Terra Studios

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We spent a couple of hours at Terra Studios (southeast of Fayetteville, AR and a part of the our road trip that included Crystal Bridges last week). The art displays are outdoors. There were not many people there on the afternoon we visited – surprising since it was a holiday weekend and there is a lot to enjoy here in the woodlands and more open area around the pond. It’s free; donations encouraged. There were a lot of mosaics of tiles and glass – on walls and picnic tables. Some of the ones on picnic tables (i.e. horizonal surfaces) were damaged but the vertical ones were in good shape.

One of the picnic areas had a collection of playhouses!

There were lots of clay figures – in the forest…on the lawn. Some of them were old enough that they had lichen growing on them or were sinking into their environment! I particularly liked the figures riding turtles on a rail in the pond!

There were murals along the path into the forest. The materials must be durable enough to last outdoors for years.

The simple fountain, that incorporated stained class into part of its cover, was in a very shady area – maybe the coolest place during our walk!

We entered the maze – my daughter and I following my husband who opted to ‘take the left-hand turn’ strategy….and it worked!

Back in the gift shop/snack bar – I bought 2 pair of earrings made my artists associated with Terra Studios and my daughter bought a glass Bluebird of Happiness – first created by Leo Ward at Terra Studios in 1982.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (2)

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There is also a lot to see in the outdoor area of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.  There were some parts that were closed because of recent storm damage (downed trees…at least one piece of art: R. Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome).

The first sculpture we saw was near the entrance – a silver tree.

Some areas are relatively wild: horse nettles, thistles, shelf-fungus, mallows and grasses.

I was thrilled to photograph a butterfly since I’ve seen so few larger ones this year.

The design on the upper level of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House was attractive. We got tickets (free) when we first got to the museum, and entered the house less than 2 hours after our arrival (enough time to do a broad look at the art on display inside the museum). Pictures are not allowed on the inside of the house. I liked the main living room but felt the rest of the house was claustrophobic (low ceilings and narrow hallways).

There were two installations of Chihuly glass.

There was a giant spider sculpture. It was a good place to take a little rest.

There were several animal sculptures along the trails. I photographed a bear with a fish, a smiling pig, and arabbit with an itching ear.

Water features are near most of the trails. I appreciated the structures in one of the streams to ‘slow the flow.’

There was a turn out from one trail to view quartz crystals in boulders that often contain imprints organisms from long ago in parts that are not crystals.

We probably spent at least as much time outdoors at Crystal Bridges as we did inside! It would be interesting to go again in a different season…maybe next spring.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (1)

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There is a lot to see at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. My daughter had visited previously and had suggested it as a great start to our ‘end of summer’ road trip. The art is from various time periods often with links to American history: “We the People” with shoe strings, some favorite artists (Audubon, Chihuly, O’Keeffe, Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter), a dandelion made in metal originally made for a hotel, the red tinted lens looking out to a water feature, a river in silver on an otherwise blank wall…so much to see…these were just a few of my favorites.

One of the most thought-provoking pieces was a picture of the border wall….as a scar on the landscape. This stretch was a natural area not so long ago.

There were quite a few pieces from Yayoi Kusama (Japanese artist). The infinity room is a dark mirrored space where two people enter at a time (controlled at the door where there is almost always a short line) filled with polka dot orbs lit from within. The minder allows each couple 2 minutes in the space.

Outside there are flower sculptures with polka dots done by the same artist.

There is also a water feature that is partially covered with mirrored orbs made by Kusama …mostly in one group but some seemed to have escaped into the nearby reeds.

More tomorrow about the gardens and art outside the buildings.

Missouri Master Naturalist Training – Week 1

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The training to become a Missouri Master Naturalist (MMN) started last week. Some weeks there is only one session…sometimes there are more sessions or field trips or chapter meetings. September and October are going to be busy months this year! The first class was at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center starting at 6 PM. I went a little early do some late afternoon photography in the garden areas near the building. I always enjoy the rain garden area with the duck sculpture almost covered with vegetation this time of year. There were goldenrod soldier beetles on the asters and golden rods….skippers on the asters. A mallow was beginning to fade nearby.

