Whooooo

Way up near the top of a loblolly pine, is the nest of a Great Horned Owl.  You can see momma owl's silhouette.  The nest is right above the children's play area at Wilkerson Nature Preserve.  She's watching the children pretty closely.

Do Not Touch!

This interesting vine growing up the side of a tree, is poison ivy.  the hairs growing out of the stem are a give away.

Wisteria

Wisteria is growing wild, although it's not native.  It's originally from Asia, but it seems to have made a home here.  It is a vine that climbs up into the trees.  Most of the year, it's just another vine.  But right now, it's blooming.  It makes the tree look like it's flowering.  I think it's strange to see a pine tree bursting out in purple flowers.

Peace Rock

Yes it does!

Department of Public Education building

This mural is sandblasted on the entry to the NC Department of Public Education building.  The sayings on it caught my eye immediately.  It's a little hard to read in the picture, but here are a few:

• Learning in old age is writing on sand but learning in youth is engraving on stone.
• You are a child you are suitable to be awed.
• by example almost never by words.
• Love worked where discipline failed.
• Nothing but ignorance is more expensive than education.

The mural is 25 years old, and according to this article, is still controversial.

To the North Carolina Women of the Confederacy

Another of the confederate monuments on the capitol grounds in Raleigh.  This one honors the women of the confederacy, who stayed home while the men went off to war.  Maybe the anti confederate statue and the women's rights movements should get together on this one.  Info here. This is another monument that could be moved out of the state capitol grounds. info here.

NC museum of Natural Sciences

This globe sits at the corner of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences building in downtown Raleigh.  I wonder if they'll redo it when the African Rift valley finally splits.

Birds again

The bird feeders were very busy the day we were at Wilkerson Nature Preserve.  A Downy woodpecker and Pine Warbler shared the suet feeder

A White breasted nuthatch was next.

A Goldfinch parked on a perch for a long time.

A female gold finch and a house finch joined him.

Hello

This Cardinal looked like he was talking to the bluebird cut out on top of the bird feeders at Wilkerson Nature Preserve.

Wild flowers

There are a lot of native wildflowers blooming in the forest.  Some are easy to see, like the yellow Jessamine, 

or the Rhododendron 

Others are smaller, like the Green and Gold.

Still others are very small like the Thyme Leafed Bluet

Still others are just plain hard to see like the Perfoliate Bellwort.

Hawk's nest

We heard a skreech, and then watched a mama hawk land on her nest above us.  I think she's a red shouldered hawk.  

Once she settled in, you could barely see her looking out.

Daddy hawk watched from a distant tree.

Painted Buckeye

This plant was difficult to identify.  It's a "Painted Buckeye".  It's not in a lot of the native plant lists because it has a small range.  Mostly just the southeastern states.  See this map

Pollen season again

There's a yellow haze in the air.  After a rain the pollen washes into the ponds and streams.  Here a turtle basks out of the pollen.

Dogwoods

The dogwoods are in full bloom.  Pink 

And white.

 This house has both together.

Possumhaw

These are blooming all over in the forest right now.  It was hard to identify it, because there are two varieties, and the ones usually pictured have a different leaf that this.  But a kindly naturalist at the Wilkerson Nature Preserve recognized it at once.  It blooms in the spring and then later in the summer has berries that I suppose possums like to eat...?

Yay science

This year's March for Science was a little disappointing.  There were a lot fewer people than last year, and everyone seemed a little burned out.  

There were some good signs, and a good brain hat.

I think these ladies were supposed to be Mother Nature???

Lady blue

This lady bluebird was watching us on the Neuse River Greenway.

The males are much brighter of course.

Azaleas and...

Kale!  My one kale plant that survived the cabbage worms of last summer, and the freezing weather last winter, has bolted and bloomed!  It's now a 3 foot high flowering bush!  

Good morning on a cloudy day

If you get up at sunrise, sometimes you can get a glimpse of the sun on a cloudy day.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Peterson's field guide says that this is the most common woodpecker in our area.  He pounding on the tree very loudly, and as you can see he really worked at it!

Shy Great Blue

This Great Blue Heron was standing by the lake at Lake Lynn.  He was close to the greenway with people and dogs passing by him.  I think he thought he was hidden by the bushes.  And so he pretty much was.

Good Morning

Good Morning.  This one was the start to a beautiful day.

To our confederate dead

Walking by the state capitol, I was surprised by a monument to "Our Confederate Dead"  It sits on a busy corner in front of the capitol.

As a westerner, I've never lived in a place where the civil war was fought.  

So much of Raleigh's population is made up of people from other places, that sometimes I forget that we're in the South.

Our Governor has requested that the monuments be removed from the capitol grounds and placed at the Bentonville battlefield in Johnston county.  But there are laws against removal, and committees that have to approve.  info here

This website has some thoughtful opinions on the subject.

Carolina Wren

The Carolina Wren flits around pretty much all year long.  (info here)  They're not big but they have a big sound. Here's a youtube video of the song.

Holly buds

Even the Holly is getting excited about spring.  The buds are forming, and soon we'll have flowers.

Cedar Waxwings are still here

The Cedar Waxwings are still here, but not flying in such large flocks.  They've scattered around eating berries and flitting around very fast.  It's hard to catch them sitting long enough to get a good picture. 

They won't stay long, and I expect this might be the last one I see for another year.

Good morning

Sunrise on the day after a rain.  The clouds were just leaving as the sun came up.