Parents in the Wild - Happy Mother's Day!

For the past few years, one particular male mockingbird has been serenading the neighborhood's sleepless in his quest for a female.  Recently, noting the absence of three AM operatics, I began to wonder if Mr. LonelyWings had found his mate at long last?

Apparently so.  The proud new Mockingbird Mom and Pop have been frenzied in their attempts to forestall tree traffic coming anywhere near their nest. Their efforts have been all encompassing as they work to keep the nearby canopy emptied of lingering squirrels, paying special attention to assertive blue jays.

It must be exhausting, dive bombing so many, so often, fuss-fuss-fussing as they go.  All that night-long singing must have really gotten Poppa Mock in good shape.  I tried grabbing photos but the velocity and ferocity of his defense left me with nothing more than a series of varied blurs.  I'll keep trying, but no photo [here] means you'll simply have to take my word.  It is quite a show.

Mr./Ms. Mockingbird aren't the only new parents around.  Poppa and Momma Wren have been out singing songs about the best wren babies ever! They've been raising young in a craft store birdhouse I hung on an upper deck to reflect on windows and deflect white winged doves who were otherwise intent on crashing through.  I never expected it to actually house nesting birds, but expectations are apparently made to be defied, at least when it comes to wild parents.

My babies are so sweet! So sweet! So sweet!

Soon to be new Momma white-tailed deer have been slowly, steadily, munching their way across the front garden beds for several mornings now.

These does are experienced grazers. They rarely bother the plants that are resistant classics due to aromatics or textural defenses.  The more random chomp-pull-and-spit action will come into play soon enough once youngsters are weaning and learning what is nice to eat for themselves.  For now, Momma knows best, and the usual suspects are fair game.

Heavy with young, these pregnant does aren't going anywhere fast.  It won't be long now...

In the "almost but not quite" category, a female black chinned hummingbird began constructing a nest on an oak tree branch visible from my kitchen window.

At first I was absolutely beside myself with joy at the thought of watching her build a nest and raise young right before my eyes.

Then I began to second guess her choice.  Wasn't this nest way too near our house? Wouldn't all our comings and goings, along withThe Hub's regular blowing off the nearby sidewalk send her packing?  The hummingbird apparently came to the same conclusions at about the same time. By the third day it became clear she was still in the area, but she had abandoned her little nest-with-a-view/er.

I was being soooo quiet - do you think she noticed me?  Yeah, I think she did too...

Only partially completed, the little nest remnant remains securely in place, a tribute to a master Momma builder and to two of the most exciting days I've ever had bird watching.

To change things up from recent posts, I thought I'd show some winged visitors that are anything but butterflies. We've seen a lot of pollinator action, and though butterflies often grab most of my attention, they are by no means the only attractive action in flower town.

Flies, moths and bees are all equally beautiful in their own way, if you take time to really look closely.

Condylostylus/Asian long legged fly posing on Pavonia leaf.

Syrphid fly, bee mimic, on Daisy.

Green on green, a Lucilia, or green blow fly, reflecting the morning sunshine.

Speaking of green on green, there are Agapostemon - the sweat bees, with their metallic coloring.  They come in all sizes, and always look stunning while nectaring, like so many little brooches attached to the blossoms.

What goes with purple?  A tiny agapostemon decked out in deep emerald green.  

Looking equally well accessorized, a Pink Evening Primrose with a slightly larger agapostemon.

...and not to be outdone, Coreopsis joins the fashion parade.

Tree cricket  Katydid nymphs are brightening their tiny corner of the world, decked out in spots and stripes both.

Unspecified bush Katydid nymph, looking pretty dapper on Winecup.

Carpenter bees bring their own blue-eyed bling to bonnets.

Another color match, this time Southern Pink Moth on Evening Primrose.

Proving you don't have to be colorful to be beautiful, delicate all-white Stemorrhages costata moth on blanket flower buds.

And that about wraps it up for this May's Wildlife Wednesday.  If you garden, when you garden, you are a mother (or father) to masses.  I hope you'll take a moment this coming Sunday when the US celebrates Mother's Day, and pat yourself on the back for helping nurture life in the wild.  We are all in this together.  For humans it may take a village, but for wildlife, it sure helps to find a friendly garden.

Take a bow and say so long!

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Thanks as always to blogger extraordinaire, Tina, of My Gardener Says, for hosting this most fascinating monthly meme.  Be sure to check out all the other posts linked to in the comments section of her Wildlife Wednesday post for this month.  You'll want to see who and what's shaking in wild spots from all around.