Sometimes when I walk close to the shore at Evergreen Island the fish follow me.
When I stop to look at them, they stop and look at me.
It makes me think they were raised at a fishfarm and expect me to throw food at them.
I wonder if they stalk fishermen, too?
I mean really. Look at that face!
Habituated to humans.
FLOW
I silently sit in the swing at dusk and wait for the foragers. There are always a few when the apples are ripe.
Sometimes a lone deer comes to feast. Once, I saw an apple plop down and almost hit her below. There was a crow silently snacking above.
Groups of crows fly in to eat together. They hop up the leaning trunk and walk out the branches. They are noisy, but they do share the apples by busting them apart on the pavement.
Our rabbit from the thicket comes out to eat the scraps left by the larger animals.
The twin fawns are old enough to eat bits of apple now. They stayed quite a while one evening this weekend and then bedded down under our porch for the night.
This scene plays out over and over in August under my Daddy’s apple trees.
The visitor last night was not as considerate. There were scratches along the tree trunk and broken limbs hanging down and lying around on the ground.
The offended limbs were bare of their apples.
One of our bears has been back. It is not careful. It does not share with its neighbors. It hurts the tree that feeds it.
It breaks and scratches instead of hopping and picking.
I hope it has had its fill of apples for a bit. Our poor tree needs some TLC.
FLOWER
The trailhead is guarded by two tall wildflowers. To the left is Joe Pye weed with heads of flowers so big it bends low under their weight. Its flowers are covered in bees.
The sentinel to the right is Ironweed which grows high with purple blooms making a landing pad for butterflies.
Under the bridge I know where to look for the Ghost pipes to see if they have set seed. Their bent necks have straitened. Their faces are up with dark pods in the center. The pipes are now gray and withering.
I look for the broken tree full of holes in the bend. This would be the perfect place to spot a busy woodpecker, a resting owl or a mama raccoon.
I know where to peek through the leaves to see my neighbors’ houses on the cliffs across the gorge. They are white, tan, brown and round.
I look for the crooked tree that has twisted limbs twirling toward the sky. It is one of the lucky ones not taken down or dead from Helene.
I know where the ferns dance in the breeze under the leaning tree. The deer like it here as well.
Sometimes I meet horses here. I always step aside to greet them. This one’s name is Scout. He is sweet and beautiful. She made us guess his age. He is 26!
I know this trail. I know it well. It makes my heart sing.
FLOW
I took off the silver brooches from the pin collage display I made for my mom. They tarnished over time. (See link below)
I did not want to just stick these in a drawer, so I purchased a display cabinet and put all the Native American pieces in it. That way we can wear them and return them easily.
Our Aunt Ethel was known for her interesting jewelry. I am glad that the family collection is where it can be seen.
Several of these pieces are signed. Most are just lovely and timeless.
FLOWER
Mama’s Pin Collage
Bass spawn later at higher elevations because of cooler water in spring. I took these photos in July.
The female visits a bed to lay several thousand eggs and then she leaves.
The male guards the eggs and fans them to keep them clean and oxygenated.
After the eggs hatch, the male protects the fry for another week or two.
I look for these in my favorite lake every summer. Bass beds are a good sign.
FLOW
My friend Lucy’s husband is a plant whisperer. I gave Palmer a cutting from my Queen of the Night. His is now way bigger than mine and always has more blooms.
I am proud of my little Queen surviving up here on the mountain. It’s cooler here. There is more wind and rain.
I was thinking she was doing great until Palmer and Lucy sent me photos. I am trying not to be green with envy, but good grief. My Queen doesn’t even have buds yet.
Here is Palmer beside his Queen. It has had three nights of blooming. Lucy stayed up and took photos for me. Wow could they be any whiter?
I will patiently await buds and blooms from my acclimating baby on the mountain. Until then, enjoy these crazy beautiful blooms from my flatlander friends.
FLOWERLESS
Judy of Automatic Gardener asked what fertilizer he uses. Here is a photo.
I always look for stands of Northern Tooth Fungus on this tree in late summer. This tree is beside a trail I walk frequently. I was happy to spot two sections of Climacodon septentrionalis this week.
Their presence is not a good sign for the health of the tree. It has had a wide gash in its trunk for many years. There have been years when the fungus lived entirely inside the wound.
These section are growing at the bottom of one gash and the top of another. They layer over top of each other like stacked fans. The teeth on the lower side increase the surface area for spore production.
I tried out several new mushroom identification apps to see how well each identified it. Neither app got it right. When I switched magnification of the same photo one gave three different answers.
I have never foraged for mushrooms. It is too easy to be wrong. I take only photos in the wild.
FLOWER
I was thrilled to find this stand of Monotropa uniflora on a hike this morning. The great find was that this sgroup still had the brown seed pods from last year behind it.
This group is freshly emerged so its flowers are still bowed. As the flower matures and gets pollinated its face turns upward. I plan to check these again in a week or so.
Indian Ghost Pipes are non-photosynthetic plants that partner with a fungus to take food from surrounding tree roots. These relationships make it both symbiotic and parasitic second-handedly.
The entire plant looks waxy and translucent. This dappled light was perfect to show its opalescence. The blooms have normal flower parts; petals, stamen and a pistil. These are hard to distinguish because they are small and all the same color.
Lovely find in the forest.
FLOWER
I spent some time at the New River Greenway today. This is part of a park complex in Boone, NC.
This park runs along the river which floods occasionally. Having designated areas as wetlands is win:win. The extra water has somewhere to go.
There is a trail around my favorite wetland. It has many aquatic plants that are of interest year-round.
The rose mallows were blooming today. These are native perennials, Hibiscus moscheutos. There were many variations of pink and some gorgeous white flowers blooming for pollinators to visit. Hummingbirds and butterflies like these blooms.
Wetlands are important habitats. It’s a great place to look and listen for wildlife.
I heard an Indigo Bunting today, but never saw it.
FLOW
floweralley 