I Spy, Do You?

What do you see when you look at this picture?

Look closely now.

I'll be back later to find out if you see what I saw...







Need more input? Perhaps if I show you the same spot from a different angle...




Still not sure of what you're seeing? Here's a close-up for you.


It's just a snake (Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus), out enjoying the warm sunshine. He nearly got himself stepped on though -- good thing Treebeard has excellent reflexes!

Persevere

According to Webster's:
persevere: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counter influences, opposition, or discouragement

Only 8 more weeks of class to go...

I so want to be outside -- this is my favorite time of year. It is a time when things are beginning to stir and reawaken. Alas, I am trapped inside studying, missing everything. Arrrgghhh! 

Just Cuz

No time to write, no ID to offer. I just like the way the picture looks. Hope all is well with everyone... 

Through a Window Dirty

This red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) spends a lot of time hunting in our yard. We see it quite regularly, perched on a limb over the garden or sitting in the heartnut tree scanning the side yard. Normally it behaves in a very proper hawk-like manner, but the other day it suffered a momentary identity crisis.
It flew to the ground and did an excellent impression of a robin. It would hop about, head cocked to the side, apparently watching and listening to something on the ground. Then, instead of pecking as a robin would, it would grab at the ground with its talon and come up with a hunk of grass.

We never could see what it was after. Red-shoulders eat a variety of critters including snakes and rodents, but we never saw it actually eat anything while it was doing its robin-thing. Who knows, maybe it was just having fun perplexing the humans who were peering at it through the dirty window :) 

Little Surprises

Can't have you thinking all is gray and drear in my life at the moment. We've been having a mild winter and the few times I've been able to get out I have been treated to nice little surprises.

Here is a little snake I saw last weekend while out taking a Sunday morning stroll. It is a DeKay Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi). These little snakes max out at about a foot and a half in length. They make their living munching out on earthworms and slugs and are actually quite common in urban areas. I have never seen a brown snake even try to bite, but they will musk on you in a hearbeat! 

Winter Gray

I leave home in the morning before the sun comes up and I arrive home in the evening well after the sun goes down. My days are spent within the confines of the classroom or the gym. Being locked inside tends to make me feel a little claustrophobic -- but the good news is that my class is going well and I only have 14 more weeks to go :) 

Such a Lovely Leech

Yesterday was quite warm and several turtles took advantage of the conditions to do a little basking. Why do they bask? In part to get rid of pesky little critters like leeches.
We have at least six different species of aquatic leeches in the millpond. I have seen them attached to turtles, frogs, submerged logs, and the occasional canoe.
This one was not actively feeding, it was just hitching a ride on the turtle's carapace. In its contracted state it was a tad wider than my thumb and about an inch and a half long. Bet it would have been impressive all stretched out. 

Camofrogged

 

Fungi, Anyone?

Courtesy of Treebeard, a little touch of the outdoors. 

Bird Art

A yellow-bellied sap sucker worked on this loblolly pine, leaving behind little orbs of amber resin. It's too bad the resin turns white as it dries...

You may (or may not) notice that my postings will be few and far between for the next four months. I am currently attending a training program that keeps me in class about 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. The rest of my time is spent reading for the next day's class. Plus, we are tested each Monday so my weekends are spent studying. Now doesn't that sound fun? I know you are all jealous ;) 

Hidden Treasures

Most of the time, when I'm out and about, curiosity gets the best of me and I just have to see what is in or under things. The pieces of dead wood pictured above were in a seepage area, prime habitat for certain salamander species. When I took a look, I was not disappointed. Under the largest piece I found a two-lined salamander.


Two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata)

Of course, I put the log back the way I found it. Curious, yes; home-wrecker, no.

Other species of salamander encountered during my walk:
Red-backed salamander - Plethodon cinereus
Dusky salamander - Desmognathus auriculatus
Atlantic Coast Slimy salamander - Plethodon chlorobryonis

Even In Winter...

