Zen: Dew On Aster… And Hoverfly

Dew lingers on these asters. A hoverfly is just beginning its day.
Click on the image to view a larger image

Yurts At The Lake

The walk-in campround has undergone a transformation during the last six months. The point at Segment 7 used to be a walk-in campground for tent campers. Campers parked at a nearby parking lot and carried their gear into a campsite. The park has now replaced the tent camping with five ‘yurts’ that are reached along a graveled pathway from the parking lot. Each yurt is an insulated single room accommodation with electricity and a skylight and furnished with a couple of bunk beds, a futon, a small table and a couple of chairs. Each yurt has and entrance deck off a graveled area with a picnic table and BBQ grill. Each also has a deck that overlooks the water furnished with a couple of Adirondack chairs and a table. A great place to sit out.

Yurts photographed from across the lake (from Segment 13)

An individual yurt

Close up of the yurt

A yurt in fall color
Click on an image to view a larger image

This post is not sponsored.

Information resources:
- Fort Yargo State Park: A model of a yurt is on display in the park office.
- Georgia State Parks: Fort Yargo State Park website

Fort Yargo State Park: Amanita sp. In The Open

This Amanita sp. fruited in late October through early November along Segment 10. In contrast to the other species that fruited in the woods, this species fruited in open areas. I also saw it in Gwinnett County in the open at the edge of woods but couldn’t stop to get a closer look.
Click on the image to view a larger image

Related posts:
- Mushroom: Yet Another Amanita sp.
- Mushroom: Another Amanita sp.
- Mushroom: Amanita sp.
- A Little Rain… Then Mushrooms

Enjoying The Great Outdoors

G came to us about 10 years ago. I had turned into the drive and stopped to pick up the mail. I thought I heard a mew but couldn’t locate where it was coming from. This happened a couple of days in a row. Apparently W and J also heard the mewing and after considerable poking around they found a young cat high up in a tree. It took a while but they managed to coax him down and brought him up to the house.

It was just a few days before Christmas. We had three cats at the time and really didn’t want a fourth. We decided, however, that it was unlikely he would be adopted from Animal Control so close to Christmas. We would keep him until after Christmas and then take him to Animal Control. Since he’s still with us, it’s obvious that he weedled his way into our hearts in a very short period of time.

*****

These photos were taken a week ago. When I came home from the lake he was sitting among some dead pine seedlings.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Woods In The Fall

The image for our place in Google maps is a year or two old, taken during the drought years. Our place is approximately one-half woods and one-half field. The brown line shows the pathway down through the woods to the creek and along the creek to the small pool W and J built for frogs to breed. The woods behind the house are primarily deciduous in contrast to the woods across the field with are dominated by pines.

The trees in the woods behind the house have now lost most of their leaves. The paths are covered with a carpet of leaves and the atmosphere was magical on a recent sunny afternoon.







A. Looking down the path to the creek. It doesn’t look too steep from this angle but looks are deceiving

B. Looking from the path at point B across the wide ledge above the creek (C)

D. On the path on the creek ledge looking in the direction of the pool

E. A little further along the path on the creek ledge looking in the direction of the pool

F. On the path looking up the hill. This does give a better idea of how steep the path is.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Map: Google Maps

Fort Yargo State Park: Last Of The Fall Color

Most of the trees – even the oaks – have lost their leaves. Only this type, perhaps a birch, is still hanging on. Its leaves don’t turn yellow or red. The tips of leaves turn from green directly to brown – a most unusual and attractive change.

*****

This day was cloudy but, occasionally, the sun would break through and catch the leaves.
Click on an image to view a larger image.

Pear-shaped Puffballs (Morganella pyriformis)

These puffballs, Morganella pyriformis, grew on a tree stump in the woods behind the house – just off the pathway down to the creek - in October. I first spotted them on October 31st, 2009. Morganella pyriformis is the only puffball that grows on wood and, thus, is easily identified.

The tree stump with the puffballs…

A close up of some puffballs on the right hand side of the stump…

A macro shot that shows the fine ‘spines’ on the puffballs…

Formerly named Lycoperdon pyriforme, mycologists reassigned this puffball to its own genus, Morganella pyriformis., because of its unique characteristic of growing on wood as well as its unique taxonomic position based on molecular (DNA) testing.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Identification resources:
- Michael Kuo (MushroomExpert.com): Morganella pyriformis
- Pamela’s Mushrooms: Pear-shaped Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme)

Japanese Maple: Fall Color

Usually, this maple turns from green to deep red without much ‘in-between’ color. This year, it displayed a wide variety of colors - not sure it every made it to completely deep red. The colors were brilliant – particularly on the many gray days this fall.

*****

Click on an image to view a larger image

Great Blue Heron: Early Morning Fishing

Click on the image to view a larger image

Yellow-bellied Sliders: Basking In The Sun

I took this photograph this morning. It looked like the whole tribe was sunning itself on a log in Segment 11. When I rowed through there and hour or so earlier, there were no turtles in sight. Obviously between the time I rowed through and when I took this photograph, the sun was giving enough warmth to make climbing out on a log to bask in it worthwhile.

