GREEN SPRING GARDENS

This is a continuation of a visit to Green Spring Gardens, when we went to find the ponds we had just learned about.  If you missed the Great Blue Heron catching his huge fish, you can see it here. 

If you are in the area and would like to visit, when you enter the parking lot I would suggest you park your car as far to the left as you can.  You will walk down a hill to the left.  In fact, there is a sign pointing you in the right direction.

You can read more information at this link. The photo below shows you the Springhouse Cottage.

Just across the narrow road is a four-chamber structure that is extremely old.  They certainly don't want you going closer and hurting yourself.  An iron fence surrounds it, preventing the curious from further exploration.

If you go to this link you will learn more.

Finally we sighted the first pond. It was really beautiful. Overlooking them are Sycamores and Pines. At this time of day we felt the natural light was super, earlier would have been even better.  A good reason not to go when the sun is glaring right overhead.  We keep having to tell ourselves this.

Here you can see the gazebo. We sat there for a while, chatted and took in the pretty scenery.  

This lovely lantana bush was blooming right next to the gazebo.

There is a pathway that goes through a wooded area and I came across a familiar wildflower, the Jewelweed.  Its scientific name is Impatiens capensis.  You can learn more about it at this link.

As best as I could identify, the following plant is called Ironweed, scientific name Vernonia fasciculata.  There is a website here for more info.

It is a member of the aster family.

I am not an expert at identifying flowers but try my best.  If you think I am incorrect please let me know.  I welcome all the help I can get.

Everywhere is very lush and green, with lots of wildflowers along our walk.  I found the Cardinal flower.  Its scientific name is Lobelia cardinalis L, link here. 

In the photo below you can see the Blue Cardinal flower, scientific name Lobelia siphilitica. I have never noticed this one before and it is new to me.

There are many wildflower websites online as you can imagine, but one of my favorites is at the US Wildflower's Database here.

We came across a tree where people had carved out their initials into the trunk.  I felt a twinge when I saw this.  I guess you could call me a tree hugger.  I think a much nicer way to show how much you love someone is to go and plant one somewhere and watch it grow, along with your relationship.  What say you or am I just an old fuddy-duddy?  Probably!  However, there is an interesting article on tree carvings here.

There were benches in all the right places.  This one was at the top of a steep hill in the shade of those beautiful trees. 

I enjoyed looking at the Black-eyed Susan's (Rudbeckia hirta).  They were everywhere and the hoverflies seemed to enjoy them.  Not that clear a photo below but at least I can see what it looks like.  They look like a bee but have only one set of wings, and they cannot sting.

I always seem to have a lot of photos whenever we go out, but I'll share more another time.

It looks like we are going to be in for thunder storms over the next several days.  The gardens will love it.  

The first day of September today, wow!  

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your day.

VANITY, VANITY, THY NAME IS DUCK!

A little humor while I am putting my Green Spring Gardens post together.

GREAT BLUE HERON FISHING AT GREEN SPRING GARDENS

We have been to Green Spring Gardens several times but recently discovered the ponds after I read about them.  At the first pond we found a Great Blue Heron and turtles sunning themselves.

The heron was also busy preening itself and we sat down on a bench in a shaded spot.  It was very pleasant observing for a while.  Last Friday (the 24th) a visit to the garden made for a very pleasant start to the day.  We went out early and only encountered a few people.  By the time we had finished our walk it had become hotter and we were glad to get back to the car.

But we had enjoyed the company of our fishing heron who caught a hefty breakfast soon after we sat down.  

At this point we didn't know it was heading to its fishing spot.

Our heron only moved in slow motion, walking down to the water's edge next to a weeping willow tree.

It didn't take long for him to catch that fish.  As quick as a flash the wings went up... 

the beak went down...

and up came the fish.

I am not sure what type of fish this is. I read somewhere that the ponds are stocked with carp, but Gregg thinks this looks more like a bass.  I am leaning more to the bass.  Any experts out there?

We wondered how on earth it was going to enjoy that large meal but it disappeared in a shaded area behind some bushes and trees.  When the heron returned there was no fish.   

This all happened within the first half hour of our visit.  Not long after, our heron moved out of sight and we continued along the path.

I will share more photos of the rest of our walk soon. Thanks for visiting and I hope your day is a great one.

SQUIRREL CHATTER

Good morning!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I got my laptop back yesterday so I have been playing on it today.  I hope this brings a smile.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - ROASTED SALMON GLAZED WITH BROWN SUGAR AND MUSTARD

Roasted Salmon Glazed with Brown Sugar and Mustard

                             by Sam Sifton

I found today's recipe here.

Servings vary depending on the size of the Salmon Filet.

The directions were very easy.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar.  The amounts will depend on your taste.  If it tastes great, there you go, it's done.

Salt and pepper the salmon fillets and place them skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet.  Liberally coat the top of the salmon with your mustard/brown sugar mixture, and roast for about 12 minutes.  Salmon should easily flake with a fork when done. I made a salad with veggies bought that morning. I also added a few sliced strawberries. My mother never used dressings when I was growing up, so to this day I still prefer my salads without. You can use your own favorite.

A FEW FLOWERS, OLD POST BUT NOT PUBLISHED BEFORE

I found this flower post in my unpublished collection.  At least I don’t think I have shared these particular ones before. I suppose I could have sometime. This post was from December 2016 and am happy that I was able to identify them at least.  

Hopefully my laptop will be fixed soon and I will get a call tomorrow, but in the meantime I will search for what I haven’t posted before. I was amazed to find as many as I did. 

  

LAST PHOTOS FROM GETTYSBURG, UNTIL THE NEXT TIME WE GO THAT IS.

I am having trouble with my laptop so it has gone in to be fixed. I do have my iPad but it is very tricky to add photos to my blog, and very frustrating. (If you have any advice I would be very happy to learn something new.) Anyhow, I found a post that I never got round to publishing from earlier in the year. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks again for visiting. 

These are the last few photos from Gettysburg.  

This is a statue of Abner Doubleday.  For years we had thought that he was the man who invented baseball, but this apparently wasn't so and was a myth.  However, he was a career US Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War.  As I read at Wikipedia, he fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg.  You can read more about him here.

The other photos were taken quickly because of the bitter cold that day.  I didn't hang around to make any more notes.  We resolved to visit again in the warmer months.  These were taken on Sunday, April 8th, 2018.

Beautiful skies but we hurried back to the car as we were slowly turning into popsicles.

FLOWERS AND A QUOTE