The dragonflies seemed to know that the warm, sunny days are numbered and will soon be coming to an end. They were out enjoying the sunshine, patrolling their territory and, undoubtedly, taking advantage of the abundance of mosquitoes in the area. Occasionally they would rest on floating leaves or vegetation near the lake’s edge.
“Why are our days numbered and not, say, lettered?” ~Woody Allen
Since our house faces the west, we get to see some beautiful sunsets when we step out on the porch in the evening. Between our house and the sunset stands a tree. There was a time when it was a pretty tree with two long, full branches and companion trees standing at its side. However, at least a couple of times over the last few years, straight-line winds have come through and done major damage to parts of the tree and taken out some of the other trees. Still, today, the tree is thriving, and continues to stand strong in the foreground of many a sunset photo.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
We spotted these two beauties sitting in their own individual webs, located near each other in a flower garden. Black and Yellow Garden Spiders are also known as zig-zag or writing spiders because of the thick silk pattern which is found near the center of their orb-shaped webs. The pattern is thought to deter birds from flying into the web and messing it up, as well as, perhaps, to camouflage the spider. These colorful spiders are not harmful to humans and, in fact, are beneficial since their webs catch many flying insects which are nuisances during the late summer and early fall.
“Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.” ~Charles Addams
‘Tis the season — snake season that is. While walking to a shed in my backyard earlier in the week, I felt impressed to look back along the path I’d just walked. Glancing back, I saw this snake outstretched, with his head held high and his tongue hissing. Though not poisonous, it was, nonetheless, a bit unsettling to have such a close and unexpected encounter. Today as I walked along that path, I knew to keep a close eye out for my new found friend.
“Look back, and smile on perils past.” ~Walter Scott
This juvenile skink was contently basking in the warm afternoon sun. With his neutral color and distinctive stripes, he blended in well with the dried pine needles and grass — all except for his bright blue tail, which gave him away. Fortunately for the Five-Lined Skink, if a predator grabs him by the tail, the tail can fall off, allowing him to run for safety. A new tail will soon grow back.
“When something goes wrong in your life just yell ‘Plot Twist!’ and move on.” ~Molly Weis
These photos of an immature Dickcissel were taken back in May along the Mississippi levee road. Though hard to see, the bird has a small, green insect in its beak.
“Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated … but stupid lasts forever.” ~Aristophanes
While we were passing by, we decided to stop and take a quick drive down one of the roads in the Moss Island Wildlife Management Area.
Following the gravel road that led in, we were immediately greeted by a large field of colorful sunflowers.
An old rustic-looking barn, surrounded by tall weeds, sat back on the curve of the road. In front of us, a deer quickly darted across the road, into a field of soybeans and out of sight.
Tickseed lined the roadway and covered the fields in a beautiful yellow hue.
As we were leaving the area, we spotted a bird sitting high up in a tree. It was an adult Mississippi Kite keeping a sharp eye out for insects and small prey.
Though we didn’t have much time to spend here, hopefully we can return another time and further explore the beauty that this area has to offer.
“And to this day I wish I had lingered … But we stupid mortals, or most of us, are always in haste to reach somewhere else, forgetting that the zest is in the journey and not in the destination.” ~Ralph D. Paine
A couple of ospreys in a nest built on top of a platform in a national wildlife area close to the Tennessee River
“Great things take time to build. Great accomplishments come over time, through hard work, diligence, and effort. Nothing is instantaneous, at least nothing of value. ” ~Matt Loper
Two of my favorite things about summer are the delicate butterflies and the colorful flowers that they are drawn to. Both make the heart glad.
“I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this.” ~Susan Branch
One of the items on my husband’s wish list has been to see the place where a local river, the Obion,
empties out into the Mississippi River. He googled the spot, put a nearby street into the GPS, and with absolutely nothing to do on this particular afternoon, off we went on an adventure.
After a little over an hour’s drive, many fields of soybeans, corn and cotton,
and eliminating several blocked off access roads,
we finally came to the dead-end of a washed-out road which seemed to be the most hopeful place to view the two rivers.
We parked the car under a large shade tree
and off we headed down a secluded dirt path through a canopy of tall trees and undergrowth
to see if it did indeed lead to a place where the two rivers could be viewed.
Mission accomplished! A perfect overlook from which to see the mouth of the Obion and the place where its waters flow into the Mississippi.
Note: The Mississippi lies just beyond the floating dock.
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.
~Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney
