Naked ladies and the roadrunner

Sometimes the things that pop up and into my yard are a complete wonderment to me. Nature brings me an endless array of flora and fauna that appear out of thin air in a virtual parade seemingly designed to delight only me. They do so endlessly. This beauty is a Belladonna Lily, or Naked Lady, and I am always surprised by the flowers when they appear. The plant shows its' thick, green foliage in fall and by spring, every trace is gone.

Dormant until late summer, all of sudden I look out and see these heavenly buds spiking up from bulbous roots. Each naked stalk produces a cluster of from 2 to 12 trumpet-shaped, and heavily scented flowers in an irristable shade of pink. Even the buds are glorious, don't you think?

From the Amaryllis family, the plant is reportedly named after a beautiful shepherdess from Greek mythology. Now come on, how appropriate is that? Well, the shepherdess part anyway. One caveat though, they are toxic, highly poisonous if ingested, so maybe not good with children. Seems I have a lot in common with this plant.

And then there's this guy, (gal?) Periodically, I look up from my desk and catch a glimpse of him entering my yard. He cautiously surveys his route from the perimeter where the plant material is heaviest, then as if shot from a cannon, scoots across the open expanse of green lawn, and hops over the fence.

I was lucky to get a picture of this Greater Roadrunner. They can run at speeds up to 20 miles an hour! How fast is that for a creature only 22 inches long. I love to see him in my yard, and he always makes me smile.