On the Path -- November 15th, 2012

I haven't posted anything from the path the last couple months. These images are a sampling.

This was October 8th... a lot has changed in less than 6 weeks.

I just had to ask Jane to pose for a reflection.

This was mid-October... some advanced color.

And some just nicely started.

Have you noticed that most of the 'slide shows' making the rounds on email these days use super-saturated colors? They're not realistic but they sure are popular.

I thought I'd super-saturate a couple shots from the path. You'll never see colors this intense on the path, but ...

Just about home on a late October day, the sun back-lighted these leaves on the remains of a wire fence in the ditch.

This is how things look now... normal saturation.

Or, if you prefer, super-saturated.

Late afternoon light.

The next two go back a while... Milkweed blossoms.

And these ones are Milkweed seed pods from a few days ago... a favourite of mine in the fall.

Dog-Strangling Vine (Black or Pale Swallowwort) is in the Milkweed family of plants. It's an aggressive invasive and is common throughout the province. Female Monarch butterflies sometimes mistake it for Milkweed, and lay their eggs on it.

When they do, all the larvae die since they can only live on Milkweed. The two plants are easy for us to tell apart, but obviously not for the Monarchs.
http://www.sleloinvasives.org/about-invasives/target-species/swallow-wort/

Raspberry canes with the 'blue-ish' powder that makes them stand out.

It's pretty common to see cats on the path but this is the first one that was up a tree... a good 10 ft off the ground.

Something I shoot all year. These are Poison Ivy berries. They're easy to spot this time of year. If you see them, it's a good idea to make note of their location, so you'll know where to watch for Poison Ivy next spring.

The berries are a bit smaller than a pea.

They're sometimes described as looking like tiny, peeled oranges.

A rare sight on the path. This Barred Owl is only the second owl I've seen on the path in over 5 years of walking it on a regular basis.

I took this shot just for the color. It's escapee Asparagus.

A Downy Woodpecker.

Red Oak leaves... I love the coppery color.

A tangle... but I like the colors here too. More Dog-Strangling Vine as well.

 

A sapling that was twisted and stayed twisted while it grew?

Colorful fungi... love it.

Not colorful but still interesting.

It looks like it's sliced the tree in half. A fungus thrown by that guy in the old Bond movie that threw his hat that had a razor edge. Strange, the things that come to mind.

 

A nest that was hidden all summer. It was 4-5 ft off the ground and about 3 to 4 inches across. It's incredible when you think that a bird built this, using only it's beak and feet, and I would imagine a few pushes and shoves with its body. Blows me away.
Bird's nests are just one of 100s of things that I just can't fathom about evolution. When and how did birds begin building nests? The only answer you usually get to the 'how' is 'instinct'. That's a very poor answer when you think about it.

While I'm on the subject of 'incredible wonder', the one that is completely beyond comprehension to me is a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly or moth... a 'worm' that is destined to fly. It's a good thing we don't or the sky would be full of humans flying around... though it might help with traffic jams.

As dumb as that sounds, why does any species transform the way caterpillars do? The best answer scientists seem to come up with is "evolution, given millions of years, with mutations along the way". Another poor answer for me, but I don't expect a better one anytime soon.

Red Clover is still to be found. It may outlast all its competition.

A very poor result (severe crop) but what he had in his mouth caught my eye. Looks like he raided a cocktail party rather than dine on his usual forest fare.

 

Be careful around this thistle. Nature seems to go over the top sometimes with her ideas.

 

Another late-in-the-day shot.

I'll end with some garden shots from early fall.

Meet the Stone family children.

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