Theme day: Museum

The theme for May is "Museum."

The new logo for the North Carolina Museum of Art is on every mug, notebook, pencil and knickknack that the museum store sells.  It's a graphic image of the Gyre. 

It's the most iconic work in the sculpture park.

 

Chickadee

Carolina Chickadees are probably the most common bird here, but the hardest to photograph.  They never sit still.

 

Spring green

The pond was green, the trees were green and so was the reflection.

 

In need of resurrection

These resurrection ferns are epiphytes, so they grow on bare rock.  It rained a few days ago, but the ferns are already drying out.  They will wilt and dry until the next rain.  Then they come back to green life.

 

Tulip Poplars

The tulip poplars are in bloom.

It's hard to see them on the tree because they are so high up.

But it's easy to spot them on the ground when they fall.

 

Next wave

The native Dogwoods have finished blooming.  Now the Kousa Dogwoods take their turn.  These trees are native to Asia but they do great in North Carolina. (see here)

 

Also found at the nursery, a sign for the front garden.

The meaning is pretty clear.

 

For Sale?

During a visit to the nursery for garden plants, we found this little frog in one of the pots.  Was he for sale?

 

Rasberry

The wild raspberries are blooming. 

 The fruit is tiny and the thorns are vicious, but the flowers are nice.

 

Solo

A lone cormorant observes his lake.

 

Do not disturb

Don't mess with a nesting goose!

She was very alert, even though we were some distance away.

 

Tons of turtles

Now that the weather has warmed, there are turtles on every log.

 

Sparrow

A white chinned sparrow watched us from a stump.

  It's time for him to start migrating north soon.

 

Hawk

Mr. Hawk sat high in a tree, looking intently down.  

Was he hunting the ducklings?

 

Heron baby

Mama Heron had her baby way up in a tree.

There were dozens of nests, each with a heron.

  Way, way up in the trees!

 

Babies everywhere

Mama duck had her babies in a quiet part of the lake.

 

Ivy, maybe?

I'm not sure what this vine is.  It's surrounded by English ivy.  Maybe when it climbs a tree it mutates?  

 

Peony!

The first peony.  And also the biggest I've ever seen.

 

Springtime at the pond

Green is an intense color in the spring.

 

Fishing

The fishing boats have started to come back to the lake.

Spring is here!

 

Buttercup

What says spring more than a field of buttercups?

 

Hiding in plain sight

The heron looked like one more tree branch.

 

Solitude

On a quiet afternoon, a good place for contemplation.

 

Natural landscape

Nature is the best landscape designer.

 

Cormorant takes a break.

We saw him high in a tree, croaking away.

 

Ugly duck

Muscovy ducks must be the ugliest duck around.  (see here)

They're not native to this area, but have made a home around many of our lakes.

 

Mayapples

This is a shy little forest plant.  Mayapples look like little umbrellas.  You have to look under the leaves to see the flower. (see here)

We found a colony in our local park.

 

Dogwoods!

Seemingly dead trees come to life with white flowers.

 

Rock humor

I found this rock in a grouping of painted rocks. 

 I followed directions.

The other side: you just listened to a rock how'd u feel?

Well, a little bit silly actually.

 

Little Brown Jug

 

Little Brown Jug is a native plant (see here)  It's named for the shape of it's flowers.

And here they are!  Right at the base of the plant, these little lumpy things are the brown jugs that the plant is named after.  These are the buds. 

They're hard to see and usually covered with leaf litter.  I wonder who pollinates them...