Tree Sparrow & Teasel

For decades I have been wandering around in nature on a daily basis near our home. Often I take the camera along and record little vignettes of the natural world that catch my eye artistically. The leaves of the teasel in winter have a powerful sculptural quality reminiscent of some medieval decoration. The tree sparrow is a pleasing dash of colour when it migrates to southern Canada and northern USA from its Arctic breeding grounds.

Also:
The word "tree" is misleading when applied to the tree sparrow since this little bird is seldom found in trees, but usually found on the ground. The nests are often on the ground but may be in low trees or bushes. They nest in a broad swath of North America from Alaska to Labrador, therefore the majority of people see them only in winter. Like other sparrows, the tree sparrow feeds on seeds. They are of great benefit to farmers because of the weed seeds they devour. It was estimated that they consumed 875 tons of weed seeds annually in Iowa alone.

The teasel is considered a native "weed", which I prefer to call a wild meadow plant. The seed head is a spectacular cone of spines and was used in pioneer days for carding wool. I also always found the leaves visually attractive - rather like metal sculpture.