PRETTY, UGLY & PRETTY UGLY

Monday, August 2, 2010

PRETTY, UGLY & PRETTY UGLY

(AUGUST 2, 2010) This morning was pleasant on the Riverwalk since the temperature was comfortable and there was still a little dampness in the air from the recent rains. Some walkers were carrying their umbrellas; I trusted the forecast of the Weather Channel.

As we went into the woods, we saw a small heron in the water surrounded by a group of Canada geese enjoying the quietness of the morning. On the way out, I took some pictures of the heron and geese before the heron must have felt a little disturbed by my intrusion and flew down river for more solitude.

PRETTY

In the dark woods of the morning, the yellow daisies burst

forth with their powerful color. They seemed to float in the darkness of the deep woods. There were also some purple and blue flowers that lent color to an otherwise colorless day.

Sadie located a number of butterflies to stalk. One small one was especially colorful in the green grass. I shot away as Sadie approached closer and closer. The butterfuly escaped to continue making the woods more beautiful.

UGLY

Some ugly insects were out today.

There was an brown beetle type bug crouched, up-side down under the top plank of a wooden fence. It looked at me with its beady eyes as I took several pictures of it. Sadie didn't see the beast, but would have likely given it some competition in a stare-down.

As we were leaving the dark woods, Sadie became attracted to a small butterfly. As I looked closely at a sign post, I noted a brown insect hanging on to the side. As I got closer, I saw that it had pinchers and was, like the other bug, ugly.

PRETTY UGLY

In the woods near the train trellis was an interesting bug that was plain brown but had antennae with bright red tips. This bug was neither ugly nor pretty, but it was, well, pretty ugly.

Also, near the brown bug with red tipped antennae, there was an interesting spider in its web. It climbed up the web as Sadie walked underneath it, causing movement in the web. As it got to a set place, it spread its leg down and look, somewhat, like a squid. It wasn't that ugly nor was it pretty but, like the brown bug, pretty ugly.

It was another interesting morning on the Riverwalk.

1 comment:

MariletaAugust 3, 2010 at 6:17 AM
From the picture, I think the ugly bugs you saw may have been empty cicada shells.

I'm enjoying your blog. I like the way it's set up.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

"DON'T TRADE YOUR DOG FOR AN ELEPHANT"

(JUNE 19, 2010) This morning we saw some lovely sights as we ventured to the Riverwalk at 6:15. The mother mallard and the six babies were out at Dan Daniel Park and the flora and fauna were plentiful. But, one comment made by a regular Riverwalk biker/walker stayed on my mind as we ventured forth. He said, "One bit of advice: Don't trade your dog for an elephant." What was the meaning of that? I pondered that question throughout my walk until I saw a water moccasin swimming close to the shore.

EXPRESSIONS

(JUNE 1, 2010) Often we see expressions in animals that are similar to humans. Sadie sometimes swallows a moth she has been stalking, and the look on her face says, "Sheesh. That didn't taste very good." The picture above shows some interesting expressions on the faces of a goose family. There is the gosling looking up at the adult with respect,, the other goslings looking over the adult goose with an inquiring look, and the adult in the background showing stress. Within this one photograph is captured many emotions.

SHALL WE GATHER

(MAY 25, 2010) People gather each morning to walk or ride bikes together on the Riverwalk. In addition, there are many "gatherings" on the river each morning among the wildlife there. The waterfowl gather to communially dip in the river or fly off together to graze in the rich meadows or just sit on a log in the middle of the river - watching. There is another type of "gathering" that goes on as well. Look closely and watch the swallow and the bluebird and the robin and other songbirds gather nesting for their homes or food for themselves and their off-spring. Look closely and see the insects gathering whatever they need for sustenance - the small bug drinking from the rain water "gathering" on the leaf or the bee gathering nectar from the budding flower. All of this is the age old activity of gathering by the river.

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT

(APRIL 14, 15, 2010) There have been many changes on the Riverwalk over the past two days. The search for the young 5 year old who fell out of the boat near Dan Daniel Dam, the small flowers that were once there are now gone because of the cooler weather, and the river has gone down because of the drier weather. However, amongst these changes there are some constants: the same people we see every morning on our walk are there, the river continues to provide a home for wildlife, and robins can be spotted along the trail.