After Work Hike

Eddie and I went out Monday right after work. We parked low and took the meteor trail. So named because of a rock which appears to be blasting through a boulder. I've taken many a pic of it but can never capture the full essence. This pic is from winter:

Before getting to the north end we cut up through a gulley wash when the tarantula trail was just a few yards away and looped south. At the south end we climbed to the top, which allowed me to realize that is a shortcut off the yellow ridge trail while walking south. That's definitely good to know. I had looked before and always assumed it was not easily passable. Wish I had known this the 2nd time I ever went hiking there and almost got caught on the trail in the dark.

Near the top there I found another little patch of Indian paintbrush. From there we meandered west until we reached the upper. We then headed up the tadpole to check out the blackberry blooms. They are bountiful and I smiled.

There were lots of walkers (by clothing/shoes/lack of water source I couldn't really call them hikers) and lots of bikers. We came across only 2 dogs, Boston terrier-likes, leash-lunging at Eddie, but only for a sniff. By the time we got back to the lot there were very few cars. Total hike 2 hrs, 5 minutes, topped off with an Asian salad from McD. They were again out of dog treats but luckily I had stashed one in my door pocket. I fished it out and Eddie didn't know the difference.

Backyard Colors

All my plans changed for today as I've been fighting a virus of sorts... a computer problem. My daughter (B) was on my computer during the night and when I got up there were problems. She professes her innocence.

I spent the majority of the day trying to work out the problems, but for relief I took some pics of colorful things in the backyard.

Dandelion bloom

Sheepshauer/sheepshower blooms

My first eastern tailed-blue outside of TM

Same one. It was flitting about and usually resting on sheepshauer blooms, but this time is landed on the bermuda and posed!

Wild strawberry bloom. They are running rampant in the compound right now...

which is good because the turtles like them

I have to admit the fly is colorful!

A violet-looking plant with its white bloom pushing up among the ivy

These pink flowers keep coming back year after year. I guess I'll have to look them up

I like the red leaves among the green on the pink rosebush

First pink bloom!

The red rosebush is just getting ready to pop its first one!

Eddie's spiderman ball. He loves it!

Did I mention yet... I'm Stupid?

My daughter (aka A) and I hiked about 5 pm with Eddie. We parked low and took the low trail to the concrete "reststop" by the tracks. There was quite a bit of mud from the rains this week, and that area has a hard time drying out. There were several bikers and a couple with their 2 well-behaved dogs. For some crazy reason we were both pretty tired just half way out. I felt like I was lumbering along. Temp in the low 70s, all in the shade, so there was no excuse.

I slipped and fell, daintily I might add, which is a feat in itself, while going down the hill to the lower. A had just mentioned there was water trickling down a rock, and since she was wearing shoes instead of her boots I was just about to warn her about slipping, because wet rocks are manipulative that way, when I slipped. I brushed my rear off as best I could, but later, when I was walking in front, she broadcast that there was dirt on my ass which was shouting, "I fell, look at me, I fell!" So I stuck my rear out at her and made her brush it off again.

We sat and chatted quite a while at the concrete before heading back. I noticed several different types of pretty little wildflowers and plan to return tomorrow alone with my camera just to get the flowers. We saw an eastern tiger swallowtail, the yellow and black kind. Even if I'd had my camera I don't believe I would have had a good shot. It was flying and lighting high, and besides, we were there to hike.

Total hike, including rest stop, about 1 hr, 45 min.

On April 12 I wrote and put up a pic of the little maple tree I had transplanted in the backyard. I had been concerned because the maples in the neighborhood, including its mother next door, had been leafing out for a while. Well, this evening I went to look closely at all the leaves, very proud that I hadn't killed it, and still wondering how to best stunt its growth so it wouldn't get so big (since it is close to the house). Anyway, this is what I found, and why I'm stupid:


Obviously this is a redbud tree, and I'm very happy! I don't know how I could have forgotten that I transplanted a redbud instead of a maple. There are 2 maple sprigs at the side of the house, so I didn't just make it up.


This is Blocky, aka Hooly, after she put herself to bed for the evening. The turtles are always so cute the way they think they are completely hidden just because their face is. Come to think of it, cats and dogs do that, too.

I'm Lucky!