On my way from the rain garden to the build I noted what looked like a large basket beside the sidewalk; I didn’t try to open it.

In the raised bed near the door there were several interesting plants…including some chard and an oak leaf hydrangea in bloom.

Inside I met the rest of the people that will be in the class with me. There were handouts that included a Missouri Master Naturalist tote bag. Since we all got one, I am thinking about making some Zentangle patterns on the back so that I can easily identify my bag!

The lecture topics were History of Conservation and Insects. I appreciated that we had a break to walk around between lectures since my back starts hurting if I sit for longer than an hour!

I am using a blank book my daughter picked up at a recent conference for note taking since the activity is part of my learning strategy (forces me to pay closer attention). The charts are evidently not going to be posted or sent to us so my notes will be what I will have from the class.

I find myself comparing this class with the one for Maryland Master Naturalist 9 years ago; but realizing that whatever they do here in Missouri for training is geared for the type of volunteer opportunities available here….and the volunteer work is why I am in the training!

Springfield Botanical Gardens Field Trip

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The field class I am taking at Missouri State University made a trip to the Springfield Botanical Gardens in late August – on a sunny day when the temperature was in the high 90s and the humidity was high too. We tried to stop in shady spots and didn’t walk all that far. There were no misshapes but everyone was glad that the field trip did not last as long as it could have.

I opted to wear my photovest so that I could put my water bottle in the back pocket; my field notebook and pencil was in the front pocket and I had my small point and shoot (Canon Powershot SX730 HS) on my sling strap. It worked well to write notes and take pictures. The point and shoot worked better for me than my phone which I used in the previous class during a field walk around the campus because the camera is easier to hold steady and has better optics for zooming into the parts of trees.

Here are some of the trees we stopped to talk about:

Norway Spruce - Picea abies – Pinaceae: with its large cones that have visible resin and dangling branches

Eastern Hemlock – Tsuga canadensis – Pinaceae: with green and brown cones and flat needles

American Elm – Ulmus americana – Ulmaceae: with its doubly serrated leaves and vase shape

Blue Spruce – Picea pungens – Pinaceae: with its glaucus needles, papery cones, and pegs where needles used to be

Flowering Dogwood – Cornus florida – Cornaceae: with its bark like alligator skin and red drupes

There was an old Bradford Pear which we stopped to look at…and talk about the invasive aspect of this tree that was highly recommended for planting not that long ago. (Bradford/Callery Pear – Pyrus calleryana – Rosaceae)

Yellow/Tulip poplar – Liriodendron tulipfera – Magnoliaceae: with braided bark…I didn’t take a picture since this a very familiar tree for me!

Silver Maple – Acer saccharinum – Sapindaceae: with heavily indented 5-lobed leaves with the silver underside

I couldn’t resist taking at least one flower picture while we were at the garden!

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge – August 2024

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I hadn’t visited Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge since last March – since I shifted my visits to my dad to 2-day road trips…seeing him in the afternoon after a 7 hour drive and the next morning before a 7 hour drive. There has been no time to make the side trip to Hagerman. But this month, I went for more days and made time for a Hagerman stop on the way home. I arrived about 45 minutes past sunrise.

There were still lotuses blooming in one of the ponds…a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron (with a dragonfly in the air) were in the same pond.

There was a juvenile (still had some white splotches) Little Blue Heron on one of the larger ponds that I photographed it with a Great Egret and a Snowy Egret for size comparison.

One of my photos of a Great Egret had a cormorant taking off in the background. Not far away there was a cormorant that was obviously a Neotropic Cormorant. The range map for this species shows that they might be breeding at Hagerman…but are not there year-round.

The pumpjacks in this picture were both active.

There was a small pond that had a lot of birds (herons and egrets). I took a regular image then two panoramic versions.

The light was just right for blue water…the magic of the hour after sunrise.

In the pollinator garden near the visitor center (which wouldn’t open until 9…after I continued toward home), I saw a milkweed pod already releasing its seeds with milkweed bugs in various stages of development.

Sunflowers are always photogenic…and one of them had a Green Metallic Sweat Bee!

