Twisted roots

Tree roots on the bank beside Falls Lake.

Cloud reflection

On a still day, the clouds were perfectly reflected off Falls Lake.

Midsummer stroll

It's way too hot and steamy for a vigorous hike, but a gentle stroll on a wooded road is about right.

Deer family

There were two deer families visiting our backyard yesterday.  I first saw the bigger dad, and then noticed his wife and baby.  A little later the second family appeared.  Daddy was serious about protecting his family.

Maybe these were the culprits who chomped in my garden.

Camp Durant

Durant Nature Park started its life as a boy scout camp, from 1948-1977 known as Camp Durant.  It was well outside the city at one time, and is now a city nature park sitting in a housing development.

Tightrope

Putting on my shoes at the end of the TSA checkpoint, terminal 1 at RDU, I looked out an overlook and saw a tableau that no one else was noticing.  These statues are a floor above the baggage claim, visible only from a window overlook.  There are two tightrope walkers, a man in front, and in the distance, a woman.  Both balance with suitcases.  There are some lookers on, and one bored man waiting for a plane... 

Good bye Kroger

Raleigh has more grocery stores than I've ever seen.  Too many it seems, Kroger is closing all of it's stores in Raleigh, laying off over 1600 workers.  We visited a few weeks before closing and found many empty shelves and very depressed employees.

Dr. Seuss flower

Dr Seuss must have visited this garden as an inspiration.  These flowers were buzzing with bees.

Milkweed caterpillars

We looked on the backside of milkweed leaves looking for monarch caterpillars.  Instead we found these: Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars.  (see here) They look like those little furry dogs.

Bug's life

This carpenter bee shared a milkweed flower with a shiny beetle.  The insects were everywhere on a sunny hot day.

Welcome to the Butterfly Garden

This arbor was an Eagle Scout project.  It stands at one entrance to the butterfly garden at Durant Nature Park.

Aren't boy scouts wonderful?

Nature prayer flags

The children's garden at Durant Nature Park must be praying for their garden friends.  

Gone fishing?

How does someone lose their fishing bobber in a tree?  I doubt they were fly fishing with the bobber, but they must have been casting pretty wildly.

Comet?

The sun was glinting off this plane, and it showed up in my picture like a shining spot.  To me it looks more like a comet than a plane with contrail.

Dragon fly

This guy was hanging out on a hot day.  He/she seemed to like sitting on the wooden handrails by the Durant Park Lake.  I think it's some kind of darner, maybe a swamp darner?  Check out this dragonfly website.  Who knew someone could love insects so much!

Hot day

The water is slightly murky, but it's tempting to jump off the fishing dock at Durant Nature Park on a hot day.

Going Fishing?

And yet more mushrooms

What can I say?  It is humid this time of year!

Nightshade

I don't think this is deadly nightshade, but I wouldn't try eating it.  Maybe they get a bad rap, this one seems kind of pretty, and blooms later in the summer when the other wildflowers have given up.

Clouds

It wasn't windy at ground level, but the sky looked like the wind was swirling the clouds.

There was a tree...

There was a tree  (There was a tree) 
All in the wood  (All in the wood) 
The prettiest tree  (The prettiest tree) 
That you ever did see  (That you ever did see) 

The tree in a hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around

Yes, there is a tree in our backyard, the tallest in the neighborhood, that is a favorite of all the birds.  Usually it's a mockingbird shouting out to the whole neighborhood.  But I've caught bluejays, and once, even two woodpeckers.

Looming cloud

It was only a thunderhead built up by a humid hot day.  But at sunset above the trees, it looked like an ominous cloud of doom...

Night light

I've been trying to take a picture of the moon, but it just comes out as a blurry blob.  Down in the corner of one of my moon failures, I found this street light.  I thought it looked interesting.

And now the rain

Just when the lawns and plants were ready to expire from lack of rain, here it comes.  Like turning on a faucet!

Yes, it's hot!

It's been hot and no rain for a while.  Even forest plants are wilting and looking sad.

Bailey Park

Yes, the Bedford at Falls River subdivision takes its movie references seriously.  I've shown you Clarence's park earlier, but here's Bailey Park.  In the movie "It's a wonderful life" Bailey park was a housing development.  Here, it's a children's park in a housing development.

Stalker

This dog really had no chance of catching the deer.  He was on a leash besides.  But it didn't stop him from trying.

Happy Fourth!

As I've shown before, it seems to be very important to have a wreath on your front door.  This one was particularly appropriate for the fourth of July.

swirly sky

An evening sky.

Last Hydrangea

Hydrangeas really don't like the heat.  They should bloom earlier if they want to avoid the summer heat.

Spirit

This little song sparrow was singing out so loudly that I was looking for a larger bird.