The end of winter

While we haven't really had winter this year, even that attempt at winter seems to be losing its hold on Shakerag. I don't recall a winter that didn't produce at least one snow. This winter, we had one afternoon of snow that was gone in about four hours. That suits me just fine, but I do not look forward to all the ticks this warm winter will produce.

So here are some random photos from this extremely mild winter.

A tree in bloom at the park

Redbud about to bloom with the Bald Eagle in the background at the Nature Station at LBL.

The eagle from the Nature Station

The little red phase Screech Owl also at the Nature Station

White Pelicans at the dam

More lovely White Pelicans

Black Vultures at the dam 

Hematite Lake

It was a mild, pleasant winter. 

Now I'm ready for spring!

-Susan

Land Between the Lakes

The weather has been wonderfully and unseasonably warm.

Until this week. Today's high barely made it above freezing.

I did have a chance to go to Land Between the Lakes. 

And I take any chance I get when it comes to visiting LBL.
It was too cold to do much, but I did take a few pictures.

On our way to Hematite Lake, we saw the largest herd of Fallow Deer I have ever seen.

There were about 25 deer.

Fallow Deer are not native to this area. They were introduced for hunting.
Now, many of them live happily throughout Land Between the Lakes.

I thought this exposed root was cool looking.

The thrill of the trip was on the way home. As we drove north on the trace toward home,
I spied a Barred Owl sitting in a tree near the road.

 He (or she) was beautiful in the late afternoon sun. He seemed to be dozing.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Susan

More Mushroomy Macros

It has been quite dry of late and, unfortunately, that means not many mushrooms about. I do understand that not all of my readers are fungi-philes, but I am. Ticks are the other problem I have had lately. It is impossible to go out into the woods without bringing in passengers. But we had some rain yesterday, and the days are shorter so the ticks are less of a problem. I'm looking forward to a wonderful autumn!

This particular mushroom I photographed a while ago at Land Between the Lakes.

It was growing right in the road.

At first I thought it was a rusty piece of metal.

Then I thought it was a puffball.

It is neither.

I strongly suspect it is a Pisolithus tinctorius, also known as

the dyemaker's puffball.

It is not a true puffball, merely a mushroom with a thin outer "skin" that disintegrates upon maturity.

When immature it can be used to dye wool.

Once I got home and looked it up I wished I had taken more pictures of it or even collected it.

Maybe I'll find one again sometime.

Have a super weekend!

Don't forget to
stop by

blogging from bolivia
to link up your own Macro Friday post!

-Susan

Macro Friday at LBL

Yesterday was a beautiful day. And, and this is the significant part, it wasn't miserably hot! It was a very welcome change.

The kids, Nana, and I took a little trip to Land Between the Lakes. We went to our favorite lake access and had a picnic. We even splashed in the water a bit and participated in the most fantastic toddler activity- throwing rocks into the water. That alone would have been worth the trip, but we also ventured to the Nature Station which is another favorite spot.

There were butterflies everywhere.
This male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was practically posing for me.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were more abundant than I have ever seen.
They were EVERYWHERE! Do I have wonderful pictures? Sadly, no. But it was still a thrill to see.


The local Red-bellied Woodpeckers were even drinking from the hummingbird feeders. I had never seen that before.

Back in Shakerag, the squirrels and raccoons drink from the hummer feeders.

The biggest thrill of the day however, came as we were heading home. About a half mile from the Nature Station, in our lane of the road, we came upon a Rattlesnake! I'm unsure of the specific species, but my best guess is a Timber Rattlesnake.

So, those of you who are not fans of snakes,
go no further!















He (or she) was just sitting in the road, presumably sunning.
At first, I thought someone had run over him, he was so still.

My goal was to get him off the road and get a few photos.
He was really reluctant to leave the road.

He was on a curve on a hill, so I considered him to be in a fair amount of danger of being hit by a car.

So, I did what any normal, typical housewife would do,
I poured water on him to get him to move.