I am not sure what kind of seed pods these are…but the shapes are full of curves.

There were volunteers working in the garden….and turning on sprinklers. The trumpet vine was almost completely desiccated. It has been very hot and dry this August there.

It was a good stop…a nature fix before the 6 more hours of driving to get home.

Other Texas Sights – August 2024

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I made short visits to two other locations on my last trip to Dallas. The Welcome Center on US 75 just after entering Texas from Oklahoma always has some native plants blooming. It was about 100 degrees when I stopped so I quickly photographed the hibiscus that seemed to be thriving in the heat.

The beautyberry has more purple berries that last time I saw it.

The second place was Josey Ranch Lake in Carrollton. I haven’t visited since last winter since it is not near my dad’s assisted living home. It was about 100 degrees and very humid…so I did most of my looking from my car. The water was very low. I saw some birds in the shallows, but they were far enough away that I wasn’t sure what they were. Finally - I got the impression that one was a Yellow-crowned Night Heron although it was hard to be certain. It was so hot that it seemed like the humidity just above the water was visible! When I got back to the hotel, I loaded my pictures onto my Mac and confirmed the identification; the light was so bright that the camera could ‘see’ better than my eyes could.

I was glad I had taken pictures of the other birds that were further away too…since they were juveniles of the same species!

Savoring these two short stops for a nature fix….

Windhaven Meadows Park in Plano TX

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Last week, I visited Windhaven Meadows Park in Plano TX. It’s close to the hotel that I prefer when I go to Dallas. My original idea was to explore the trails on my own but then a plan emerged to have brunch with my sisters, nieces and their babies in the park. I went to the park earlier in the day to see what was there…and take most of my pictures. The day was already warm at 8 AM.

I went a short distance on one trail away from the playground area noting things that might interest a 2-year-old if he ever ventured from the playground (he didn’t). There was grapevine, leaves with lots of holes in them, pecans in the tree and on the ground, and a stump that had been cut recently enough that rings could be counted.

In the other direction from the playground, there was a meadow with some flowering plants and milkweed with seedpods. The Osage orange is easy to identify this time of year because of the large fruit (in the tree and on the ground).

An Eastern Phoebe was perched in a tree.  The yellow color stumped me at first but then I read that their fresh fall plumage is yellow; that area will be white later!

There was also a crow in the same tree.

In the picnic pavilion (and elsewhere) the grackles were cleaning up. I noticed that this time of year the males lose their tail feathers…making them look much shorter. It also appeared that the female was much more aware of the situation than the males (she kept an eye on me rather than eating all the time).

The big draw of the park for children is the playground. I took pictures before any arrived. There are several different play areas…. including a water area with water shooting up from the ground or coming from a spigot to travel through troughs. Later – the water area was the most popular area since the temperature climbed very quickly into the 90s (and beyond). My grandnephew explored the playground thoroughly…spending the most time in the water area…taking a break for brunch and then making the rounds again.

I will probably visit the park again for the trails…and the changing seasons of birds and vegetation.

Lake Springfield – August 2024

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We set out to the Clay Henshaw Memorial Access on Lake Springfield since we had not viewed the lake from that perspective before. It was a little too late in the morning for birding, but I took a few pictures of flowers growing in the area.

There was a large (lotus?) leaf on the water surface that had interesting patterns of green in the deteriorating leaf that curled upward at the edges.

The sun was very bright, and we could feel the temperature rising.

We headed over to the boathouse…. which is our favorite place on the lake. The area around the building is full of native plants created by the area Master Naturalists…some with seed pods already.

As we started toward the meadow, I noticed that that the purple martins have already left. There were a few birds near the feeders…and the moon was visible in the nearly clear sky.

I took pictures of dragonflies that landed on the paved path or in the grass long enough for me to photograph. Most of them didn’t…they were on the prowl for breakfast.

The thistles were attracting skippers, but I didn’t see larger butterflies feeding in the meadow.

The sunny meadow had a lot of tall vegetation…not as colorful as earlier in the season. Many of the meadow plants are producing seed now. The goldenrod has not started blooming yet.

