Neighborhood Walk

We’ve had a few chilly days in our area…some light frosts. Our neighborhood is past the peak of fall beauty. I took the opportunity to walk around yesterday afternoon when it was warm enough for the bees to be active at the few bedraggled flowers that are still blooming.

The oak seems to glow in the sunshine. Up close the leaves look almost drab.

The Indian corn has been on our door for the past few years - for the few weeks between Halloween and the beginning of December.

I’m noticing more leaves in the street gutters this year. The leaves came down with recent rains and are staying put wherever they got wet. I managed to rake and sweep the street gutter in front of my house this past weekend.

The storm water retention pond for our neighborhood is surrounded by trees and cattails. The cattails are exploding and the breeze wafts away the seeds.

This squirrel ran up a large oak as I got close and posed for a picture. Doesn’t he look well fed? His paw reminds me of ET fingers.

Last but not least - I couldn’t resist the colorful fall display of one trees - and the near bareness of its neighbor.

The joys of fall!

Zooming - February 2014

I’ve been doing quite a bit of magnification recently with the microscope and loupe. The monthly ‘zooming’ post is done with cropped images from the camera - simply using the camera’s own built in zoom. Can you find: 

• The muffin liner
• The surprised squirrel
• The snow on crepe myrtle berries
• The icy pine
• The glowing knot in stained wood
• A sunrise through the oak branches
• An ice fall from a gutter
• Tulip poplar seed pod spires
• The moon through tree branches 

Backyard Activity

It is so cold outside that the activity in the backyard is best observed through the windows. We have a male cardinal that likes our maple tree. I’m sure the female is somewhere near but I haven’t spotted her yet.

And then there is the squirrel that discovered my makeshift birdfeeder (made with an old clamshell box that tomatoes came in and a Frisbee). I’m going to give up and buy a real bird feeder rather that feeding the squirrel family again!

There were 10 or so deer that dashed across our yard and into the forest. I couldn’t tell what had startled them out of the neighborhood and it was all over too quickly to get a picture.