Shipley Nature Center in November

It's still beautiful. There are even still bees and butterflies flying around, though in fewer numbers than the summer.

I love this tree. The boughs are just open enough to let light in, just close enough to keep things mysterious.

The docent couldn't help us figure out what these were. She has a thick folder full of pictures she's hoping a mycologist can help her identify one day.

I can confirm, however, they are just as slimy as they look. No, I wasn't quite brave enough to touch them, but I was with a child who was (Don't worry: She was also old enough to understand "Don't stick your fingers in your mouth afterward"). The slime pulled away in long strands, much to her delight.

The fritillaries are hanging in there. There were actually even a few straggling monarch caterpillars, though it's hard to say if they will get enough to eat.

By the way, if you want to know where all the chrysalis are, the person you want isn't the docent. It's her grandson. He gave us quite a tour, telling us not only where they were but what kind of butterfly they would be ("It all depends on what color they are.")

The squirrels were feeling very active that day. They were up, down, and all around.

There are even still spiders.

Squirrel at Shipley Nature Center

Just hanging out and watching passers-by.

Butterflies at the Shipley Nature Center

A Gulf fritillary rests for a moment.

A dusky wing stopping for an instant.

A showy Red admiral opens its wings.

A monarch butterfly sits just long enough to be photographed.

The Shipley Nature Center was full of butterflies, lots and lots and lots of butterflies of all kinds flew at one another and dodged around dragonflies (The monarchs, at least, seemed to be troubled by the dragonflies sharing their airspace, and visa versa). They seldom stayed put, however, making catching them on camera more of a challenge than usual, and, in fact, there were at least three other kinds around that I never did get pictures of, and probably more that I never even saw, at least, not properly.

Which, I suppose, makes this as much about "the one that got away" as about the ones I "caught." And, in case you were wondering: I had a marvelous time. I love chasing butterflies, and dragonflies, and squirrels, and lizards, and hawks, and....

It does, also, make me think again about starting a proper butterfly garden. They were all over, but the biggest cluster really was around the area the Nature Center had helpfully labeled "Butterfly garden," so I guess it might really be worth it to cram in a few more, select plants (Like I need encouragement to put more in. It's more figuring out the space that is the problem).

Split-Gilled Mushroom

A split-gilled mushroom taking advantage of the recent rains. I must say, I think it deserves a nicer name.

Busy Bees

Bees buzzing at the Shipley Nature Center.

Shipley Nature Center

I finally went today after a long time away. Blackbird Pond had water, so I thought I'd hunt for turtles. The person I talked to in the Center said there should be turtles there--that they liked to rest on "the log" in "the middle" of the water. As you can see, there are more than a few logs there.

I didn't find any, but I did see hummingbirds, an egret, a heron (can you see it?), lizards, oddly shaped trees, and some grumpy ducks.

Technically, the ducks were not at the nature center, they were further out in the park proper, out in front of Breakfast in the Park. They like to rest on the warm walkway there where it's warm. They'll get out of the way when approached, muttering all the while.

I wonder what they'll do when Breakfast in the Park isn't there to be a gathering place and source of bread?

Look closely. There is more there than mud.

Serendipity

A photo from my files.

*******

Sometimes we plan.

Sometimes, things just work out right.

This was a bit of both.

I had the camera, I went on the walk, I was looking.

I wanted to get the butterfly, a bee, and a flower all in one frame.

But I could never, ever have gotten the bee to rear back just so, or the butterfly to turn its antenna at just that angle.

I wouldn't have thought to ask, even had I known how.

I love it when things come together this way…

Shipley Nature Center

I don't visit the Nature Center nearly as often as I'd like. And I almost never get the pictures I want. But--I have a lot of fun when I do go, and usually get to see quite a bit. This last time was the first time I had ever seen turtles there. Couldn't get very close to any of them (and wow, they can move quickly when it comes to getting into the water).




The hawk I initially thought was a dove of some sort. It wasn't until looking at the picture later that I realized, nope, a much fiercer sort of creature was involved.

And yes, there really is something in the bushes there.




The Two Fishers is actually from outside the nature center (thus the human fisher), but no one told the heron that.