South Shore Sharon

@southshoresharon

Nature lover, retired but inspired hobbyist. Musician, writer, photographer; garden putterer, paint dabbler, curious observer; loving life on the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia. Paths to my creative meanderings lead from

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South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 16d

For my fellow nature lovers, specials from a busy summer at the beaver pond trail cams. Have you ever seen a baby beaver!?! Bobcat, raccoon, deer, coyote, four fun otters on the run; simple rays of sunshine on pond-side grasses. Always a treat to check who came to visit. Enjoy! 3h

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 17d

Yesterday - the sights, sounds and supper at The Big Ex, a nostalgic day in Bridgewater. Didn’t go on any rides but I won some loonies at the ball-toss-colour game, covered the cost of parking. 🙂

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 19d

Happy Exhibition Parade Day for local Bridgewater and area folks. Some years it fell on my Mom's birthday. That's her in the back seat next to the clown, me in the cowboy hat, fun times. She was one of a kind. 🥰🥂🎂

A black and white photo of an old buggy with large wooden wheels, three women in dresses and fancy hats are seated in the back, a small umbrella over their heads. There is a man in a clown suit standing beside the buggy and another man in front of the buggy in a tuxedo and hat. A child in a cowboy hat is sitting on the floor of the buggy and peeking out for the photo. There are a few houses and cars in the background, the year was likely 1967. There's a sign in front that says 1867 and "Born 30 Years Too Soon".

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 23d

Same sky, same time, two directions. Orange sunset with tree-leaf accents, a cloudless blue sky with a waxing gibbous moon.

An orange sunset, light to dark shades, very dark leafed branches in the foreground.

A cloudless deep blue sky with a white waxing gibbous moon. (more than half, less than full)

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 23d

Dear deer, strolling in the backyard garden today. We've never come face-to-face with them in the woods, wary of humans as nature intended. The urban deer think differently, our yelling and clapping at this one was taken as applause. He'll be back to sample the fruits of our labour. Buck.

A young buck, a white-tailed deer standing in the garden looking directly at the camera. There are a number of plants beneath his feet, with granite boulders bordering the garden.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 26d

#BirdOfTheDay #Gulls A beautiful day for a drive down the river to the beach. It was high tide but there was one lovely gull on the sand, a bit standoffish at first, but quite willing to oblige a close-up once I explained the assignment.

A herring gull standing on sand, facing the camera. It is white and gray with a yellow beak.

A close-up of the gulls head, its breast is bright, pure white, slate-grey wing feathers, a typical yellow crooked beak and a yellow eye with a red ring.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· 29d

Nice walk down memory lane yesterday, lunch & beach w/high school buds. Reminisced with my old boyfriend about great concerts we went to, like pre-disco BeeGees at the forum. He remembered his rookie year as a local DJ working Xmas Eve, my dad brought him a lobster & beer. Two of the good guys. 🥰

A wooden boardwalk winding through a beach-adjacent marsh, green grasses, water flowing inland, beautiful blue sky with puffy clouds.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 17

#AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind Butts of field 'n stream

A pair of oxen from behind, butts and tails, they are mottled tan in colour.

A mallard duck dabbling for food in the water, only its hind end is visible with its pointed tail feathers in the air. It is various patterned shades of brown with a hint of orange leg beneath the surface.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 16

🎶 Crimson and Clover, Your days are over... 🎶 Many insects are beneficial, but the Japanese Beetle (left) is not welcome in my garden. Found and drowned, sorry. On the bright (right) side, Bumble Bee found the Nepeta and that's the Cat's Pajamas!

Close up of a Japanese Beetle on a flower of white and pink clover. It is bright metallic green on the head and rusty brown on the body. Invasive and destructive!

A two-spotted bumblebee, yellow and black and fuzzy, on a stem of pale purple flowers.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 13

Nature calms my mind and soothes my soul, but there’s also brief moments of excitement - like spotting a native orchid on a grassy woodland path, to having eye-to-eye contact with a dragonfly that feels like mutual curiosity. 🙏🏻

Close-up of a Tuberous Grass Pink, it has deep pink petals with a long middle petal, at the top are a cluster of yellow hairs.

Close-up of a dragonfly on a small sprig. It has large rusty-red eyes and a brown and yellow tail and body. Its wings have complex patterns of yellow lines and other thin lines.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 10

Ah hostas, they lined our driveway for years, bees loved them. Then two deer moved into the neighborhood. Second picture was the first night of deer browsing, the next day they were all gone. Always planted them, the giants too, but way too many deer here now. Hosta la vista baby, no more for me.

