Hiking on the boardwalk around the edge of Reelfoot Lake is a good way to see native plant and animal life, with each season offering up its own variety of treasures.
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery … I thought ‘this is what it is to be happy.'” ~Sylvia Plath
walking on a country road 
Wow! Gorgeous photos, Rebecca. I love the water snake peeking out at you. I saw the first praying mantis the other day. I have not seen zipper spiders yet this season.
Thanks! This was the first of these spiders that I have seen. It doesn’t seem like there’s as many of them this year. I’m guessing that the snake was trying to keep cool while hoping for a snack at the same time.
Marvelous sightings and photos, Rebecca!
Thanks, Eliza! Each trip you see something different.
A very happy place, Rebecca, and great travelog around the lake!
Thanks, Ellen! Always interesting things to see.
Well done Rebecca: I enjoyed every frame! Great variety of subject matter also!
Thanks for taking the time to look at the photos and for your kind words! 🙂
You have quite a treasure trove of photos here Rebecca. When I first started following you I remember those trees, that are now submerged in water, had ice all around them and that fascinated me. That’s an interesting-looking lacy purple flower. Those Cormorants always make me smile when they dry their wings like that. 🙂
The Cypress trees covered in snow and ice are one of my favorite sights around the lake. The magical winter wonderland that it creates makes the cold of winter seem more tolerable. I enjoy seeing the lacy passion fruit flowers in the summer. They, like the Queen Anne’s Lace, don’t last nearly long enough, and are beautiful while blooming. It is fun to watch the Cormorants sunning. They know how to put on a show. 🙂
I remember those posts vividly as I thought “surely that will damage the trees!” But I guess if the Cypress trees are submerged in water all the time, they are used to it. Winter can be magical sometimes … my most-magical water moment was seeing how the Detroit River frozen in place during a Polar Vortex about four years ago. Waves were frozen in time and later, when the River began to flow again, the swift current pushed huge sheets of ice so they were banked up on the River’s edge like dominoes. Fascinating! So those are passion fruit flowers – they are lacy like Queen Anne’s Lace … beautiful and delicate. Yes, the Cormorants like to turn around like they are waiting for applause and the outstretched wings make me smile. 🙂
A very ecliptic assortment of shots Rebecca! Your getting very good at wildlife shots.
Thanks, Wayne. I probably delete more than I keep, but sometimes I get some that are keepers. It’s fun to try. 🙂
Awesome gallery, Rebecca, the cottonmouth gave me a startle! 😳 I remember seeing them in the water like that as a kid when we visited family in Georgia.
This was a first for me to see one floating in the water, lying in wait for its prey. I was glad that I was a good distance away. 🙂