OCCOQUAN BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESERVE - FRIDAY - 10-22-21 - PART 3

 We are walking along looking at the river.  We can see the State of Maryland in the distance.  It is very peaceful, the river on one side of the trail and trees on the other, with their colors turning into Autumn gold...and one of the many reasons to go for a walk at this time of the year and take it all in. We pass small streams, run-offs here and there... and notice that there are fish, what kind I don't know.A favorite quote next by A. A. Milne...my philosophy basically, especially when on these walks."Rivers know this: there is no hurry.  We shall get there someday.""I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet place to sit and rest.  I am very tired."  "Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, "well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting.  Come, Boy, sit down.  Sit down and rest."  And the boy did.  And the tree was happy.

~Shel Silverstein~

"...the universe...sets out little signposts for us along the way, to confirm that we're on the right path."

~Michelle Maisto~

"I imagined your stick, washing in the waves for hundreds of years, turning to driftwood, smooth and hard like stone.  I imagined a little girl finding it on a beach so many years later.  Saving it on her shelf, where she put the things that made her feel like the world was magical."

~Ava Dellaira~

An old duck blind returning to the water, to become driftwood perhaps?

"Clouds, they make a painting out of the sky."

~Marty Rubin~

We found the loop back to our car.  Neither of us felt like going the whole way round, and took the shorter trail down the middle.

Gregg is in the distance taking his own photos, and I am lollygagging again...and my dear Mum used to complain when Dad was 15-20 paces ahead.  For some reason this photo made me think of Mum with Dad striding ahead.  We used to tease him that he only had three speeds, fast, very fast and faster still, but she was a lollygagger and yes I am smiling. This time I was taking photos of leaves on the path....

and I just remembered who I got my lollygagging from.  Thanks Mum, you taught me to slow down and smell the roses.  Or in this case, take a look at the leaves on the ground. As for Dad, one of his favorite hobbies was taking photos. He also passed on his love for animals and flowers, to respect all things in nature.  Thanks Dad!

One last bench before reaching the car.  It was in front of this area.  All water birds seem to have flown south for now.

I looked nearby and found this interesting plant next to the lily pads.  A new one for me.  It is Floating primrose-willow (botanical name Ludwigia peploides).  Its other names are Creeping water primrose and Water Primrose, and is an herbaceous perennial wetland plant.

Earlier at the side of the path I came across this pretty yellow flower, also a type of Primrose but this one an Evening-primrose (botanical name Oenothera biennis).  Also known as German rampion, Fever plant and Common evening primrose.  It is another herbaceous perennial, recognized by its flowers that open in the evenings and close again at sunrise.  It wasn’t exactly evening but this part of the path was very shady.  

Next we have Lateflowering thoroughwort (botanical name Eupatorium serotinum).  Also known as Late boneset and Fall boneset.  Native Americans and early settlers used the plant for medicinal purposes, and the name thoroughwort is given for this reason.  It has the intrinsic value of being native to the land.  Also, this flower has been part of an ecosystem special to North America for millennia.

I couldn't find the proper name for these grasses, other than it was a fountain grass.  I liked the look of it so took a photo...

and the same for this one, a dried up plant with an interesting oval shape.  When I took a photo of it in my plant app just now, it said it also was an Evening primrose.

And that's about it for our trip to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  I hope you have enjoyed it.

Thank you for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to do a bit of lollygagging.  You deserve it!