Hiking from Mt. Pleasant to the Patapsco River – Part 1

Last weekend – before the higher temperatures came to our area – I joined a hike from Howard County Conservancy’s Mt. Pleasant Farm to the Patapsco River. I arrived early enough to take some pictures with my new camera…make sure the connection between the camera and phone was adding geotags. It worked! After the hike, I used Photoshop Elements to display my pictures on a map and thus the path of our hike (click on picture for larger image).

I took pictures of two places at Mt Pleasant prior to beginning the hike: the plants blooming in the garden near the blacksmith’s shop

And some bluet damselflies at the pool in the Honors Garden…and bright flowers nearby.

The first part of the hike was along a mowed path that eventually went through hay fields with high grasses on both sizes. I’d worn long pants tucked into my socks to avoid ticks but being on mowed paths is still a good idea.

There were signs of civilization in the distance – but it was surprising how quickly signs of civilization are blocked by other vegetation.

My favorite picture for the first half of the hike was this wild chive among the grasses.

There was a butterfly holding onto a swaying stalk – I only got the one angle so am not sure whether it is a spicebush butterfly or a black swallowtail. I like the way the light comes through the wing.

Just before we entered the forest – I turned back for a picture of the mowed grass trail we had just come down. The second half of the hike to the river would be through the forest…and shady. That will be the topic of tomorrow’s post.

Ten Little Celebrations – May 2017

May was a busier month than April and the change from cold to warm weather still provides a lot of variety…plenty to celebrate.

“Focus on Butterflies” session at Brookside Gardens. Our experience with a photography specific time in the Brookside conservatory with butterflies was very enjoyable. I’m still celebrating the images I managed to capture.

Conowingo. Every time we go it is a celebration that Bald Eagles have recovered from their near extinction from pesticides. We see so many at Conowingo --- along with Great Blue Herons and cormorants.

Hiking with second graders. I thoroughly enjoy the ‘Science of Soil’ hikes with second graders. It seems like every group is excited about the topic…and being outdoors in general!

Two pre-school Nature Tales field trips in one day. Even though it rained all day – both the morning and afternoon group of pre-schoolers enjoyed their field trip. My segment (which I repeated 5 times!) was about trees and butterflies. Their celebration of walking to the nature center in the rain with their boots and rain gear was contagious!

TSA Pre. Every time I see that my boarding pass has ‘TSA Pre’ results in a little celebration. It is such a relief to not have to pack so I can get my laptop and quart sized Ziploc out easily…or wear slip on shoes that can come off…and back on easily.

Family. This month I saw more of my mother’s side of the family than I have in a long time. They are getting older so every time I see them together, it’s cause for celebration.

A lull before a flurry of busy days. With all the travel going on in the last half of the month, I celebrated a day that was a calm beforehand.

Setting up the Monarch Nursery. I thought my strategy to bring Monarch Butterfly caterpillars inside so that I could gradually take the milkweed plants out of the front flowerbed was a good one – and I celebrated when I found most of what I needed in the basement. My first caterpillar seemed to be doing well…but I put him back outside on the milkweed when I left on my travels. I’ll start a nursery again when I am going to be around to give them fresh leaves every day or so.

Wood Ducks as the Neighborhood Pond. Our neighborhood looked so terrible after they cleaned it out….but the wood ducks came anyway. I celebrated their visit.

Skirts. I’ve gotten skirts out again and am celebrating how great they are to wear when the weather is warmer.

A Few Seeds

Most of the fluffy seeds of milkweed and dogbane are scattered by now but there were a few caught in the pod that I noticed last weekend. Based on the shape of the seeds – these are probably dogbane rather than milkweed.

With all the stiff breezes we’ve had recently, the parachutes of these seeds must be very  firmly attached to the pod; most of the seeds flew away last fall shortly after the pods split open.

I like the bright white of the fibers – the puffs made by the stuck ends of the fibers at one end and the seed on the other…the ones on the others side that have half their fibers free of the pod. The deep red color of the outside of the pods contracts nicely with the lighter color of the inside.

…savoring the little serendipity of a hike!