Yellow has always been a favorite
color of mine, especially in flowers and birds. After a long winter of grays
and whites, it brings a lift to the spirit.
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| Yellow-Belly Sapsucker |
Funny how such a cheerful color also
has negative connotations, but it does. The color yellow has traditionally been
associated with cowardice, treachery, inconstancy and jealousy. Interesting
that in France, the doors of traitors’ homes were daubed with yellow. It’s also
been used as an insult or challenge. “What
are you, yellow bellied?” I’ve even heard the term, “you yellow-bellied sapsucker!” That term originally applied to
birds that literally have a yellow belly, like the yellow-bellied sapsucker.
Later came to mean a term for a low down coward. Poor maligned bird.
We do have Yellow-Belly Sapsuckers in
Missouri and they forage on trees in forests, orchards, and parks for insects
and they also eat fruits, nuts, and berries. Sapsuckers are woodpeckers that
drill small, closely spaced holes in trees to reach the sap and insects drawn
to the sap. They aren’t bright yellow on the bellies but more of a light yellow
wash.
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| American Golden Finches Male and female at the feeder |
Missouri, like many other places, do
have bright yellow Goldfinches. We do have them year round although there is an
influx of them in March and April. I
smile every time I see them in the trees or at the feeders and they’re like
flying yellow flowers. Goldfinches pair up and begin nesting in July and August
when the soft milkweed and thistles begin to bloom. They like to use thistle
silk for their nests. I keep a feeder with thistle and other goodies for the
finches. I love the contrast of seeing
the yellow finches and red cardinals at the feeders.
We also have Eastern Meadowlarks. Very
unassuming colored bird and blend right into brown underbrush. In the winter they're much easier to spot against the snow. Like the
sapsucker, they’re not obviously yellow, just their bellies. They’re here year round and I actually see
them more in winter as they forage in the fields but I hear them singing
throughout the warm season.
Another bright yellow bird that I first
mistook for a Golden finch, until I got a closer look, is the Prothonotary
Warbler. It’s named after the Roman Catholic clerks who wore yellow robes. They
tend to forage for insects in fallen trees or dead standing trees and can be
found near water. We have a pond across the county road from the front yard and
we have a stream that’s shaped like a giant U around the back of our property.
They’re year round residents but, like the Goldenfinches, the rest show up in
Missouri in April and begin nesting.
Missouri has lots of yellow wildflowers
to delight the senses. They’re common sights along roadways and in fields. I
have many, many wildflowers growing in the fields and love my walking track
that brings me up close to so many. It makes walking a joy.
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| Yellow Rocket Flower |
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| Yellow Cone-flower, aka Echinea |
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| Finch among the Tickseed Sunflowers |
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| Common Mulleien |
Although Missouri has many outstanding
features to see and experience, for me, it’s the beauty that surrounds my house
on any given day. The animals, birds, and flowers. I love how the birdsong
fills the air, the gossip at the bird feeders, the cry of an eagle, the fuzz of
yellow-green oaks covering the hills in the spring amid the carpet of
wildflowers. It’s a wonderful place to be.
There are so many beautiful places in this world and I hope you've enjoyed a view of my corner of it, here, in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.
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| Alley Springs Mill and wildflowers |
Photos: Missouri conservation, Missouri field guide to flowers, and personal
