"Out & About" Photo Blog: Out & About in June # 2 </br> 2013

When was the last time you looked for shapes or faces or animals in the clouds? Our 4 year-old grandson has me looking for them again now & then.

I see pair of dark eyes and nose in this shot, though I didn't see it when I took the shot. You probably have to enlarge the image to see it.

I see a pretty good frog in this one. Didn't see it when I took it either.

On the Path
The longest tree-tunnel on the path... a nice break from the hot sun.

Birch tree catkins, looking like an infestation of greenish worms.

Thistle blossoms

Silver Maple leaves. They say maple syrup from Silvers isn't as sweet as that from Sugars. I'd like to try it though.

Milkweed blossoms at various stages. Monarch butterflies will be laying their eggs on the underside of the leaves soon. I often check for the eggs or caterpillars but have only seen them a couple times over the years.

A honeybee trying to decide which bloom to try. One is already taken by a smaller fly of some sort.

This rabbit slipped into the undercover. He's keeping an eye on me though.

With all the rain we've had, a few species of fungi are in the woods at the top of the path.

Damsel Fly (Ebony Jewelwing) - Thanks John.

Garlic Mustard seed pods. They're the smallest pods I've seen in nature. They're about the size of the lead in a wooden pencil.

Cow Vetch (I think) amongst some Bedstraw. Pioneers used Bedstraw in their mattresses. Just one more reason I wouldn't have made a good pioneer. A ditch full of it is sure a pretty sight though.

Here and There

Tamarack (aka Larch) pine cones. They're tiny, about the size of a dime. They look like miniature roses at this stage.

I wish I knew a geologist that could explain things like this boulder. You can only guess how the fine lines in it were formed.

Heber Down Conservation Area
A Pearl or Northern Crescent butterfly. Small but beautiful. Their wingspan is about an inch.

Bladder Campion

The color of the creek-bed caught my eye. The creek is shallow enough that the the sun easily lights up the bottom of the creek. It's always calming to stand by a small creek and listen to it trickle by.

Our Backyard
We've always had Eastern Grey squirrels in our yard. Of course they happen to be black like most Greys are in our area. About 3 or 4 years ago chipmunks appeared and are now part of our backyard zoo.

Then about a year ago Red Squirrels appeared. Much smaller than the Greys, and cuter. Add the racoons and rabbits and birds and we have lots of free entertainment.

I like their coloring.

They love the suet we put out for the birds. If you can rotate your back feet 180 degrees, as squirrels can, it makes it easy to hang upside down. Good for scrambling down trees too.

This guy has the inscription "The Boss" on it. It reminds me of my younger brother, Ross, who used to call himself "The Boss". Sadly, Ross is no longer with us.