Gravel Pit Treasures

I found quite a few cool things to take pics of Saturday while prowling around in my brother-in-laws gravel pit.

An Awesome Walk

Yesterday it was cool and cloudy, but it was a great day for a walk down the ATV trail.  I found all the same stuff as last year but it was still a lot of fun to get out and take pics.

Skippers and Wildflowers

A Day at the Lake

This past weekend I went kayaking on Forest Lake.  I paddled around to the other side of the lake where there is a stream that feeds the lake.  As I began paddling up the stream I noticed these small flowers growing very abundantly along both sides.   I only had my small camera that doesn’t do macro near as well as my Rebel, so I broke my #1 rule and took some of the flowers home.  I put them in a vase and photographed them out on my deck.  I know, I cheated….but I couldn’t help it, these flowers are so beautiful, and I just had to share them.  The flowers of both species here are only 1/4 inch long.  They look huge in the pics, but are really quite small.

Bog Rosemary

Leatherleaf

The Works Of The Creator, Part 2

This is a continuation of yesterday’s series.

Apple Blossoms

Canada Mayflower, aka False Lily of the Valley.

Starflower

Fern

Maidenhair Fern

Smooth Soloman’s Seal

Blue Cohosh

????

The Works Of The Creator

The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the works of the Creator.

~Louis Pasteur~

This quote so aptly expresses how I feel about the beauty surrounding me.  The woods are so filled with wildflowers right now that it simply breath-taking.   I’ll say no more and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Trillium

A spider, an ant and a Starflower.

Sessile Bellwort

Violet

Trout Lily

Wintercress

Starflower

To be continued….

Sunday’s Treasures

Jack In The Pulpit

Bishop’s Cap, aka Miterwort

Wild Sasparilla

False Lily of the Valley

Maple Leaf

Metallic Jack (just for fun)

Dutchman’s Breeches And Wood Anemone

Dutchman’s Breeches

Wood Anemone

Short-Winged Blister Beetle

Yesterday when I took my morning walk in the woods, I found this interesting beetle, so I took some shots of it from different angles.  When I got back to the house I looked it up in my bug book and I found that it is a Short-Winged Blister Beetle.  The book also said that when this beetle is disturbed, it will fall over on it’s side and feign death.  How cool is that?  A bug that plays dead!  I went back out to see if I could find it again so I could pester it and see if it would play dead for me, but it was already gone.  I’ll keep looking for another one like it so I can try it and see if the book is right.

Here’s a few of the new wildflowers that are coming up out in the woods now too.

Wood Anemone

Downy Yellow Violet

Merrybells

Spring Beauties

Bluebead Lily

False Lily Of The Valley

Black Beetle

Cutleaf Toothwort