Well, this did make him move alright, into a striking pose with his tail rattling.


Yes, the rattling sound is just like in the movies.
That was the point when I backed away. Being almost bitten by a snapping turtle is one thing; being bitten by a rattler miles and miles from medical assistance is something quite different.


I love how this subtantial snake just disappears into nothing in just a bit of weeds.
He was about three feet long.

As always, you can click on any of the photos for a closer look.

Don't forget to
stop by

blogging from bolivia
to link up your own Macro Friday post!

-Susan

Flowers on Saturday

Yesterday, we got to go back to one of our favorite places-
Land Between the Lakes.
Anyone who has been reading this blog long knows we go any chance we get. Much like a day spent in Shakerag, a day in LBL will certainly lead to adventure.

While not actually LBL, a trip to the area always includes a visit to Barkley Dam. Yesterday, we saw a dozen or so Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons a plenty, and several Double-Crested Comorants flying about.

As we were leaving, we saw a White-Tailed Doe with her frolicking twins. I see deer nearly everyday in Shakerag, but I can't think when I've seen deer playing.

Not twenty yards beyond the deer, we saw a pair of Northern Bobwhites crossing the road. Seeing and hearing Bobwhites used to be quite common, but not anymore.

We went to our favorite lake access and had a picknick, then played in the water, and went to the Nature Station.

There we saw the usual assortment of amazing animals, most of which we never get to see up close in the wild, and some, like the pair of Red Wolves, that we'd never get to see at all otherwise.

But for all this adventure, nearly the only photos that turned out well were the ones of the Wild Bergamot. You see, unlike the abundant Ruby-throated Hummingbirds or my children, the flowers didn't move around much at all. Keeping track of two kiddos even with the assistance of my mother, is quite a job these days. Maybe soon we can go back again to LBL and between my mother and Hubby, I can actually take a few pictures!




Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is a native wildflower. It's a member of the mint family, and the leaves smell lovely when crushed, but not minty. Bergamot comes in many varieties including a cultivated type with red flowers. No matter the color of the flowers, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies love bergamot. Another name for it is Bee Balm. Grandma used to call it shaving brush plant.

Don't forget to stop by Blueberry Craft and Hobby Time by clicking on the logo at the top of this post to see what other flowers this Saturday brings.

-Susan

Watery Wednesday

Here are some water shots from our trip to Land Between the Lakes last week. I'm linking with Watery Wednesday since I haven't in a while. We all love this particular spot. The kids could happily throw rocks into the water for hours.
Maybe we'll do just that when it's warmer.








-Susan

Snake Shot

Here are a couple more photos from our recent trip to
Land Between the Lakes.

So, for those of you who have a strong dislike of snakes,
GO NO FURTHER!
Come back another day.


































Although I like snakes in general, I'm not so fond of poisonous snakes. These were taken at the Nature Station through glass.
He's a Copperhead, and he really was pretty.


I love the texture and feel of a snake. No, I didn't touch this one.


This photo has more true to life color. They are especially beautiful in the sun.

As always, click on any photo for a closer look. Hope you have a great week!

-Susan

Macro Friday

March has begun and so has some more agreeable weather. It's still a bit on the cool side, but it's been pleasant enough. This week, the Nature Station at Land Between the Lakes opened for the year. We were there the first day. While the Nature Station can be quite busy, that was not the case on Wednesday. We were able to see all the animals and ask questions. We even got to see them feed their Virginia Opossum. It's not too different from watching a 'possum eating in our bird feeder, but it was still interesting. There are a pair of Red Wolves in residence. I don't recall ever getting to see them before, but one of them was out enjoying the sunshine during our visit.

The owls are my daughter's favorite animals at the Nature Station; they are my favorites, too. All of the owls are unable to live in the wild whether due to an injury or imprinting. It's a wonderful place for both the animals and the people.
We can see the animals and learn about them, and they have a safe place to live with plenty of food. I know I have said it before, but if you are ever near Kentucky Lake, make a trip to
Land Between the Lakes, you won't regret it.

