WALNEY VISITOR CENTER AT ELLENOR C. LAWRENCE PARK - PART 1

 This park is a short car ride from home, and is another we visit frequently.  It is a lovely place for a walk.

There are trails through the woods but this time we hung around the visitor center, and explored the grounds.  The flowers in front of the building were as high as we had ever seen.

We visited twice this past week, once at 6.00 p.m. and the other at 2.00 p.m.  I will share both visits but today's post was in the late afternoon.

The Bee Balm, though past its best blooming time, had dozens of little visitors.  I noticed a lot of bees and even a hummingbird moth, other insects too. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera with the longer lens.  I took all these photos with my cell phone as this was an impulse visit.  We were passing by on our way home and decided to stop.  The photos are blurry but if you look closely at the cropped insert below, you can just about make out the Hummingbird Moth, or at least a little white blob at the end of the arrow!  


They are fascinating creatures.  The very first time I saw one I actually thought it was a hummingbird, until I looked closer.  Their wings are a blur just like a hummingbird.  Sorry for the poor quality of my photo, but it was the best I could get.  This one seemed smaller since the last one I saw, which you can see here, but if you click on its name in the red lettering above the previous photo, you will see more professional photos, along with information about the moth.


I have been looking at the raised butterfly garden for years, surrounded by a pretty stone wall.  They have added the hummingbird feeder since our last visit.  

The park has belonged to the Fairfax County Park Authority since 1971 and was known as Walney Farm.  For more than 230 years it was owned by only three families.

Rudbeckia, such a cheerful and sunny flower.

It was a beautiful time of the day, and the flower bed was full of them.

There were also a few Cosmos.  The flower below looks the same as one I found at this website.  They call it Sulphur Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus).

Now for a collage of photos I took of the tobacco plant I found growing in their garden.  I'll share more next time.