Man in the Marsh

I rose from marsh mud
algae, equisetum, willows,
sweet green, noisy
birds and frogs.

~ Lorine Niedecker 

"This sunshine is delicious."

In the yard:

The front yard continues to be a spot for wonders and every day beauty.... I caught a bumble bee leaving an Althea bloom and Zelda caught some sunshine.

It's another one of those "blind pig" things...I stood waiting, snapping photos, while the bees did their thing. Finally got this.

This girl loves to lounge in the sun.

I was sitting on the swing and watching her "roll in the sunshine" then she stopped - leg up - and rested.

In the park:

It was an election day and we headed to vote. Since our street is often a dividing line, we weren't sure where we were supposed to vote. So we started at the spot with a lovely park nearby. We took turns voting as someone had to wait with Z-girl. She and I headed to the creek trail when DH went to the polls and checked out some improvements. We saw a couple of Tufted titmice flying around the native pecans.*

"A-B, C de birds?"

The Titmice are in the middle of this image.

Does this help? Two Tufted Titmice perched on some twigs.

Another view after one moved.

There you go.

We turned around to get DH (we didn't tell him we were heading to the park). But then we saw that he knew all along and was coming towards us. Zelda will see him coming, sit, and wait. I know dogs do not have good eyesight, but I am sure she recognizes his movements. And TRUST ME, she is not trained to "stay."

She really loves DH and sat to wait for him.

At one point we saw some 8 or so squirrels. I dropped the leash and Z (apparently a squirrel dog) went running. I've yet to see her climb a tree. She alerts and waits. The squirrels laugh.

One squirrel looked like it might be ready for a fight.

But he turned and headed up the trunk - away from danger.

Another squirrel stayed well out of reach.

Z on alert.

We walked along the bank of the creek and discovered some interesting "signs."

"KEEP OUT"

Looking upstream a sign someone has been swimming/camping/something - clothes and shoes left on the bank.

The creek gets shallow in spots. It does look cool in the shade.

Frogs and dragonflies (in another park):

This was a weekend of scheduled hikes (one was a birding trip - we overslept) and an Amphibian Watch (Devine Lake Park) as well as unscheduled trips. Somehow our schedules are "off" and our usual energy absent. But once we got started our enthusiasm returned.

Bluebonnets gone to seed. I am so grateful to see people allowing the wildflowers to seed before mowing!

The sky at Devine Lake Park is always beautiful. Here are a few views...

The waxing moon in one directions....

And a burning bush in another...

As the sun sets...the frogs/toads begin to call.

And I want to be in one of these kayaks.

Part of our group of intrepid frog hunters (catch and release only) with nets and buckets and field guides.

We caught no frogs. We captured no toads. We recorded four of the "usual suspects" - Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Rio Grande Leopard Frog, American Bullfrog, and Green Treefrog. We observed a Great Blue Heron flying high over the lake just before sunset. We found a newly hatched dragonfly (a pondhawk).

The "pondhawk"

Our "young naturalist" observed the dragonfly and whipped out her dragonfly guide. She immediately identified the creature and returned the guide to her pocket - ready for the next thing. Soon after I discovered DH had plunged through the growth at the edge of the pond and was walking through the murk and marsh (he has taller waterproof boots than I). Within a few seconds the young adventurer plunged in right behind him. Soon all I could see were headlamps as they went in search of the frogs we could hear all around us.

Clearly this young person is heading toward a career in science!

As I glanced at the young one's mother she said, "Fearless, that child. She is fearless."

"We're not going far," they said.

While they caught nothing in the marshy area, DH was happy that he had been able to demonstrate how to loosen a boot stuck fast in the sticky "muck and mire."

We rounded the lake and gathered up all "watchers" as the last bit of the glow of the day left the sky.

I could probably just sit and watch the sunset.

Headlamps and flashlights glow at the lake's edge.

A stand of coneflowers drew my attention. I must visit these parks in the daylight too!

Our last stop is often a hunt for scorpions with an ultraviolet light. Here you see an attempt at a quick photo of the scorpion we found.

The heron - high overhead.

At the neighborhood park:

It was a short stop to see if the Purple Leatherflowers (Clematis pitcheri) were blooming.** We found them (and a small Wafer Ash) at the edge of the woods.

The first time I saw a Wafer Ash I thought it looked like hydrangeas blooming on a tree.

The "wafers" hold the seeds. I still plan to grow some of these trees.

And then there it was - the bud of the Purple Leatherflower.

And one blossom on the vine.

NOTES:

*Photos another reminder that I need a better cell.

**I watched a park worker cutting the vines at the edge of the woods earlier in the year. There are all kinds of things growing there - poison ivy, dewberries, Virginia Creeper, and more - in addition to the clematis. I was afraid that she had done some damage, but these little flowers reassured me.