HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - EXTRA POST FROM THE BIRD FEEDER - BIG BUNNY'S STORY

 I didn't want to take a whole week before telling about Big Bunny, so just for this week we are having two chatty posts.

Sophie Squirrel is thankful and Kissing Bunnies are glad they are made of metal.  

Froggies3 are trying to be comforting, well, except for the one on the right. They have experience of such things. A few months ago they re-enacted Humpty Dumpty’s Great Fall, and also had to be put together again. Well, not really, they were beyond repair and were replaced, but for the sake of the story  and to give Big Bunny comfort, their glue is still holding them together.  Camera Lady is keeping her fingers crossed she can do the same for Big Bunny.

Still not convinced this is the culprit.  She looks so innocent. We will reserve judgement.

 

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER

More on Big Bunny tomorrow!

NEABSCO CREEK BOARDWALK - FIVE YEARS SINCE OUR LAST VISIT - PART 2

These are the signs in the parking lot and we looked at them before we began our walk.

I was curious about the name 'Neabsco', and we thought it was probably from the language of the indigenous people who lived in the area before the first English colonists arrived.  'Neabsco’ is derived from a Doeg village recorded as Niopsco by those early English colonists.

What I like about this boardwalk is that it is wider than most I have walked along, at 10 feet wide and 3,300 feet long. It has a two-level observation deck, a single-level observation deck and three overlooks. The decks and overlooks provide opportunities for outdoor classroom use, so that's nice to know.  I am assuming, however, that these classes are to do with nature and learning about the area, offered by the park authority. Or perhaps there are schools who take students on outings. Whatever the reason I would much rather be outside learning something than surrounded by walls.Weather permitting of course and couldn't see it happening with rain, snow or extreme heat and heavy humidity (speaking as not a stalwart). 

The following plant is a Wineberry, botanical name Rubus phoenicolasius. It is native to northeast Asia but has been naturalized both in Europe and North America as an ornamental plant, introduced to the eastern shores of the U.S. in the late 1800s, as a breeding stock for cultivating new varieties of berries. 

It is edible and the berries have been mistaken for blackberries and raspberries as these berries are also made up of clusters of small bright red berries. On closer inspection you will notice the plant's stem is covered in thick, stiff, red hairs, and these identify it as a wineberry, along with the reddish appearance of its stems caused by those dense red hairs. It also has silvery underleaf surfaces. And there you have it, a Wineberry. It is also found throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Delaware Valley. Not only for humans but deer, chipmunks, box turtles and birds all enjoy. Bears will gorge on them, as will many other mammals no doubt. 

We are approaching the entrance to the boardwalk.

Since we were here the first time, these designs have been added to each gate.

As soon as we entered we noticed on our right there were a group of friends who were fishing. They seemed to be quietly enjoying themselves.  No fishing is allowed from the boardwalk.

Just beyond the fishermen was the scene in the photo below, a cropped version. There seem to be beavers here as on the left of the above photo, we could make out a beaver dam. 

On the other side of the boardwalk is this scene.

That evening when I was looking at the photos on my laptop, I was just saying that we couldn't get a photo of any of the birds. We saw them flitting from tree to tree, even hopping around in the undergrowth, but we were not able to get a photo of any feathered friend.  As I looked at the photo above I saw a splash of red, and cropped it to get a clearer look. It was a male cardinal. It is something at least.

We did get our doggy fix for the day. This little pup was heading towards us. As soon as they got close, pup started pulling on his leash, tugging hard and eager to say hello. The lady kept a tight hold as I suspect she was afraid he would jump all over us and she was trying to calm him down.  (He looks like an Australian Shepherd.) 

We tried to allay her fears by letting her know we didn't mind at all. We would have interacted with pup, but we could see the lady was concerned he might be too much for us. We smiled, said hello and left them so that pup would stop tugging so hard.  But I ask you, would you look at that face? So adorable! I'm sure he will eventually be much calmer when meeting other humans. I think this was perhaps part of his training session. He was learning how to explore the world around him.

Dear little pup! They were leaving the boardwalk, training session over with.  We continued our walking.

Here's Gregg and you can see how nice this boardwalk is.  It is very well maintained. 

A photo of the two of us. This is where we had decided the humidity was too much and turned back. We had quite a long way to go before getting back to our car.

It was a lovely walk and I hope it won't be another five years before we get back. In our last photo we were heading home.

Thanks for coming along with us 

and I hope your day is a great one!

NEABSCO CREEK BOARDWALK - FIVE YEARS SINCE OUR LAST VISIT - PART 1

I have a few places we visited before my blog break. 

 We were surprised after checking my blog to see when we visited the last time. Our previous trip was not too long after the boardwalk had opened, and you can see that post at this link. It was hot and humid on our second visit, not as long a walk for us as we know our limits with the heat. However, what we did was very enjoyable.

You can read its history at this website if you like. In part it reads:

"The creek was first mapped by Captain John Smith in 1608. By the early 18th century, Neabsco was an important waterway to the local community. John Tayloe built Neabsco Iron Furnaces and began producing iron ore. It was located a short distance upstream from the wetlands. The Neabsco Iron Furnaces were so vital to the American military that the British government ordered the furnaces to be destroyed during the War of 1812. The mission failed. Tayloe's Furnace continued in operation until the 1920s."

Lots more info at the links above.

From the parking lot it was a bit of a walk to the entrance of the marsh, and I took the opportunity of looking at the various flowers and fauna along the way. This is Daisy fleabane and is native to North America. It grows in 43 of our 50 States. Daisy fleabane has also been introduced to other places around the world. It is very popular with bees, flies, wasps and butterflies as a source of nectar, but is considered invasive and is threatening the native ecosystem wherever they grow. Historically, it was burned or dried in sachets to repel fleas, gnats, flies and all other manner of insects, though there is little evidence of it working as an insect repellent. More info here.