As we got to the far side of the meadow, a bird flew into a tree. I got several reasonably good pictures: a Great Crested Flycatcher!

There are two trenches made by storm runoff in that area…and both are dry right now. It’s been a dry August here.

We turned around and made our way back to the car…pleased with our morning activity before the heat of the day became overwhelming.

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 31, 2024

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

A 13,600-year-old mastodon skull is unearthed in an Iowa creek - Researchers will now scrutinize the bones to look for “any evidence of human activity, such as cut marks.”

Wildlife Photographer Captures Intimate Photos of Alaska’s Grizzly Bears – The bears of Lake Clark National Park. Wildlife photographers from around the world started coming to the Kenai Peninsula in Lake Clark National Park around 15 years ago, but they can’t get up close to the bears without a trained guide close by.

Solar Energy Revolution Brewing In Arkansas, With An Assist From GM - As of Q1 2024, Arkansas ranked #27 on the state-by-state rankings of installed solar capacity tracked by the Solar Energy Industries Association. One area that has seen some healthy activity is rooftop solar and other small-scale projects. According to the figures kept by SEIA, a single utility-scale solar project in Chicot County accounted for an outsized share of the 1,122 megawatts of installed capacity (140 megawatts). Last week GM announced that it has entered a PPA for electricity from the largest ever solar energy project in Arkansas so far, the Newport Solar project. Located in the town of Newport, the 180-megawatt project comes under the umbrella of the firm NorthStar Clean Energy, a branch of CMS Energy.

Say 'aah' and get a diagnosis on the spot: is this the future of health? - Analyzing the color of the human tongue. The proposed imaging system can diagnose diabetes, stroke, anemia, asthma, liver and gallbladder conditions, COVID-19, and a range of vascular and gastrointestinal issues.

The weird way the Los Angeles basin alters earthquakes - The enormous five-mile-deep (8km), sediment-filled basin that LA is built upon plays a surprising role in the effects felt above ground. Imagine the Los Angeles basin as a giant bowl of jelly – the dense rocky mountains and underlying rock make up the bowl, while the sediment fill is represented by the gelatinous mixture. If you shake the bottom [of the bowl] a little bit, the top flops back and forth quite a bit. And atop this quivering mass of jelly is the megacity of Los Angeles. Other cities built on basins: Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Mexico City, and Tehran.

Rethinking the dodo - The Dodo was the first living thing that was recorded as being present and then disappeared. Researchers went through all the literature on the Dodo encompassing hundreds of accounts dating back to 1598 and visited specimens around the UK, including the world's only surviving soft tissue from the Dodo, in the Oxford Museum. They confirm that the bird was a member of the columbid (pigeon and dove) family. Contrary to previous assumptions about its demise, it was almost certainly a very active and fast animal.

Elite Woman’s Grave Found in an Abandoned Fortress in Mongolia - The fortress of Khar Nuur was part of a system of walls and fortresses that spanned nearly 2,500 miles. Radiocarbon dating of the burial indicates that it dates to between A.D. 1158 and 1214, after the fortress had been abandoned, and likely between the fall of the Khitan or Liao Empire in A.D. 1125 and the rise of the Mongolian Empire in A.D. 1206. The researchers explained that the burial is one of only 25 graves dated to this period that have been found in Mongolia. The woman was between the ages of 40 and 60 at the time of death, and she was dressed in a yellow silk robe and headdress made of materials likely imported from China. Her coffin, made of non-local wood, also contained gold earrings, a silver cup, a bronze vessel, a gold bracelet, and coral and glass beads.

The banana apocalypse is near, but biologists might have found a key to their survival - Today, the most popular type of commercially available banana is the Cavendish variety, which was bred as a disease-resistant response to the Gros Michel banana extinction in the 1950s from Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB). For about 40 years, the Cavendish banana thrived across the globe in the vast monocultured plantations that supply the majority of the world's commercial banana crop. In the 1990s, a new strain of the Fusarium fungus started causing problems….and the research race was on to save bananas.

