On the Path September 16th, 2014

It's been a while since I took a camera along on the path. In fact, it's been a while since I walked the path. I find all kinds of excuses why "not to walk today". But having just returned from Moose Jaw to visit family and it being a cooler fall day, I looked forward to it.

There were only 'ordinary' things to see today but ordinary can sometimes be special to me. Today it was. Probably because it had been a while, so I could expect some changes from my last walk.

The tree tunnels are still green... other than a few leaves here and there.

Light at the end of the tunnel. There's a break in the trees.

Looking back from the light.

The Touch-Me-Nots now have small seed pods. They're only about a half-inch long but the puffier ones already pop when you squeeze them gently. They'll soon be much more entertaining.

Not sure what this is but the nodules have tiny burs in them--about the size of a BB--if you know what that is.

In the woods, part of the hillside has collapsed, taking some trees with it. The creek is 70 feet or so away but it must be the cause. What may look like water in this shot is actually grey gumbo--very mucky, sticky mud.

The meadow at the top of the path isn't as pretty as it has been in other years but it has some nice color nonetheless .

I think of this time of year as "yellow, purple & white time". Before I knew the names of the common weeds & wildflowers, that was the best that I could come up with. 

Some escapee asparagus amongst the maple leaves.

More asparagus below.

This squirrel had a walnut (I think) in his mouth as he scurried back to enjoy it, or maybe hide it for later.

This one was just a bit further down the path, displaying his bushy tail. Their tails sure are bushy.

Wild Carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) in various stages. A busy shot to be sure. But a 2-dimensional image is a very poor representation of the world. And a camera captures such a small part of any scene. Standing in front of these, under a sunny blue sky, feeling the air, seeing the variety & the colors and the entire scene makes a huge difference. There's no comparison really.

Many of them are in the 'bird's nest' stage.

If you haven't already, next time you see some, look closely and enjoy the intricate beauty.

This one has the bird's nest, but for now it's a "snail's nest". You never know what you're going to see when you look closely at things in nature.

 



A touch of fall--some early color change.

Himalayan Balsam was only at one spot on the path a few years back, but it's spreading to new areas each year. It's seed pods pop too, when gently squeezed.

Milkweed

Black Locust tree thorns. They can only be described as deadly... they're rock hard and needle sharp. They even look deadly... protruding like a pair of horns.

This creamy white thistle always stands out this time of year, amongst the mostly green.

Tarspot on maple leaves. Looks like black amoeba. It's a fungal infection, common to maples. By this time of year, thousands of leaves have it. Ugly, but apparently it's harmless to the tree. However, horses have died after eating too many of the leaves.

Ordinary stuff today... but indicators of the relentless march of the seasons.



I'll post some images from Moose Jaw once I get them sorted out--if you're interested.

- fini -