A row of hosta plants in full green leaf but not yet in bloom on the edge of a gravel driveway.

The same hostas, the leaves in the foreground are all gone, just stubs of stems.

A giant hosta with very large green leaves.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 10

Two late entries - recent captures from our backyard, one for each theme. A headless Mourning Dove and an American Robin who appears to be starting a second nest of the season. #BirdOfTheDaY

Two mourning doves on a tree branch. One appears to be headless (they were preening). Their colours are mostly summer beige with some green pine blur in the background.

A red-breasted robin on a rock, it has a long piece of straw in its beak.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 7

Still chasing the sunsets in my own backyard.

A distant sunset with soft colours of light blue clouds above and a few dark tall trees in the foreground.

Same direction with trees but sky is getting darker and the circle of glowing sun is visible behind a few thin clouds.

Almost at the end, sun down and sky dark red.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jul 2

Seeing the sights on Nova Scotia's South Shore, it's a beautiful part of the world to explore, even when you live here and have seen it all before. 🙂🙏

An ocean scene, cool blue waters with small surf, evergreen trees and rocks near and on the horizon.

Another seaside scene, fishing village sheds of weathered wood and painted bright red, with wooden wharves between them and the water.

Lunenburg harbour scene with six schooners and land in the distance. The second schooner from the left is motoring out of the harbour, it's the famous one - the Bluenose.

A long beach with light breaking waves over the sand and some beach and trees far in the distance.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 30

Having fun with a family visit this week. Our grandpup Dolly is experiencing ocean beaches for the first time, it’s a special brand of joy. 🥰🐾

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 27

Plant it (Swamp Milkweed) and they will come (Monarch Butterfly)! Planted several into the new garden just three weeks ago, wasn't sure they'd find my young plants, but they did! Will be on the lookout for caterpillars! 🤞🙏

Green leaves of a milkweed plant planted in front of of some granite boulders with a monarch butterfly on it. The butterfly has the specific patterns and colours of blacks and shades of orange.

A closer shot of the same subject, it looks like the body of the butterfly is extended enough to be laying eggs on the leaves of the plant. If so, and if they hatch, the caterpillars will eat the plant leaves.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 22

Walking the wetland woods yesterday, taking photos of every little thing that captures my notice, my sharp-eyed husband stops by something he knew I'd want to see. "It's good and bad" he says. (?) "A big pile of coyote scat...but it has a butterfly on it." The metaphors write themselves.

A White Admiral butterfly, beautifully coloured with deep rusty reds, blacks and blues and a wide white stripe. It is on a rough light surface which was actually a pile of aged coyote scat, but the photo is zoomed and cropped to highlight the butterfly.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 18

Refreshed our old Adirondacks and rather than try to match and buy four separate colours, we went with one favourite. I picked the paint and husband did a nice job sanding and painting them. He calls them our Purple People Seaters. (I find him funny) 😆

A wooden outdoor chair sitting on a concrete patio with grass in the background. It’s painted a deep but bright purple. For anyone curious the name of the colour is Mystical Grape acrylic stain.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 15

Mourning Doves - our love doves - enjoying an afternoon at the spa. They are so chill and a joy to have around. I've not always felt that way about larger groups that coo all day and don't interact, but these two are a special addition to our backyard birding area. #birdoftheday #personalchoice

The pair cuddled up breast to breast, she looks like she is resting.

The same two in slightly different positions. She looks like her eye is shaped like a heart.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 12

Most expensive plant in our new garden, a Witch Hazel cultivar. I'm a responsible gardener not a purist, my garden is predominantly native plants, no invasives. This is considered "highly deer resistant"... we shall see, he didn't love it. We clapped and suggested he move on, he was unfazed.

A white-tailed deer munching on the leaves of a shrub.

Same deer with its tongue stuck out, perhaps didn't like the taste of the sample.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 7

I don’t have a favourite colour but I’m partial to the hues of the natural world, like blue jay blues.

A blue jay facing forward on a branch, this one is more white and it’s quite round. “Fluff weight”

The full bird side-on with bands of blue patterns across its wing and tail feathers.

A blue jay perched on a very small branch, its head is turned downward and it has a very pointed beak from the top.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 6

A quartet for #BorrowedPlaces #BirdOfTheDay Birds using human or other unexpected structures to perch. The garden rope railing was a favourite resting spot for many feathered friends.

A sparrow perched on a weather vane on a roof. The weather vane has a horse figure on top of the arrow, with direction letters below. You can almost imagine the bird is communicating with the horse.