Florida is building the world's largest environmental restoration project - In February 2023, a large digger broke ground on a multi-billion-dollar project that has been decades in the making: building a reservoir the size of Manhattan Island. The reservoir, which is part of an historic restoration of the Everglades ecosystem, is intended to help bring a secure, long-term supply of clean drinking water to Florida's residents. The whole project is due to be completed in 2029.

Streetlights Helping Trees Defend Against Insects - Streetlights left on all night cause leaves to become so tough that insects cannot eat them, threatening the food chain. Decreased herbivory can lead to trophic cascading effects in ecology. Lower levels of herbivory imply lower abundances of herbivorous insects, which could in turn result in lower abundances of predatory insects, insect-eating birds, and so on.

A College Class…after 40 Years

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Going to a college campus for a class was almost a ‘new’ experience since I hadn’t done it for over 40 years.

The campus was newer and bigger than the university I attended in the 1970s. There was more construction and different types of parking that I’d experienced before. I set my nav system for a parking lot close to the building where my class was located; it took me to the parking lot but not on the side that had an entrance! I used the nav system to help me find the building to…and still walked past it because I wasn’t looking for the name of the building in the right place. As I walked in the building, the doors leading to the first floor were taped saying there was construction on that floor…realizing that my class was supposed to be on the third floor; I took the door to the stairs that were off the lobby between the outside doors and the doors to first floor. I stopped at a lady’s room then found the classroom…both similar to 40 years ago.

The class I am taking is a field class about woody plants so there is a short lecture segment at the beginning and then the rest of the session is outside either around the campus or on field trips at various locations around Springfield MO. The professor had posted the charts for the first class and the syllabus for the course on Brightspace earlier in the week; I had looked at the charts and printed the schedule page of the syllabus…brought a notebook for recording notes in the field.

It turned out that the professor had printed copies of the syllabus and worksheets for when we were out in the field (around campus). The amount of paper was reminiscent of my long-ago college days. My earlier idea of using my phone to take pictures and notes in the field was not looking as realistic.

I did try to take some pictures of the woody plants that were part of the first class but the only ‘good enough’ picture were from black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) (1 picture) and buckeye (Aesculus) (2 pictures).

Juggling the cell phone on a lanyard and taking physical notes is cumbersome. I’m going to try a slightly different approach for the next class which will be a field trip to Springfield Botanical Gardens….maybe taking my bridge camera (better optics so I don’t need to get as close to what I am photographing) and wearing my photovest (with lots of pockets in the front) so the notebook can be taken in and out more easily.

I am not taking the class for credit, but I am still trying to learn the common and scientific names for the woody plants viewed in the course. It might take some study techniques I’ve not used for a very long time. I want to find techniques that do not involve making paper flashcards!

Yard Work at my Daughter’s

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Last week my daughter and I finally got around to cutting down a mimosa tree we are trying to kill that keeps returning to her yard. I took our Ryobi Sawzall (battery powered) for the job.

It made quick work of the long but relatively small branches/trunks.

We used long-handled pruners for the last cut and for the pokeweed that was growing rampant nearby. My daughter was the one that waded into the bed…her gloves and clothes were covered with burrs; we are going to proactively get rid of those plants next year while they are blooming (before the burrs form)!

I enjoyed taking pictures around her yard between handing tools to her and carrying away the branches as they were cut. There is a small solanum that has produced black fruits. The Southern Magnolia pods are forming. Miniature roses are blooming again; I like the color variation the small bush supplies. The Black Eyed Susans are a little battered but still brilliant color in the flower beds.

I tried photographing several Queen Anne’s Lace seed pods. They always look like a jumbled mess but there are a lot of seeds in there!

Through my Office Window

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My office is my favorite room in my home. There is a garden area I can see through a window while I am at my computer. It has several garden ornaments, and is crowded with violets and iris leaves….and a spikenard in bloom. The yard beyond is sprinkled with fallen river birch leaves that are yellow. It’s a great place to watch robins searching for worms.

The area is shady for most of the day – from the river birch in the morning and from the house in the afternoon. There is a short time when the sun shines on the stainless-steel iris. I am documenting the blooms of the spikenard as well.

