Postcards from the Hedge

We have always enjoyed collecting postcards of our favorite animals or scenes and we love to photograph nature. So we decided to feature postcards of some of our best nature and animal photographs here on this page and also tell you about the flora and fauna in each shot .

Postcards are not just for keeping in touch. They can be used for many arts and crafts projects. We like to use postcard size photographs of birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles, amphibians and other animals to make attractive framed picture collages to decorate our home. When I taught school, I used picture postcards in a variety of thematic units and learning activities. All of these and more are available at our Naturally Native Creations Gallery on Zazzle.

We hope you enjoy viewing the animals and plants of Louisiana.

Dax the orange cat and 2nd Chance, the rescued Cocker Spaniel are best buddies. They often share a nap and Dax always meows to alert me when 2nd Chance is ready to come in. My two "red heads" enjoy exploring and playing in the yard. Here are some of the plants and animals that they encounter.

We love to photograph and paint nature and we hope that our photographic and art postcards will help spread the word about the interesting plants and animals that inhabit our great state of Louisiana. All of these postcards (and more) are available on our 3 galleries on Zazzle: Naturally Native Creations, Louisiana Lagniappe and Wild & Wonderful Louisiana . We hope you enjoy viewing these and if you want to see more, be sure to visit our gallery.

We hope you enjoy the photographs.

We are so blessed to have an abundance of songbirds in our habitat on the Tchefuncte River in southeastern Louisiana. We enjoy their color and song all year round. The ones you see below are: American Robin and Prothonotary Warbler. Robins visit our habitat in Southeastern Louisiana during winter. They eat holly berries including the yaupon shown in the picture. The lovely Prothonotary Warblers breed in wet areas in spring and summer. Prothonotary numbers are increasing here because we provide good habitat and nest boxes.

Since we live in a woodland habitat, we don't have as many nesting Eastern Bluebirds as we would like, but luckily a pair uses one of the boxes around the pond each year. As we open up more areas and add birdhouses, their numbers increase.

The bright red color of the male Northern Cardinals brightens the winter months and his cheerful song enlivens the spring. Many cardinals nest in the shrubs and thickets of our habitat. The females aren't as colorful as the males, but are lovely in their own right. Their fawn brown feathers with touches of red help to camouflage them while they incubate the eggs.

Ever since Hurricane Katrina downed over one hundred mature pine trees, we have had an abundance of Red-bellied and other woodpeckers. We have enjoyed watching and taking pictures of the whole nesting process, from drilling out the nesting hole to weaning the young.

Male red-bellied woodpeckers have red coloration from the top of the head all the way down the nape of the neck. Females only have red color on the nape of the neck. Both feed and care for the young.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only species of Hummingbird that nests in Louisiana.The males have bright red throat patches called gorgets. The females and young have grayish-white throats.

During the winter, though, we often have other species of winter migrants that visit our yards. We have photographed many Ruby-throated hummers in the spring and summer, as well as Buff-bellied, Calliope and Rufous during the winter.

Birds of Prey are part of a healthy habitat. They help keep the rodent population down and keep things in balance. Screech Owls and Red-shouldered Hawks are common visitors to our habitat. The hawks build large nests of sticks in trees while the screech owls nest in cavities and large birdhouses like those built for wood ducks.

For more Postcard designs, visit our Naturally Native Gallery

We have several butterfly gardens that provide both nectar for adult butterflies and food for the caterpillars. We have photographed several of the showy species of butterflies that inhabit Louisiana.

Some of the species include:

• Monarch
• Tiger Swallowtail
• Long-tailed Skipper
• Clouded Sulphur
• Palamedes Swallowtail
• Coma
• Giant Swallowtail
• Gulf Fritillary
• Pearl Crescent
• Dusky Skipper
• Pipevine Swallowtail
• Red Spotted Purple
• Buckeye
• American Painted Lady

The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth is a type of sphinx moth that feeds during the day. It is often mistaken for a "baby" hummingbird.

The buck moth is a beautiful species, but its caterpillars are covered with spines that "sting". Here in the South we call them stinging caterpillars and know it's best not to sit on benches under oak trees when they are on the move.

Insects and other pollinators are a very important link in the cycle of life. Without them, many of our fruit and vegetable plants would not produce. By planting masses of native plants and wildflowers that honeybees and native pollinators need, we help keep populations strong.

Damselflies are diminutive and delicate creatures similar to dragonflies.Some like the one shown here are iridescent.

Our habitat supports a healthy population of mammals. We use fencing and ultrasonic animal repellers to keep them from eating our fruits and vegetables. By using safflower rather than sunflower in some feeders, raccoon and squirrel damage and waste can be avoided.

Reptiles and Amphibians are another important predator in the habitat and especially in the organic garden. They provide free pest control service without the use of harmful chemicals.

Most of our pets found us. We either adopted or rescued all of our current furry friends. Dax, the mischievous orange kitten is the youngest of the group. Blaze Star, who stumbled up out of a ditch on a busy highway is the oldest. Lovely Star Noir, the diva showed up one October just before Halloween. Second Chance, the rescued cocker spaniel is still a work in progress. Little Pepper Cat is the newest member of the tribe which was founded by Rio, the part Catahoula, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge when he was almost 15 years old.

Each member of our peaceable kingdom has their own personality and story to tell. You may enjoy reading more about them in Our Pets' Story.

By including many beautiful native flowers and plants in our landscaping, we have reduced our maintenance time and cost considerably. We also have reduced air and water pollution because we don't need to use chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.