Saturday, August 31, 2019

Skink


The shiny blue tail shows that this is a young five lined skink.  (see here) He was skittering around on the boardwalk handrail at Lake Lynn.  


Friday, August 30, 2019

Killdeers


These two killdeers were hanging out together on the edge of Lake Lynn.  


They blend in with the mud very well.


Thursday, August 29, 2019

King of the pond


This little turtle seems very contemplative as it gazed out over his kingdom.


Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Pollinators


We don't see many honey bees, but we have other pollinators busily working.  This one looks like a wasp of some kind.


This one is our Eastern Carpenter Bee.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Monday, August 26, 2019

Admiral


She's called a Red Admiral, even though her stripes look orange to me.  (see here)  She was fluttering around on a hot muggy day.


Sunday, August 25, 2019

Can't stand the heat....


Can't stand the heat?  Move the kitchen out of the house.
This pre-Civil War kitchen house is part of the grounds at the Bentonville Civil War battlefield.  It was the kitchen house for the Harper family whose farm turned into the battlefield in 1865.  
Many homes of that period had kitchen outbuildings.  With large fireplaces to do the cooking, the danger of fire and the heat from the cooking made it best to keep the kitchen away from the house.  President Andrew Johnson was born in a kitchen house attic in Raleigh (here).  The heat must have been unbearable.


Saturday, August 24, 2019

When is a leaf not a leaf?


It looks like a leaf, except it's the wrong kind of leaf for this orchid...


It's a tiny little bug, pretending to be a leaf, veins and all.  I believe it's a planthopper (here), probably sucking the life out of our plant, but so cute.





Friday, August 23, 2019

Shelob



A spider like this must have given J.R.R. Tolkien inspiration for his monstrous spider, Shelob,  in The Hobbit.  And that of course gave inspiration to J.K. Rowlings for Aragog in Harry Potter.
  I didn't try to tempt her out.



Thursday, August 22, 2019

Dragonfly


This one is called a "Halloween Pennant."  It goes with the orange construction fence.




Monday, August 19, 2019

Tiger


The tiger swallowtails don't seem to mind showing off.


They'll sit still, open up and pose for a photographer.


Their underwings are almost more beautiful.


And away she goes!


Sunday, August 18, 2019

caterpillar season


In mid summer the trees begin to grow white web-like clumps.


A close look shows hundreds of caterpillars working away.
Eastern tent caterpillars?  Here


Saturday, August 17, 2019

Ubiquitous


A lovely summer stroll


The plastic straw that never degrades on the path...


Thursday, August 15, 2019

Last Days of Freedom


On one of the last days before school starts, a little group of kids head for the lake.


Wednesday, August 14, 2019

The family that reads together...


Where else would this sculpture be found, but in front of a library.  
Johnston County Library, Smithfield, NC


Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The last Witness


This old oak was alive in 1865 for the battle of Bentonville.  It is the last Witness tree on the site.


The roots hold firmly into the soil.


Monday, August 12, 2019

Bentonville Triage



During the Civil war Battle of Bentonville, the Union army took over the home of the Harper family as their field hospital.  The ground floor was used for operating (mostly amputating).  The Harper family continued to live on the floor above.  There was a lot of Chloroform used, and the odor must have permeated everything. 


The house has been restored, and is now part of the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.  


Sunday, August 11, 2019

Bentonville Civil War Battlefield


One of the last battles of the civil war was fought near Bentonville, NC when the Confederate army tried to keep Sherman's Union army from reaching a critical railroad hub at Greensboro, NC.  After 3 days and over 4000 casualties from both sides, the confederate side withdrew.  A month later the war was over.  (see here)

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Her name in lights


The Ava Gardner museum on the main street of Smithfield, NC still has her name in lights.  She grew up near Smithfield.  They say she needed a voice coach before she could be in pictures due to her thick North Carolina accent.


Friday, August 9, 2019

Clouds


Cloud reflections in the window of Hayes Barton United Methodist Church.


Thursday, August 8, 2019

Hello, there!


A tiny preying mantis came to visit.


He was easy to mistake for a stick.


Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Pop up


Hot, humid days make for stormy afternoons.  The clouds pop up from the rising moisture.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Swallows


Falls lake Dam is the place to be if you are a swallow.


They were perched on every twig, and flying everywhere.


They took the top of each little weed.


It looked like there were young ones and their parents together.




Friday, August 2, 2019

Summer Garden


This time in the summer the garden is thriving.  Tomatoes are ripening faster than they can be eaten.


Peppers are starting to turn red.


Habaneros are beginning to look dangerous.


Cantaloupe is almost ready for picking.



And the same for the watermelon.


Beans are flowering for the last time.

Yay summer!


Thursday, August 1, 2019

Theme day: Black


This month the theme is "Black".  So what's blacker than a black bird...a Boat-tailed Grackle!