The windowsill of that same window can also be a platform for high key type photographs. This one of a dried black-eyed susan has the silhouette of the river birch in the background.

On the other side of the room, the glass paneled door looks out onto the patio under the deck and I can photograph barn swallows that congregate on the light fixtures and the ceiling fan blades before leaving all at once for their next stop.

The 4 windows of my office make it almost a garden room.

Registering for a College Class

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I registered for a class at Missouri State University last week – Identification of Woody Plants. It has been over 40 years since I did this last! Lots has changed in those years.

  • I didn’t need to go through an admissions process ahead of time or get transcripts sent because I am part of the cohort of people over 62 years old that can attend classes at much reduced cost (MSU 62). I called their office a week before the registration day to confirm. I also asked about the pre-req for the class I wanted to take; I had the pre-req in my long-ago college experience but without the transcript, how would they know? I was advised to email the instructor to get a waiver…which I did and they waived the pre-req for me.

  • The course catalog and schedule are all online now rather in paper/soft cover books. I knew that there were only 7 slots remaining in the course I wanted to take before I headed to registration.

  • The registration for the MSU 62 cohort was held the week before classes started which is later than I usually registered back in the 70s. I arrived just after they opened. The receptionist for the event handed me forms and sent me to tables/chairs to fill them out. The course I wanted to take was not on the paper version of a course list on the tables, so I was glad I had the numbers for it written down to enter in the appropriate places on the form. I also had the printed version of the email exchange with the instructor. I was so focused on the requirements for my degree 40 years ago…now I am just taking whatever interests me and not for credit.

  • When I finished the forms, I joined the queue in chairs waiting for advisors…and thoroughly enjoyed a donut while I waited. I don’t remember ever having food provided when I registered for college classes before!

  • The advisor got me admitted and registered very quickly. She discovered that I already had a number with the university (maybe because I had donated back in 2020).

  • After that I was routed to a second person that printed out my concise schedule and talked to me about setting up my computer accounts, books and parking permits. It appears that the only cost is going to be for the parking pass – quite a bargain even compared to the costs I had in the 1970s. In addition, the textbook for the class I am taking is listed as ‘optional’ so I am waiting to buy it until after I hear what the instructor says in the first session.

Less than an hour after I entered the building, I was walking back to the parking garage. Along the way I photographed the colorful school mascot (bear) at the corner of the building. I am looking forward to this course…not so different from the way I always looked forward to the fall during my education-intense years…but savoring that I won’t be taking any tests!

A Colorful Maple Leaf

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When I came out of my polling place (for the Missouri primary) earlier this month - I noticed a spot of color in one of the maple trees growing in an island of the parking lot. I took a closer look.

It was the only leaf on the tree that wasn’t green! Of course, in the fall the tree will be full of leaves that are brilliantly colored since so many of the trees here are varieties of red maples. I am savoring this spot of color and not yet having to worry about mowing my yard frequently enough to mulch the fallen leaves into the grass.

August in our Neighborhood

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It was a mostly cloudy morning when I took a walk around our neighborhood last weekend. I noticed that the stonecrop near our front porch was ready to bloom and the seeds had formed on a redbud tree near the entrance path to the ponds.

A willow hangs over the inflow channel to the ponds…shading the area and making a fringe of green almost down to the water.

The native plants that had been in pots several weeks ago when I walked around the neighborhood last have been planted around the shore of the largest pond and there was a stick near one of them with an Eastern Amberwing dragonfly sitting still long enough to be photographed.

A little further along two small red-eared slider turtles were soaking in the warmth of the morning.

I always enjoy photographing magnolia flowers. The season is far enough along for the tree to have some seed pods forming too.

Last time I walked around the neighborhood there was a bullfrog sitting in the shallows of the larger pond. This time, there was one in the shallows of the smaller one. Based on the coloring…it was not the same frog! Both times, the frog seemed very focused on the pond…paid no attention to me walking around to get another perspective.

The fungus on the old stump along my route back home, has changed significantly. There appear to be 5 or 6 different kinds!

