Strong to the finich

'Cuz I eat my spinach

I found Popeye's secret in the canned vegetable aisle.  Who knew it was still available!

Peaceful Pond

What's the difference between a pond and a lake?   This one is small but supports a lot of wildlife.

Bullfrog

It was hard to spot this bullfrog, but it wasn't hard to hear him.

Blue Dragons

Three different blue Dragonflies.

Why so many blue ones?

Sunny day

A sunny day at Shelly Lake looking across to the fishing pier.

Batty

We had a visitor.  Mr. Bat decided to crawl between the screen and the storm glass in an upstairs window.  He might have been trying to find a cool spot on a hot day?  

Busy Sparrow

This little chipping sparrow was hippity hopping around in the grass beside the lake.

He was hard to follow with my camera, because he moved so fast.

I finally got him!

Rose, extremely close up

Georgia O'Keefe knew how sensual flowers are up close.  

Forest morning

A quiet morning before a hot day.

Spider season

The orbweaver spiders are starting to show up.

Enjoying the view

A great stopping place on a bike ride.

Crimsoneyed Rosemallow

I thought these plants had escaped from someone's garden.  It seemed like they couldn't be native plants, they look just too exotic.  But they are native to the Eastern US.

Crimsoneyed Rosemallow (here)  It grows along the edge of wetlands.  Here at Shelly Lake they're in bloom all around the lake.

Big Bird

This very big bird landed on the top of the tallest tree.  A much smaller bird flew up and dived at him.  He shrugged his shoulders and flew away.

He seems too big for a hawk.  Could he be a young bald eagle?

Mid-summer fall

It's only July, but some of the trees are already giving up their leaves.  The tulip poplar is one of the first to drop its leaves.

Noisy Neighbors

On a hot weekend, Falls Lake was busy with people having fun and staying cool.  I think the osprey must have moved out of their nest by now.  They don't like noisy neighbors.

Summer

This little girl is a female summer tanager.  

They fly all the way from central and south America, and summer in the southern US.

I would love to get a look at her husband.  (see here)

Big Leaf

This tree is surprising to find on a hike.  The leaves are huge.  I think it's either a Big Leaf Magnolia (see here), or an Umbrella tree (see here).  I vote for the magnolia.

Fairytale geese

I'm sure the goose that laid the golden eggs looked just like this one.

They're Toulouse Geese from France (see here).  The story goes that someone introduced them to Lake Lynn years ago, and now they have their own little gaggle.

Infinity and beyond?

We found this large figure 8 in the forest.  I searched online for any significance, but all I could find is the symbol for March 8, international women's day, or if you look at it sideways, an infinity symbol. 

Someone went to a lot of trouble to make it.  It must mean something to someone...

Buttonbush

It looks like a pincushion or a corona virus, but it's a buttonbush flower (see here) It's native to most of the United States, and is common to North Carolina.  How come I've never seen one before?

The bees love it.

Sky pond

The sky was reflected in the pond on a windless day.

Invasion

The mimosas are in bloom again.  They're a beautiful, invasive tree (See here for the grumpy gardener's opinion.)

They are pretty though.

bullfrog

This American Bullfrog (see here) had a lot of friends hiding out in the weeds making a lot of noise.

A quiet day for fishing

On a hot morning, the lake is a good place to be.

Tiger bee fly

Is it a butterfly, a bee, a mayfly?

No, it's a Tiger Bee Fly.  (See here.)  It looks scary, but it's beneficial. It doesn't bite or sting.  It pollinates flowers and it's larva eat the larva of carpenter bees.

Another Magnolia

It seems that there's always a magnolia blooming.

Make way for Ducklings

It seems a bit late for ducklings, but there they are.

Happy Independence Day

Happy 4th.

Old survivor

At first glance this tree looks dead.  But way, at the top, there is one live branch left.  

Coming in for a landing

The bees were busy in the blue false indigo.  (see here)

Theme day: Neighborhood

The theme this month is "Neighborhood".  What says more about a neighborhood than kids playing in the street?