fall is still falling

Fall is almost over, but every now and then I come upon a beautiful tree that is still holding on to fall.

Sunset

View through the trees of the sunset.  It's hard to find a place to see the horizon in Raleigh, there are so many tall trees...

Lynn Lake Fall

Lynn Lake has a peaceful 2 mile walking path around it.  It looks totally natural, but there are condos and apartment complexes hidden behind the trees...

Dragonfly

All summer he was surrounded with flowers in the garden, now he's all by himself.  

State wind chime?

The cardinal is the state bird of North Carolina, (along with Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia).  This wind chime cardinal looks just as proud as the real thing.

Door frog

This frog looks like he's just crawled onto the front door of my neighbor's house.  I just noticed him lately although I've walked past the house every day.  How could I miss this creature?

flags

People around here love to fly their flags.  (Thankfully, no Confederate flags in sight.)  This one puzzled me until I looked it up.  It celebrates the "thin blue line".  Basically supporting the police, and probably a reaction to Black Lives Matter.  I learned in Girl Scouts that the American flag should never be used in any other form than the red white and blue flag.  Not as clothing, not as a banner.  Also, the flag is to be protected from the weather, and when it gets old it should be retired and respectfully burned. See here

Hmmm what about this tired flag?

It seems like people who fly the flag should respect it.  Like the one below.

Dawn

On a cloudy day, this is as much of the sun as you can expect to see.

Happy Thanksgiving

I don't think this turkey has to worry about being eaten today, but he's concerned about something.

Maple leaf

The leaves were bright in the rain.

Kale in the rain

Kale seems to be able to survive a lot of cool weather.  I liked the way the misty rain beaded up on the leaf.

Brave little Marigold

These little marigolds just keep blooming.  They are almost lost in the bright leaves from the crepe myrtle, but they just keep going.

Fall Dogwood

The most amazing thing I've found about North Carolina are the beautiful forests.  Even in and around Raleigh the trees are wondrous.  

I've learned lately that this might not always be true.  There is more and more development around the city, cutting down the thick forests.  But even worse, our forests are being cut to make wood pellets that are sent to Europe for Biomass Electrical plants.  The Dogwood Alliance is a group fighting this forest decimation.  Their motto: Our Forests Aren't Fuel.  See here for more information.

Vulture on the lawn

Out walking the dog one evening, we came across two turkey vultures enjoying a dead squirrel on the neighbor's lawn.  They weren't very afraid of us or the dog although they did move onto the rooftop when we got really close.  As soon as we walked by, one of them came back and was at it again.

Peace on Earth

I found this beside the Neuse River Greenway.  I've walked by there several times and never noticed it, but it looks like it's been there a long time.  I think it's a peace pole.  The word Peace has been broken off the "Peace on Earth"  The other sides had words that I assume are about peace in other languages.  The QR-code  had different sayings about peace, but no information about who put the pole there.

Can you see them?

How many deer can you see?  I count four in this picture, but inthe whole herd we counted nine.  In these wooded areas it's really hard to see them all.  

A little bit early?

Merry Christmas.

I found this on a young tree beside the Neuse River Greenway.  

Mystery seeds

I can't find out what type of seeds these are.  I found them hanging from a short bush on the Neuse River Greenway.  Any ideas?

Finally Fall

After teasing for a few months, finally the trees are turning!  The holly (behind) will be green all winter, but the maples are glowing.

Heavenly Bamboo

This bush is fully loaded with red berries.  It's a Nandina, sometimes called a Heavenly Bamboo.  I don't know how heavenly it can be, the berries are toxic, and sometimes kill flocks of Cedar Waxwings that eat the berries.

Fuzzy Fall Caterpillar

This guy was crawling quickly across the front sidewalk.  He's a Dagger Moth Caterpillar.  There is an old wives tale about fuzzy caterpillars predicting a cold winter...but I think it's a different kind of caterpillar.  (I hope.)

Bullet points

We were told at one time in school to stop calling them "bullet points", and instead call them "focus points".  (Less violent?)  But these are true bullet points, found on a sign posted at the water's edge of Falls Lake.  My guess is that people take pot shots at it from their boats on the lake.  Hmmm, as I walked by on the hiking trail I hoped that no one felt like shooting that day...

Roots

There are running clubs that meet in Umstead State Park and run the trails.  What I noticed in walking a trail is that there are a LOT of tree roots.  It could make for uncomfortable trips and ankle twists, but they are beautiful.

This one even has a heart.

Back to the grindstone

There were a lot of mills in Raleigh on the little creeks.  This grindstone sits at the entrance to the visitor center at Umstead State Park.  The area once was inhabited by small farms and mills.  The land was depleted and the farms were mostly abandoned.  In 1934 the CCC bought the land and made it into a recreation area.  Later it was bought by the state.  It has a darker past, at one time it was 2 parks, one for African Americans, and one for Whites.  The two entrances to the park still do not connect.  Wikipedia has some of the history here.

Fall is still falling

You can  find trees with color and colored leaves, but most of the trees are still green!  

Pup talk?

The sign is about pet responsibility.  I don't think Khaki liked what she heard...

Umstead State Park

Raleigh has a lot of forested parks with beautiful walking trails.  But the granddaddy of them is William B. Umstead State Park.  It is described as an "Oasis of tranquility; a peaceful haven" in the park brochure.  (of course it is in the flightpath of RDU airport)  Some information here.

Mocking bird

Mocking birds must be very territorial.  This guy is always at the same street corner, high in a tree.  He angrily chirps and flicks his tail at us as we walk by.

End of the garden

After a hot summer that stressed the tomato plants, and cabbage worms that ate the kale, fall has been bountiful.  Except the tomatoes are loaded with GREEN fruit that is slow to ripen.  And I pulled all but one of the kale plants out of frustration with the worms.  Hopefully some will ripen before a hard freeze, and I'll get maybe one serving of kale...?

Theme day: Rock and Roll

The theme this month is "Rock and Roll"...and I've got nothing.  

These rocks were stacked at the point of the peninsula reaching out into Falls Lake at the Forest Ridge Park.  It's a new, beautiful park in North Raleigh.