Today I went w/o Ed so I wouldn't be encumbered while photographing butterflies. I arrived at noon, parked low, took the tadpole and just before the descent to the taturmobile I looped around to the east and headed back with some much needed shade. From the loop on I was hot and just about miserable, with thoughts of a cool bed with ceiling fan and ice water. Toward the end I even started counting my steps in groups of 100 to keep my mind off the heat. About 2 hrs.

Eddie could have gone, for I didn't get many butterfly pics. I was impatient plus it was probably too late (hot) in the day for much activity. At least I got one really good shot of a goatweed, and a passable shot of an unknown. I'm glad I went, but I think when it's this warm I'll just go to the fitness center instead.

This cardinal was hanging around near the trailhead, taunting me to catch him. Just when he got in a good position and I was almost focused, he would hop away and chit-chit

I saw these in the same place last year and was happy they bloomed this early. I have no idea what they are. UPDATE: Cranky Lady IDd this as the paintbrush. There is a bit of difference between "Indian Paintbrush", such as WY state flower, and the Texas paintbrush. This is the Texas variety.

I began noticing yesterday that quite a few of the tent caterpillar colonies were like this. Maybe they're ready to spread their filth or pupate


Pretty

This is why we call this the tadpole trail. We will see this all spring and summer, and when large broods turn into froglets we have to watch our step very carefully

Just a large grasshopper

Some of the blackberry canes already had buds

and a few had blooms!

Tiger beetles maybe?

My wonderful shot of the goatweed leafwing. They're about all I saw today and now I can officially stop taking pics of them

Unknown little blue or skipper or something. I'll look later

Interesting feather. I don't know from what... yellow flicker?

And here's why I'm lucky! It still has some nails in it, and I think I'll hang it over my door at work

Butterflies and Larva

I released Rehab again, as supposedly the temps will now stay stably warm. Eddie and I took a short hike about 11, parked at the upper and went west with my macro lens. We took the first right off the gate trail and made our way to bramble hill. We met a couple with their very friendly 2 rottweilers and lab. At the bottom of bramble hill the eastern-tailed blues were plentiful. Then we went to photo the raccoon skeleton, and specifically to try to get a carrion larva for proper ID.

We saw several bikers and many goatweed leafwings. All in all a very pleasant hike of about 70 minutes. I won't take Ed with me tomorrow because I want to try to get some good butterfly shots and I can't manage that with him.
These pretty little grass flowers were everywhere in the area just north of the tadpole. UPDATE: Cranky Lady IDd these as spring beauties


While off-trail in that same area I came across my first poison ivy sighting of the spring. Looks like now I'll stay on the trails until winter


Also in the same area I saw a lizard dart across my path, but this is all I got of it!


Carrion larva and friend on the raccoon scapula (I think). It was the only larva I saw on the remains


I bagged a larva and brought it home. This is the pic my cousin asked for, showing the 6 legs

I really was patient, but could never get a good shot. I think this is an eastern tiger swallowtail


A male goatweed leafwing - one of many many I saw. A lot of them were darting in pairs


Eastern tailed-blues mating


This one is my prize - a rare (for me) glimpse of the top of the eastern tailed-blue.

I'm Getting Spoiled

I had a haircut afterwork so we (Eddie) didn't get started hiking until 6. I parked low and went west. I wanted to go off-trail around the area where I found the leg bone and vertebra. I found the lower jaw bones of a deer, with full cheek teeth and most front teeth. I still think all the bones are from the same animal.

The jaw bones, which I believe are called the ramus (from the skull ID book) were still connected at the very front of the mouth. We didn't find anything else, and we spent so much time exploring off trail that by the time we looped around on the Fairy Dust and came back by Rock City I wasn't going to have time to check out the raccoon skeleton. My daughter decided it should be called a skeleton now since it is nearly picked clean. Plus she can't stand the word carcass.

As Ed and I walked down the path where the deer skull used to hang he looked up on the trunk as we passed by that tree. I didn't slow down, but he knew to glance up there. We heard a few frogs chorusing from the large pond, and saw the mallard pair in a pondish area just before the 1st of the 3 lakes.

Total hike was 1 hr, 50 min, and Ed and I stopped by McDs for an ice cream cone and doggie treat. As Eddie was straining in his seat harness the guy told me they were out of treats, so I gave Eddie the last 2 bites of my cone, which he fully expected and enjoyed.