Road Trip to Texas – August 2024 (1)

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I am anticipating taking more than one trip to Dallas to see my dad in August since two of my three sisters are traveling during the month; it’s more challenging for one of us to see him every day when there are less people in the rotation! This road trip was easier that my recent ones – not as many delays from construction or accidents. However….there were still moments of drama….

As I headed out of my neighborhood, I noticed a skunk amble from my neighbor’s corner flowerbed and move off down a side street where there are houses on both sides. It’s probably very familiar with the area but I had not seen it before.

About 45 minutes into the trip, there was on overturned truck on the opposite side of the interstate with trailer partially on the median…partial blocking the inner lane. There were a lot of cars waiting to get by on that side. There didn’t seem to be any obvious cause of the accident other than the sun being in everyone’s eyes driving in that direction.

As soon as I got to Oklahoma, the wind picked up and there were bands of low dark clouds. I kept a careful watch for funnel shapes since they looked so strange and the trees along the interstate where clearly being buffeted by the wind. Not a good time to be beside a truck either. Fortunately, the wind calmed down within an hour and I only got a short sprinkle rather than heavy rain.

After those first couple of hours, the rest of the drive was uneventful by comparison. I stopped at the Texas Welcome Center on US75 for a snack lunch and took pictures of some of their plantings. The beautyberry seeds are beginning to ripen.

I found a feather on the sidewalk…wondered what kind of bird had left it behind.

The street parking at my dad’s assisted living home was shady…but the temperature still felt very hot. When I came out after visiting with him for a few hours, my car said it was 108 outside as I drove to my hotel.

The hotel turns their air conditioning down to the 60s and it felt way too cold. I set the thermostat in my room to 75 and was more comfortable.

The next morning, I headed over to see my dad again and got there as he was finishing his breakfast. It was cool enough for a walk and we worked on a puzzle. I was on my way home by 11. I had planned to stop at the Oklahoma Welcome Center on US75 on the way home but needed to buy gas instead.

The only picture I took on the way home was a grasshopper that was sitting on the sidewalk outside one of my stops along the way.

And so…another road trip to Texas is history.

Celestron Origin (1)

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My husband has been taking one image per clear evening in our back yard with his new Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory.

He has been changing the exposures every night from 20 minutes to over 90 minutes…taking pictures of galaxies and nebulae: Whirlpool Galaxy, Bode’s Nebula, Fireworks Galaxy, and Bubble Nebulae. The images below are created without post processing outside the telescope!  

The skies at our house are not particularly dark; there is one streetlight that is particularly problematic…and a neighbor’s house with twinkle lights around their deck. Our house blocks the streetlight in front of our house – which is good. Still – the initial days with the new telescope have been positive ones. There is a huge advantage to doing things in the back yard in a couple of hours each night rather than driving someplace, staying up all night (dosing in the tent during longer exposures) making the most of the night, and then either sleeping in a tent in the early morning hours or driving home.

He is planning to go to the Okie-Tex Star Party at the end of September. Then he’ll go into the mode of staying up all night…getting the most out of the dark skies for photography and interacting with other amateur astronomers. I’ll stay home to care for our 3 cats.

A Walk in our Neighborhood

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It has been so hot recently, that I try to get any outdoor activities done as early as possible. Walks at 7 AM are good even if the humidity is high enough to make mid-70s temperatures feel sticky. I take along my camera – in case I spot something I want to photograph. On one recent morning I paused for photography several times:

The morning light on the base of some pine trees on my route to the ponds made the pine needles look almost orange. I liked the contrast with the white rock and the green of some volunteer plant near the base of a pine.

There were galls on some leaves that had fallen on the path – probably some insect larvae. I took pictures of them and then looked up in the tree and saw leaves still on the tree that had them too.

There were pots of native water plants in the water near the inflow to the main pond. I wondered when they would get planted in the shallow water at the edge of the pond.

Further along there was a bullfrog sitting in some shallow water.  I took several pictures from different angles.

There was an ‘arrangement’ of debris in some water on the path. The colors and shapes appealed to me.

There is an old stump near the street on my path back to my house that I often notice. This time it had 3 different kinds of fungus!

Overall – a good walk for exercise…and photography!