On The Pond Again -- Finally!

It has been a long summer and not once during June, July, or August did I dip a paddle in the water. Oh, the horror of it!! Knowing that I needed desperately to get a little canoe time in, Treebeard loaded up the Tripper and we headed for the pond. The trip takes all of three minutes ;)

Here's a shot of the new, butt-ugly boat ramp that has been put in. Needless to say, you won't be seeing anymore shots from this angle in my header...YUCK!

Ah, a little soothing balm for the soul...yep, it's a green treefrog, freshly emerged. See his little stub of a tail?

Growing at the base of the same tree was this Ludwigia. The bright and happy yellow flower was blissfully unaware that just beneath it...

...this Banded Sphinx caterpillar was munching away on the leaves of the plant. There was another caterpillar of the same species nearby, but it was a totally different color. Unfortunately, my photographing-things-from-a-moving-canoe skills are a little rusty and the picture was too blurry to use.

We couldn't stay by the boat ramp all day, so we headed out onto the lower pond. The duckweed has been particularly heavy this year and it requires a bit of work to paddle through.

A little open water here and there was greatly appreciated. In parts of the pond the duckweed cover was pretty much solid.

Some of the trees and bushes out in the water are starting to hint at the coming change in season. In another few weeks the tupelo will be golden, the cypress will turn russet, and the host of little hardwood trees and shrubs that colonize the stumps will be arrayed in reds and yellows.

Duckweed or no and butt-ugly boat ramps not withstanding, this pond is still one of the prettiest places I know. I'll be back later in the week to share some pictures from the mid and upper pond and the swamp. But for now, go out and flip a rock if you've got any. It's International Rock Flipping Day. Just be sure you put the rock back the way you found it!