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.  

Killdeers

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

They blend in with the mud very well.

King of the pond

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

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.

Why did the chicken...

I didn't see any chickens, maybe they had already crossed the road?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dragonfly

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

Reflections in the creek

The overhanging trees were reflected in the creek.

Lake's edge

This plant was already getting ready for fall.

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!

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

Ubiquitous

A lovely summer stroll

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

Lakeside

Yellow flowers on the bank of Falls Lake.

Last Days of Freedom

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

The family that reads together...

Where else would this sculpture be found, but in front of a library.  

Johnston County Library, Smithfield, NC

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.

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.  

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)

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.

Clouds

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

Hello, there!

A tiny preying mantis came to visit.

He was easy to mistake for a stick.

Pop up

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

Another fisherman

Mr. Heron was hanging out, posing for the camera.

Good day for fishing

A fisherman will tell you that there are no bad days for fishing.

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.

Clouds in the lake

The clouds were reflected in Falls Lake.

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!

Theme day: Black

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