I spotted this Trumpet vine and Gregg took these photos. Also known as Hummingbird vine and it is an easy guess that Hummingbirds visit them for their nectar, and also bees and butterflies. Botanical name is Campsis radicans and it is originally native to North America.

Trumpet vine is very hardy and easy to care for once it is established. Able to grow to 30 feet tall, it has strong, clinging tendrils that allow it to attach itself to garden structures like pergolas or trellises. Great if you would like its shade but it does need at least six hours of sun a day. So, an easy to maintain plant and is drought tolerant. Important to note however, that it grows fast and needs an occasional pruning to keep it in check. And its growth needs to be monitored to prevent damage to structures. Nearby plants could also be overwhelmed.

I was happy to find the ladybug(?).  I asked my dear other half to let me know if he saw anything, and soon after he pointed this out to me.  All I could get was this sideways view and it disappeared quickly.

  

Gregg is looking at one of several information boards, and he was pointing to where we were located. While we were studying it, a couple only a few years older than us, appeared. They were finishing their walk and were on their way back to the parking lot. They smiled, we smiled back and they immediately started chatting. We had a delightful time and they were super nice. It is lovely to meet fellow nature lovers on these walks. They told us of other places where they like to go, and we told them about ours. I do believe that if the sun had not been beating down on our heads, our conversation would have lasted longer but we were very thankful for the one we had. Such a sweet couple and as I may have mentioned before, it's these short interludes that add to a very enjoyable walk.

Everywhere was lush and green and I was drawn to this large leaf. It is from the Persian silk tree. I am more familiar with the name Mimosa. Botanical name Albizia julibrissin.  There were none of the fan-like blooms that I remember, yet. 

They lined a large part of our walking path. The flowers apparently have a mild, sweet scent and are also visited by hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. It can purify air and has a strong resistance to sulfur dioxide. It thrives in full sun. It originated from Persia, and that's why it is called the Persian silk tree. It was introduced to the United States in 1745, and cultivated as an ornamental tree due to its fragrant and beautiful blooms. Unfortunately, it is now considered invasive in North Carolina and other parts of the Southeastern United States. The genus name, Albizia, honors Filippo degli Albizzia, an Italian naturalist who introduced the Silk tree to Tuscany, Italy. The species name, Julibrissin, comes from the Persian word "gul-i brisham" which means silk flower. I found all this information and more on this website.

The following very attractive leaf I am assuming is the Staghorn Sumac, botanical name Rhus typhina. I say assuming because my plant app told me it was Tree of Heaven, a very invasive plant. The description read that it is very similar to the Staghorn Sumac, and as I know for a fact that this plant grows everywhere around here, that's what I am sticking with. I looked at several photos of the Staghorn online, and will stay with that ID until I am told differently. If more knowledgeable naturalists out there think I am wrong, please let me know. Always grateful to get help when identifying my photos.

This is all for plant ID's today. I have more but will be sharing them in tomorrow’s post. 

I was very happy that Gregg spotted a bunny!  Hard to tell in the photo above, but the arrow points the way. Gregg is an excellent spotter! 

Bless his little heart, he was staying perfectly still. His survival instincts were kicking in. A bit shy and did not turn in our direction, though sweetie had a wary eye on us.

We were still on our walking path and after taking a few photos we moved on and left him in peace. Not too much wildlife this day, but sweet little bunny was enough, and we considered him another gift.

That's about all for this post. I have more that I will share tomorrow. 

Thanks for visiting and have a great day everyone.

ODDS AND BODS

Thank you so much for the very nice welcome back yesterday.  It is great to be reading your lovely comments. I will be over as soon as I can. I have truly missed visiting.

We planted these red lilies last year. I was very happy to see them blooming again (June 4th). I love their deep red shade, one of my favorite colors.

I was trying to get a little artsy with a sprig of fresh herbs. We were making a Thai-themed dish and needed Thai Basil.  We found it in our local Asian supermarket.  The other supermarkets don’t seem to sell it.

Thai Basil has a more licorice taste and is much stronger than the Italian Basil that we use in spaghetti sauces. (I am not a fan of actual licorice but when put into our dishes, these are not overpowering and add a wonderful flavor. I also like to eat a leaf or two when preparing the meal. I find it a great palate cleanser but maybe that is just me. I will never be a fan of actual licorice.) I forgot to take photos of our meal, but it was a throw-together stir-fry using a mixture of ingredients we had available. 

The leaves were fresh and green.  I had just rinsed them and out came the phone. Definitely an odds and bods day.

There was a fox on the deck yesterday morning (7.30-ish - June 25th).  Gregg discouraged him by tapping on the window. We were expecting a repairman at 8 to replace our air conditioning unit. It stopped working a few days ago. He said the fox was very healthy looking, had a lovely coat and a nice bushy tail.  We have stopped putting birdseed out as used the last of it the other day.  Plenty of food out in nature now. Don’t want to be surprised by Mr. Bear looking around, or the raccoons and foxes, bless all their cotton socks but am worrying about neighborhood pet confrontations, and the obvious, our human population, especially the kiddos.  I do make sure the bird baths are full of water, and will replenish when needed. And as I started my paragraph talking about canines, an important message.

The following are all from Pinterest.

A little humor but I bet the kids would enjoy it.

So true! 

One last photo.  Absolutely loved this!  

Thanks for stopping by and may your day be filled with sunshine