The above is a macro shot I took of the little Eastern Screech Owl. I would have liked to crop out the sleeve of the naturalist holding the owl, but if I had I would have lost some of the fuzzy-ness of the owl's face.

This little owl is just about ten inches tall.

Unlike most other birds, Screech Owls come in two different colors or morphs.

He is the red morph. The other color they come in is gray.

The call of the Screech Owl sounds much more like a soft whinney than a screech. It's sort of dove-like.

Like the Great-horned Owl, he can raise or lower his "horns" as the whim takes him.

Isn't he beautiful?


As always, you can click on any of the photos for a closer look.

Don't forget to
stop by

blogging from bolivia
to link up your own Macro Friday post!

-Susan

Macro Friday

While these aren't macro shots in the usual sense, they are shots from less than four feet. Over the weekend, my family and I got to enjoy the lovely (for January, at least) weather. Land Between the Lakes is a favorite destination for us. We always see something interesting and beautiful. The past weekend was no exception.
While driving along the Trace, we noticed something moving along the side of the road. I knew almost immediately we had happened upon an armadillo. My mother, who has a very interesting view of things, said she at first thought she had seen a World War I helmet foraging. She was, of course, referring to a Pickelhaube but without the spike. I found a place to turn around and came back to have a look. After seeing him, I could certainly understand Mom's description. So, if you can imagine a helmet foraging along the roadside, that is what he looked like. I was thrilled to see and get to photograph this armadillo. I have never seen a live armadillo before. We haven't really ever had them in this area until about five years ago. I reported the first roadkilled 'dillo in Hopkins County last year. The nice woman at the LBL visitor's center said that armadillos had been in the park about four years. The first photo is my entry in Macro Friday.

Check out the hairs between the plates! I knew they were mammals, but I didn't know they would have visible hair!




While this isn't the clearest picture ever, I did think it interesting that if you look closely, you can see a fair amount of fur on his back leg. You can click the photo for a closer look. It's also and "action" shot.

Armadillo doing his impersonation of a Pickelhaube.


While I wouldn't want one digging up my yard, I think Armadillos are amazing! This guy mostly ignored me as I photographed him. Well, him or her. I don't know how one would know a boy 'dillo from a girl 'dillo without turning one over. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have tolerated that. I can also see why some refer to them as "'possum on the half-shell." They are interesting for more reasons than their looks. Armadillos have something called "delayed implantation." Apparently, when it's mating season for Armadillos, they mate and the egg is fertilized, but it doesn't implant or begin to develop until some later time. This is to ensure that the young aren't born in cold weather. The other cool factoid I came across is they almost always have identical quadruplets.

From this angle he looks like a snapping turtle to me. This is the way Armadillos signal that they are through being photographed.

So, do you have armadillos where you live? Do you love them or hate them? Are you worried they'll give you leprosy? Do they really taste like pork?

I hope all of you dealing with the snow and ice stay warm and safe! I can certainly understand what that's like after the ice storm of 2009.
I'm thankful we miss it all this time.

Don't forget to
stop by

blogging from bolivia
to link up your own Macro Friday post!

-Susan

Macro Monday

I love the color green. In the winter, when mostly all I see is brown, tan, and the white of snow, I especially love green. Anything green catches my eye. The following is my entry in Macro Monday.

It's some lovely algae that I found near Honker Lake at Land Between the Lakes.

Algae

More algae


Moss, up close and personal.

Moss and grass

Who doesn't love a moss covered log?

More moss. Ahhh, green!

Yep, more moss!


This is a closer look at the gravel road that led to Honker Lake. This is quite a way from Central Furnace, but there is still abundant slag on the road. While not true green, color is always welcome.

Have a great Monday, and don't forget to stop by Lisa's Chaos.

-Susan