Female Red-winged Blackbird

It is always a special thrill to get a good shot of a female red-winged blackbird.  They are very coy and I was so happy this picture turned out!

The females are the nest builders.  They secure their cup-shaped nests to branches and defend them against all comers.  They may be drab in color compared to their male counterparts, but they are just as fabulous on the hunt and in caring for their nestlings.

Taking Flight

Was lucky enough to see this Great Egret the other day, and took these pictures of it taking flight.  Watching it was a marvel.  No wonder mankind has always been fascinated with flight!

Beautiful Decay

These mushrooms are quickly decaying but I thought they were still amazingly beautiful:

Serenity

Serenity:  Serene, calm, tranquil ...

composed, collected, peaceful.

Watcher in the Woods

Every morning I find myself passing through a wooded area.  I've gotten used to the little landmarks there, including a downed tree with a deep hole in the trunk.  It makes a big black spot in the woods, which always draws my attention.

Today, there was something different.  Above the hole in the downed trunk there was a big white blob.  That's what it looked like to me, anyway.  I thought to myself, "Hmmm.  I don't remember that a big white blob being there before."

I asked Jason, who was with me at the time.  He has better eyes than me.  I said, "Hey, is that an animal on that log in the woods there?"  He took a cursory glance but wasn't really interested in my little mystery.  I grabbed my camera so I could use my zoom lens to get a good look.

Sure enough, it was a big cat.  Not a bobcat, just a domestic cat that might or might not be feral.  Still, in was an unexpected capture with my camera and I was pleased to have noticed it.  Here it is:

So the next time you take a walk in the woods and you get that creepy feeling that someone - or something - is watching you, you just might be right!

Deer Hair

Went on an adventure last fall, exploring a new woodland.  I'd actually been there  before, but this time I went off the beaten path.  At least - the paths beaten by the feet of people.

I ended up following a deer trail over a creek, up a hill, and along a ridge line.  It was steep, and thorny, and a little aimless.  And yes, I didn't come out of the woods at all where I expected to.  But look at the find I found!

Real, genuine deer hair.  Deer tracks are a dime a dozen, but this - this was deer hair.  Not so common - at least not for this nature sleuth.

It was stuck to a branch angled across the deer path at just the right height to rub against the back of a deer passing that way.  Score!

Here's a close up:

This hair is grey, turning white toward the end, with black tips.  If you look online, you can find charts by avid hunters detailing exactly what kind of hair deer have on the various parts of their bodies.  Based on such charts, I conclude that this hair probably came from the back of a deer.

Rusty Waterfowl

Nature-inspired art always draws my attention (no pun intended).

Here's some I found last week at Lock & Dam 14.

Chasing the bokeh

Among the cattails

Hurrying to cover

A Little Hippy

These, my friends, are rose hips:

I've always read about them in books, but never really noticed them in person before.  Finally, this autumn, I've seen them in abundance!

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose plant.  The ones I've seen have been more orange than red.  They are jam-packed with vitamin C.

Hips, also known as haws, are used by people to make tea and jelly.  However, people can be out-competed by the many wild animals that eat them too, such as rabbits, squirrels, and deer.  So don't delay - gather ye rose hips while ye may!

Downy Gentians

Look at these beauties!

I found these lovely flowers while walking out at Scott County Park last Saturday, on the Glynn's Creek Trail.    The trail is mostly through woods, but one glorious stretch takes you past a tall grass prairie, and there they were.

Their lovely purple blossoms caught my eye immediately.  They were tucked away everywhere in the tall grasses, and I went from blossom to blossom like a kid in a candy store, delighting over each one.  They were so pretty!

I particularly loved over the whorled, two-tone petals on the not-yet-fully-opened blossoms.

These downy gentians (so-called due to the tiny hairs on their stems) are sometimes called prairie gentians.  They are among the last flowers to bloom in the late summer, but as I think anyone would agree, they are well worth the wait!

The white and green stripes inside the blossoms helped me identify them. although it was hard to get a look inside as the bees were very busy collecting their pollen!

The name "gentian" comes the name of the ancient Ilyrian king, Gentius, who ruled beginning in 181 BC.  He was said to have used this plant to treat a sickness among his people.

Beaver Sign

Someone's been busy here - busy as a beaver.

I always enjoy finding beaver sign like this.  Even though I rarely see actual beavers in the wild, it's nice to come by their signature works and know that they are out there, doing what beavers do.

Here's a picture of an old cut:

Occasionally you find an oddity among the beaver works.  Hyperion and I had to laugh when we found this tree:

Did the beaver simply not like the first place he was chewing, and switch to  a different spot?  The time spent on the first cut was not wasted, however. Beavers will sometimes chew just to sharpen their teeth.

I also discovered that the front of their incisors has a harder surface than the back, allowing their teeth to be honed to a fine cutting edge.

The beaver became an officially recognized symbol of Canada in 1975, although its use as a symbol there was introduced as early as 1678.  This was due to the huge significance of the beaver pelt in the early fur trade.

The scientific name, Castor canadensis, comes from kastor (the Greek word for beaver), and the country name of Canada.  (Castor is one the Gemini twins, as in Castor and Pollux, of mythological fame.)

Blues & Grays

The wind forms liquid sand dunes on the surface of the pond.

Troughs and ridges form and unform, like waxing and waning tessellations.

The play of shapes and colors mesmerize me, and I want to set sail in their concentric circles.