A hummingbird perched on a clothesline, it has recently rained and there are drips of water on the line. A dark blurred green background.

A large barred owl taking a rest perched on the back of a white plastic lawn chair.

A yellow-rumped warbler perched on a thick piece of white rope railing strung between garden posts.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 3

Switched from news to relaxing jazz channel earlier than usual today. Local’s okay but national Global TV is Fox-North this morning. Opinion vs. reporting used to be identified as such, I miss journalism. Oh well, garden planting today but here’s some native blooms I enjoyed for free.

A white star flower with vibrant green leaves.

A wild violet, five white petals with thin violet lines in one petal.

A bunchberry flower, four white petals surrounding a cluster of brown, yellow and green.

A thin branch with green leaves against a blurred green background. Tiny white flowers clustered at the tips of the branches.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· Jun 2

So busy with garden plants and soil, needed a break in the wetland woods to spend time with water and plants that don’t need to be planted. The tiny lake/marsh looked like paintings of calm reflection. Shinrin-yoku 🙏🏻🪷

Still waters with lily pads and reflections” of shoreline trees, mostly shades of green with lighter streaks of colour from the tree trunks and leaves.

Same patch of calm water but with more leaf reflection and a few aquatic stems growing in the water.

Leatherleaf, a native shrub that likes wet feet, leathery green leaves with small white bell flowers. The marsh waters are blurred in background.

A more stepped-back view of the water with grasses, lily pads and trees on the opposite shore. The water is very calm.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· May 31

One minute I'm closing the blinds for bedtime and the next minute I'm outside with my camera. Oh well, shoot for the moon. Blue Moon.

Four photos of the full moon with various tones of colour and shade from the surrounding clouds, some visibility of the treetops below.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· May 26

We had a wee bit of creeping phlox at our last place. A very hot hill with poor soil, the ground covers loved it. I’ll be planting more here when I get the thyme. 😊🌱

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· May 23

A simple little poem for those who enjoy gardening or native flora or pretty photos or simple little poems. Combines a few of the interests listed in my truthful bio. Have a lovely day. 🙂 (more readable text in Alt).

A poem next to two photos, one is a monarch butterfly of multi-colours on a pink swamp milkweed flower, the other is a "Serviceberry" branch of flowers, mostly thin white blossoms and orange leaves. These are the lines of the poem -

On Starting a New Garden

The frost subsides the May winds blow
The garden beckons - outside you go!
Once more my winter bones will rise
To haul the dirt and swat the flies

Rock and compost, soil and fill
Rake and shovel, dig and till
One more time to start anew
(Life moves on and gardeners too)
All the plants and plots I’ve left behind
Live on in my memories, heart and mind

Mistakes were made (not worth the mention)
I begin again, with the greatest intention
To plant for the birds, butterflies and bees
I’ll favour the native shrubs and trees
I’ll borrow ideas from nature’s riches
Beautiful blossoms grow in the ditches!

With expert advice (an important factor)
And dear husband’s help (with his trusty tractor)
A plan unfolds - and because they’re persistent -
My new plants must be deer and rabbit resistant!

Water, shelter, bug and berry
A backyard oasis, a sanctuary

And when muscles are tired and feet are sore
I’ll rest and rise and plant some more
In the space between the toil and fun
The garden will grow, the work will get done

And if something I plant today outlives me
That’s just part of the joy that gardening gives me

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· May 22

A busy time of year for humans and wildlife, catching up on a few photos picked for posting before they get too old. If only winter months went so fast! 😊 Happy Friday!

Bunny. Close-up of a snowshoe hare, mostly head and ears. Its fur is brown with a little white patch under its nose and very brown eyes.

Close-up of a red squirrel face, shiny dark eyes and whiskers, it almost looks like it's smiling. It's holding a seed. Caption - "Thanks for putting out those black sunflower seeds for meeeee."

A chickadee on a branch. It's looking at a piece of the branch that almost looks like an open beak. Do birds see faces in branches?

A ruby-throated hummingbird approaching a red and glass feeder. The feeder has a hummingbird etched into it, they are almost identical.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· May 18

Sunbow. 😎

A ring around the sun, the ring has rainbow colours. Bright in the middle
surrounded by shades of blue sky. There is also a contrail drifting across the centre of the sun.

Another view of the bottom half the sunbow arc and the contrail, a bit darker contrast.

South Shore Sharon@southshoresharon· May 18

More wildlife, these two were in the backyard - a cute bunny and a young buck I've dubbed "His Nubs" (takeoff of the cribbage term). An added challenge to my garden plans.