The beech trees whispered to me as I walked along the trail and the Spanish moss sighed out on the pond.
Resurrection fern took advantage of the humidity provided by our recent rain...
...and a tiny little garden of twinberry, mosses, and lichen flourished at the base of a tree.
A wrinkled old mushroom gave a mysterious wiggle.
A gentle tilt of the cap revealed the source of the wiggle - an unidentified scarab beetle at work.
Somewhere along the way an unwelcome hitcher - a black-legged tick - snagged a ride . Needless to say, he is no longer with us.
Plus, another sojourner joined me. This hunting dog was wandering around, separate from his pack. When I came along he must have figured I was the next best thing so he walked with me for about 2 miles. I'm not a fan of hunting with dogs and it is particularly irksome when the packs get on the park. This is the last Saturday of hunting season - the woods were full of dogs. Unfortunately, dogs can't read boundary markers. This fellow is back home with his owners now, hopefully with a full belly and a nice box to sleep in. (He was an amiable companion, made me miss walking with my dog...)
Evidence of other more task oriented wanderers...snail trails on a dead log.
4 comments:
Is that Mitchella repens? I have always called that "Partridge Berry" -- is that wrong? Or just another name?
Sounds like a nice walk, made nicer by a canine companion.
I assume since you are still in the south up there, that the hound is a deer dog.
I've never been a fan of running deer with dogs either. I bet our northern friends have no inkling of that southern tradition.
Cute vandal in the previous post!
I'd a let it go somewhere else too.
Tis the season ...
rurality,
Yep, it's the same plant. The name "twinberry" refers to the fact that the plant's two flowers produce only one fused berry. My apologies for not including the scientific name as I usually do - just being lazy :)
FC,
Yes, it was a deer dog. Most folks in my county run Walkers, but a few use black and tans. This one was a mixed breed, but mostly black and tan.
Beautiful posts. All of your posts are so visually stunning. I am glad I found you through Nina at Nature Remains. Your environment is so different than mine -- its like discovering a new world through you. Thanks.
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