Eastern Pondhawk

- an adult male.


I very much like dragonflies, but not sure I like this species as they prey on other dragonflies.

Hickory Tussock Moth

those black whisker-like hairs can "sting" or cause skin irritation in some people so be careful :)

Musk mallow

another delicate flower...

Short-winged Blister Beetle

Though the picture doesn't show it too well, this guy is a cool metallic blue color. I attempted to take a couple pictures holding the beetle on my finger tips. Turns out it was a good thing I was wearing gloves as apparently this kind of beetle has leg joints that exude a type of liquid that causes blisters on skin. Yucky.

Cormorant sighting

over the past couple weeks some of the regulars at the lake have repeatedly seen a lone bird swimming in the lake who periodically dives underneath for many seconds before resurfacing. Finally today I got a good chance to get a look at the dude. Using my binoculars, I patiently followed the back and forth swimming for 15 or so minutes, but couldn't get a decent look at anything below the neck as the bird stayed immersed. However, the bird eventually climbed out of the water and onto some driftwood and apparently decided to dry his wings. Thus, I was provided a wonderful view of the whole bird. Man I wish my binoculars could take pictures. After consulting the all knowing field guide (backed up with some internet searching), I'm saying I got my first look at a young, Double-crested Cormorant. Cool.

Junior

Apparently our cat, Junior, has mastered the art of relaxing at the lake. She was out cold.

Moth Mullein

these petals are the most delicate I've seen. They were nearly transparent when wet with rain. I love the purple haired filaments. The shape of bud is pretty cool too.

tropical storm hanna

hanna brought a ton of rain throughout the majority of today, but towards sunset the clouds broke enough to provide rainbow conditions. light rain continued to fall as I took some pics.