More Bones

I got a late start hiking, arriving just before 5 pm. I parked in the lower and headed west for the purpose of raccoon carcass pics and to gather some small rocks to look for fossils. I ended up getting bone pics instead of fossil-looking rocks. Total hike 2 hr, 10 min. Here are the pics in hiking order:


This might be a northern cloudywing. It was at the top just before the upper


This sassy robin kept leading me along the path from the upper to the gate


I'm assuming this is a leg bone from a deer. It was just off the trail that's close to the road. What I can't figure out is why the shorter bone off the joint is sawed off. Since the joint isn't quite picked clean I hid it and plan to inspect it later.


Maybe 25 yds or so from the 'leg bone' was this vertebra all nice and clean. It's probably from the same animal


Cute little whirlpool in the Rock City ravine stream. After swirling around it drains down each side below. I wonder how many thousands of years this has been going on in order to create such a nice smooth bowl in the rock


Across the stream and up through the rough I found this box turtle shell. It also has the bottom piece of plastron which unfortunately broke off when I put it in the bag. From the few marginal scutes left on it I can tell it was a common 3-toed, like the ones I have


A long cool rock in the trail


This redbud is growing upside down now thanks to the Dec. ice storm. The arrow shows where the trunk broke


I couldn't believe the raccoon has been picked this clean in such a short time!

Click to enlarge, and you will see just in front of the orbit (eye socket, but now I have to call it an orbit thanks to the skull ID manual my cousin sent me) and going down to the ground from there a bunch of what looks like maybe larvae of the carrion beetle finishing it off. The icky tissue-y hairy mass has sloughed off and is at the bottom of the pic under the mouth area.


One of its feet

I also want to mention that the chickadees were out flitting and singing in full force throughout the ravine area.

Toady Splat

No hiking this week, partly due to rain and also getting over my little flu. Today was pretty nice but I stayed home to do other things, like taxes. I've never waited this late before.

Since I haven't started spraying the lawn for beauty control I have some weeds that are growing tall, even though the bermuda is not out, so I decided to mow. This would be my 2nd mowing this season. After getting gas and gassing the mower I tried to start it and on the 2nd pull the winding thingie got stuck and the pull cord was left dangling and lifeless. After a few minutes of pushing through the little top vent things to make the whirry part turn to coil up the cord I finally decided to remove the top of that whirry, turning thing. No problem, I have good tools.

The 5/16 socket was too small, the 7/16 socket was too big, and after digging around a little I finally found a 3/8. It was just a tad too small. Hmmm. I know I've used these before, but not since I had the mower worked on 2 years ago. I bet the guy replaced those things. Lucky for me that some time ago I had taken a little case of mm sockets from my mom's garage, and the 10 mm fit perfectly. So I got the top off, wiggled and jiggled it, blew dust off, wiped around the top of the lawn mower where the turning crank is and blew off dust, practiced pulling the cord and letting it glide back into coiled position, assembled the top and started the mower. That was easy. I would say 95% of the jobs like that I try to do turn out more difficult.

From the time I decided to mow until I actually began mowing the weather was fine. Nippy and windy, overcast, but a great evening to mow. As I made my first pass on the grass it began to shower. It showered lightly during the entire front yard and just as I was ready to put the mower away it stopped so I got to mow the back, too. I hate mowing in the rain and usually won't do it, but after all my prep work I wanted to get it done. Besides, I was doing anything to put off the taxes as long as possible. Including this entry!

Part of the prep work was taking a picture of the frog splat on the sidewalk behind our garage. We've lived here 3 1/2 years and not one of us has ever talked about it, but I know we've all seen it. It is just too horrible to think of a little frog hopping into wet concrete, struggling to get out and finally succumbing.


In preparation for the real turtle compound I intend to build, last fall I moved a little spontaneous maple tree from the side of our house, where the turtles now live, to an area in the future compound. This evening I inspected it closely and found this going on all over the place:


I still have Rehab in the house because the last time I brought her in because of the temperature I noticed a fresh sore spot on her rump from her molestation. It seems she scabbed over and her tough skin started growing funny there and it must have somehow been pulled on something. I managed to pinch it off and am now treating her for a few days with that special solution. So here she is today:
You can see how her tail was chewed to a nub. Her left forefoot now has only one toe. Or at least only one toenail. I believe the toes are gone, too. Poor baby.

As long as I was taking photos I took one of this sweet fern fossil I found while hiking with my cousin in March:


Now that it's after 9pm, I'm sure it's too late to start the taxes. Guess I'll have to do them tomorrow.