Teenage Cardinal

Young cardinals look pretty funny.  Their crest looks more like a mohawk and they pose in some pretty strange ways.

Pollinator Garden

This little garden at the NC Museum of Life and Science is for pollinators.  It has the little bee house, and flowers for the butterflies.  You can see a tiger swallowtail if you look closely.

Soundspace

Soundspace at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham is a room where you interact with computers to create graphics and sound. 

Some people interacted quickly.

Others were more organized in their interaction.

Pipevine Swallowtail

There were two of these butterflies, Pipevine swallowtails (here) fluttering around the lantanas.  I tried to get a still picture, but they never stopped fluttering their wings.

Twisty scar

I think maybe there must have been a vine choking this little tree as it grew, making a spiral scar on it's bark.

Union Baptist Church

This tiny church, Union Baptist Church, sits on a busy street corner near downtown.  I can't find much information on it, but it looks like it has an interesting history.

Hiking signs

This sign, at the park office at Durant Nature Park has suggestions for hiking with kids: nature tag, using your senses, making a nature journal.  But my favorite part was for parents:

Such a polite way to say it.

Sunglasses for your third eye

UV protection is important for all your eyes...?

Trip to the Farmer's Market

On a visit to the State Farmer's Market, there was a lot of color.  

Tomatoes

Squash

And who knew there were so many kinds of eggplant!

Great Blue

Walking around Shelly Lake, my niece Karina found a Great Blue Heron.  She took these pictures as he flew away.

Thank you, Karina for the pictures.

Benches

Shopping becomes bearable if you can find a bench.  This one sat outside a clothing store on White street in Wake forest.

This one welcomes shoppers at the state Farmer's Market.

This one is not so welcoming.  I wouldn't spend much time here.

cloud shadow

As the sun started to go down behind a cloud I saw the shadow of the cloud make streaks across the sky.  The darker lines aren't gaps in the clouds, they're the shadow of one cloud shading the other clouds in the sky.  

Oaky grove Church

On my way out to Johnston Community College to help with their Robot Club, I took a wrong turn and ended up on a gravel road, Mial Plantation Rd.  To my delight I passed this charming little church.  More to my delight, I found a blog explaining the history of the church and the plantation it belonged to.  (See here)  Sometimes wrong turns are really right ones.

Bambi

This little fawn and his family has been moving through the neighborhood lately.  Mom was really close by watching us as we walked by.

Robot guts

I've been helping my son-in-law with an all girls robot team.  It has been a lot of fun.  Here's the inside workings of the robot.  It has lights, but no bells and whistles.

Cicada season

My 4 year old granddaughter was totally grossed out by the "two bugs".  It's really a cicada and the shell that it just shed.  They're not my favorite insect either, but as with anything, there's someone out there who loves them.  See this link to cicadamania.com! (or not if you're not a fan.)

Wild Plum???

I'm not sure, but I think this is a wild plum?  It was planted at the visitor center of Forest Ridge park.  I'm assuming they wouldn't plant a non-native tree, but I can't quite identify it.  Any guesses?

Sunset after a rainy day

The clouds cleared at sunset.

Another fungus

This little beauty popped up on a humid day.

So Wrong!

This was sighted outside a JoAnn's store.  It's so wrong on many levels. Way too early for pumpkins. And the colors are an insult to pumpkins everywhere.

Bunny

Peter Rabbit came visiting under the bird feeder.  The messy birds threw down enough seeds to make it interesting to the rabbits.

Humid

Yes, it's humid again.  This large mushroom actually had rainwater sitting in the top.

Lone Surviver

These Loblolly Pines were growing tall under the powerlines.  Duke Energy must have come by and killed them because they all suddenly turned brown.  All except this little survivor.

Harbinger

No, it's not fall yet, but this tree needs to check the calendar.  It decided to remind us that fall is around the corner.

Rose pink

This wildflower was at the end of its bloom.  Someone had chomped off the top blossoms.  We saw deer tracks, so I could guess who it was.   The flower is a Rose Pink, or Rose Gentian.  (See here)

Driftwood

Can it be called driftwood if it's from a lake?  The water was so serene that you can see the reflection of the clouds, and little shells on the bottom.

Holding on

This little clump of grass was holding onto the shore as hard as possible.  

Water striders

A buggy day on the lake.  I think these were mostly water striders avoiding the little hungry fish in the lake.

Texture

Textures in the forest can be interesting... 

Overgrown

Everything is quickly overgrown in North Carolina.

Theme day: music

The theme for August is Music.  I'll admit I'm cheating a little, I found these items in the Ferndale Art Gallery in Ferndale, California.  

The artist is Sara Brown.  (here)  Piano key mobiles, and driftwood guitars!