...you have to be vigilant. This deer tick (probably Ixodes scapularis) was trying to hitch a ride on my hand. Deer ticks are about the only species of tick we see out and about in the winter. They look sort of like walking apple seeds :)

Cypress Secrets

Inside a burned out cypress stump we found this scar -- perhaps of a long-gone branch. We also found gnaw marks (not pictured), about the right size for a squirrel. Wonder if the squirrel had a tummy ache and was chewing the charcoal for relief?

Sundog

As we finished our hike on the 1st, the late afternoon sky offered up a sundog.

Sure, it's just light passing through ice crystals, but I like to think of it as a New Year's Day present...

2006

Happy New Year! May your 2006 be filled with pleasant surprises and good fortune.
Now, I simply must go to sleep. I'm a morning person, don't you know...

Happy Birthday, Treebeard!

December 31, 1953...a very important date to me. It was the day my best friend and soulmate was born.
Happy Birthday, Treebeard! I love you more than you can know. 

Shhh...She's Sleeping

Where does the queen sleep away the winter chill? This particular one was nestled inside a dead pine log on the forest floor. She was perfectly safe and content -- at least until we came along :(
When we rolled the log to check for salamanders, it broke apart and revealed itself as the winter home of this queen bald-faced hornet (Vespula maculata). She mated in the late summer or early fall and now waits patiently for the warmth of spring when she will emerge and begin a new colony.
Luckily, we were able to piece the log back together so perhaps we didn't do any lasting damage to this sleeping beauty -- we'll keep an eye on things throughout the rest of the winter though, just to be sure. 

For Ontario Wanderer, As Promised

My December 11th post dealt with "duckweed." Seven genera were mentioned in that post. With Treebeard's invaluable assistance, I have done my best to identify them to species correctly.

For an excellent introduction to duckweeds and other interesting plants, may I direct you to Wayne's Word.

Sorry it took so long for me to get around to doing this, OW!




Azolla caroliniana (Mosquito fern or Water-velvet) This one is not a duckweed, but is often found along with the duckweed mats on the millpond. The Azolla is green in the summer but turns to a velvety red in the fall.


Ricciocarpus natans (a Thallose Liverwort commonly called Purple-fringed Riccia)


Wolffiella gladiata (Sword bogmat or Florida mudmidget)


Spirodela polyrrhiza (Common water-flaxseed, Big duckweed)


Spirodela punctata (Dotted water-flaxseed, Dotted duckweed, Dotted duckmeat) syn: Landoltia punctata


Lemna valdiviana (Pale duckweed)


Wolffia brasiliensis (Watermeal)

Three Unrelated Photos

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

A garden, by chance.

Ruddy duck at sunrise on Big Lake (Umstead State Park, Raleigh,NC)

Peace and Joy

A holiday wreath for you - swamp style. May your holiday be full of things that bring you joy.

Homeward Bound

Merry Christmas to all you bloggers out there! May your holiday be joyous and safe.

Christmas Eve finds us in Charlotte, preparing for the long drive home to the swamp. Our visit has been brief and pleasant, but we are ready to head back. I know I've told you before, but there is just too much stuff here in 'Carlot' and Treebeard and I long for the peace of the woods and wetlands.

Happy Holidays!

That Green Stuff

Water garden...there are at least six, probably seven, species of plants in this photo: a liverwort, an azolla, two spirodelas, a wolffia, a wolffiella, and just possibly a lemna.

Let's simplify and call it all "duckweed."

Resinous Polypore, Maybe?

Treebeard has been keeping an eye on this whopper of a 'shroom the past couple of days. Currently, it measures 49 cm across, 24 cm deep. (you can divide by 2.54 if you want to convert to inches...)
It is growing near the base of a dead sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua).


From a distance for a little perspective.


From a bit closer to appreciate the fact that it has absorbed the fence.


And finally, right along the edge to note the ooze.

Something's up with either my monitor or with Hello because these pictures were much sharper before I loaded 'em on the blog. Curious.

Crazy Dog

Wonder what she's thinking...


...she's thinking, "I'd like to eat some dirt."


Yep, she's a crazy dog.

Note: T. Beth tells me there is a name for this practice. Seems my dog indulges in geophagy. Let 'em eat dirt!!