SkyWatch Friday: Sundown Road

Sorry - I meant to post this yesterday (Friday!) - but finally got a chance to it today.  This was view was taken at sunset from the Ryan St. overpass, looking west over Highway 16 in Pewaukee.

See all SkyWatch Friday postings here.

Dinner Plates

These giant shelf mushrooms were growing on the base of a decaying tree up on the Ryan Road trails.

Oh, Deer

This young doe was taken by surprise during our recent hike. We stood quietly just watching her, and she stared at me (and Nik) for a long time before cautiously walking away. Suddenly, another deer joined her and they bounded off into the woods.

Black Butterfly - Part 3

I believe this might be the 'Spicebush Swallowtail' butterfly. It looks very similar to the 'Pipevine Swallowtail' or the black version of the 'Yellow Tiger Swallowtail.' Mother Nature loves to fool us!

The angles below shows the butterfly 'mid-flight' - as it's landing on the clover - and then as it's perched. Be sure to double-click on the images to see them full size.

Butterfly - Part 2

In keeping with the "Lepidoptera" theme of a few days ago, I am posting a few images of some pretty, buttery yellow tiger swallowtail butterflies that we saw up on the Ryan Road hiking trails. The one above really enjoyed the pink clover. If you look closely at the photo of his fluttery friend below, you'll notice the poor guy's wing looks like it has seen a little rough action, but he still seemed to get around fine.

It's amazing how, at first glance they all sort of look alike, yet if you compare them closely, you can see lots of differences.

Lepidoptera

...meaning butterflies and moths! Of which there have been plenty to see this summer. These tiny little orange butterflies were congregating around some marsh flowers at Simmons Woods a few days ago.

This furry moth (below) was resting in the sun at the Ryan Rd. trail. I love his feathery little pantaloons!

Sister Suzie Sittin' on a Thistle...

(Love that line from the "Music Man"!)

Every year thistles grow wild throughout the fields in the upper midwest, and every year I am always perplexed as to why such a gorgeous flower is considered a "weed."

[Note: Be sure to click the photos, and then click again, to see the full size view.]

Remember that the mighty oak...

...was once a nut like you. :-)

There are many giant oaks on the Ryan Road trails. The above photo shows a white oak tree (Quercus Alba) in bloom. Most people are unaware that acorns start out as clusters of little 'catkin' like flowers. To see an example of the resulting acorns in the fall, click here (acorn photo credit to 'jlkuhns').

Mushrooms

During our recent quest for the elusive morels up on the Ryan Road trails, we came across a handful of other beautiful specimens of fungi (but never did find any morels this year.) These are mostly "shelf mushrooms" which usually grow on dead trees or fallen timbers. The top image is called a "Pheasant's Back." I'm not sure of the identification of the ones below.

Skywatch: Pewaukee Farm

This is one of my favorite vistas on the Ryan Road hiking trails. Such a pleasant, quiet refuge - far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Looking westward, it's a great place to watch the cloud formations and weather move in.

You can see more SkyWatch Friday photos here.

Turkey Hawk?

I'm not 100% certain - because my camera doesn't have a very good zoom - but I believe this was either a turkey vulture or turkey hawk circling high above the Ryan Road trails. Standing directly underneath, the wing span appeared quite spectacular, although it was hard to capture.

Autumn Sumac

A field of sumac has turned red up on the Ryan Road hiking trails.

SkyWatch Friday: Over the Hill

This tiny plane was flying low over the rolling hills of Pewaukee at sunset recently. We joke that it looks like a lawn chair with wings. :-) The photo was "equalized" to emphasize the color at the bottom.

See all SkyWatch entries here.

Happy

Few things are more cheerful than a bunch of Black-eyed Susan daisies growing in the wild, gently swaying in the breeze. Even though it's overcast here today, they put a little "sun" in our Sunday. Can't help but smile... :-)

October Theme Day: Contrast - Now and Then

Last spring I posted the flower of the Milkweed (see below.) Now, as fall progresses, the flowers are transforming into spiky, light green pods (see photo above.) Soon, they will turn brown and crackly and pop open to release thousands of fluffy little parachute seeds. Quite a difference a season makes, eh?

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Wal-Nuts to You

Black Walnuts grow wild in the woods in our area of southern Wisconsin. These look like three little green limes, still hanging from the branch of the tree. The bright green outer shell is soft and pithy and eventually falls open to reveal the thick, black crinkled nutshell beneath. They are best dried a bit before being used, but are smaller and more bitter than their cousin, the English Walnut. These will most likely be harvested by the local squirrels!

Out of the Blue & into the Black...

Or - I can't see the forest for the trees. This view shows the entrance to the woods at the Ryan Road horse farm. It's not really as dark as it appears in this photo once you are actually on the trails inside - although I wouldn't want to be lost in there on Halloween night...

Wonder how tomorrow can ever follow today...

As we close in on autumn, the sun has been setting earlier each night. This evening during our walk at the Ryan Road trails, the sun nearly sank into the horizon before we made it to the car! We'll probably have to plan our hikes an hour or so ahead of schedule from now on.

See all SkyWatch entries here.

What?

Some type of ear-shaped fungus grows amidst a bunch of clover on the path at the Ryan Road trails. It caught my eye because of it's fleshy, peach color - and this one is truly the size of a large, flat ear!

Déjà Vu

If the above scene looks somewhat familiar, it's because it's the same view shown in the stylized banner of this blog. The banner shot was taken last September and this photo was taken this past weekend. The view is of a farmstead just west of the Ryan Road horse farm trails. The surrounding fields are awash in purple asters and goldenrods. Fortunately, I'm taking my Claritin.