And the photograph – with the turtle in the center just climbing out onto the log – reminded me of a similar incident a couple of weeks ago in the same place. When I rowed past this same log, two turtles were basking in the sun. These were big turtles – their shells were probably at least 15 inches in diameter – and I decided to take some photographs. I didn’t realize as I was photographing that a third turtle climbed out of the water to join the other two.

*****

*****

*****

Click on an image to view a larger image

Identification resource:
- Turtles of Georgia and South Carolina: Yellowed-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta)

False Katydid: Scudder's Bush Katydid (Scudderia sp.)

This Scudder’s Bush Katydid is one of the few larger insects at home now. It was hanging out in the butterfly bush last weekend.

When I approached it, it turned turned its back on me…

Then it hung upside down with its back towards me…

Then it hung upside down...

I’m not sure if this was a Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata) or a Southeastern Bush Katydid (Scudderia cuneata). These photos don’t have the detail to identify it conclusively.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Identification resource: BugGuide:
- Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata)
- Southeastern Bush Katydid (Scudderia cuneata)

Spider: Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona crucifer)

Spotted Orbweavers (Neoscona crucifer) are among the most common spiders at our place now. In the woods, they spin webs across the path down to, and along, the creek. Although the orb section of the web is only a few feet in diameter, the support web strands are often 6 - 10 feet or longer. There’s no way that I can make my way along the path without breaking at least part of the web. When the web is disturbed, the spider will run upwards along one of the support threads to the branch or tree trunk above.

I literally walked into two webs last weekend. In the first instance, the spider ran up to a small branch but I it was too dark to photograph. When I disturbed the second spider, I placed my snake stick under the thread along which the spider was running. When the spider reached the stick, it climbed onto it.

I was then able to move it into the sun to photograph its abdomen. In this photo you can also see threads from the web.

I deposited it on a tree trunk in the sun where it settled and I was able to photograph the head and thorax.

These spiders in the woods are darker than those that I’ve encountered in the field. The crucifix pattern on their abdomen is quite subtle and is more obvious from a distance than close up.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Identification resource:
- BugGuide: Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona crucifer)

Mushroom: Phyllotopsis nidulans

We hiked down to the point (Segment 13-14) to photograph the overflow tower. On the hike back up the hill we found some pristine Phyllotopsis nidulans mushrooms on a log in the woods.The complete colony...The largest mushrooms...
Click on an image to view a larger image

Note: Originally, I misidentified this mushroom as Ruddy Panis (Panus rudis). Thanks to Ron Peterson (University of Tennessee) and Ryan Mooney for correcting this identification.

Identification resource:
- Phyllotopsis nidulans
Related post:
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – Lake Level

Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – The Hiking/Biking Path

Many trails at Fort Yargo State Park are shared by hikers and cyclists. One of the paths runs along the shoreline between the boat launch and the rowing dock. Cyclists are requested to cede the right of way to hikers.

On Wednesday, November 11th, this path was completely submerged.

A closeup of the ‘right-of-way’ sign. This appealed most to our warped senses of humor.

By Friday, November 13th, the lake level had fallen below its bank and bikes could yield to hikers again.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Related posts:
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – Lake level
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – The Bridge
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – At The Boat Dock
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – At The Rowing Dock

Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – The Rowing Dock

The University of Georgia Crew has its boathouse at Fort Yargo State Park. Their rowing dock – a floating dock – is along the shore from the boat launch.

The shore at the rowing dock was flooded on Wednesday, November 11th. The dock had floated up so that the short walkway onto the dock was steeply inclined.

A closeup of the walkway to the rowing dock.

The lake level at the walkway to the rowing dock on Friday, November 13th. The walkway was again above water and level.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Related post:
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – Lake Level
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – The Bridge
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – At The Boat Dock

Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – At The Boat Dock

The water level was up to the end of the walkway to the boat dock on Wednesday, November 11th. The water level is above the bank.

The lake level at the walkway to the dock on Friday, November 13th. The water level had fallen back down below the bank again.

The lake level at the dock on Wednesday, November 11th. The walkway to the dock is inclined slightly uphill.

The lake level at the dock on Friday, November 13th. The walkway to the dock is inclined slightly downhill again.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Related posts:
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – Lake level
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – The Bridge

Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida – The Bridge

The water level was up to the deck supports on the pedestrian bridge from the boat launch parking lot to the other side of the lake.

The lake level at the bridge on Wednesday, November 11th.

The lake level at the bridge on Friday, November 13th – the lake level had fallen by about a foot.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Related post:
- Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida - Lake Level

Fort Yargo State Park: Tropical Storm Ida - Lake Level

When tropical storm Ida passed by last week, she left a lot of rain behind her. It rained during the day and evening on Tuesday. We had 5 inches at our place. Last time we had a lot of rain, I only saw the aftermath at the Marburg Creek Reservoir in Fort Yargo State Park. This time I wanted to see the lake level near its peak. We drove up to the lake on Wednesday afternoon.

The lake level on Sunday, November 8th

Photo: Walter W. Knapp

The lake level on Wednesday, November 11th. The overflow tower is completely underwater. Only the latter and vent are above water.

Today – Friday, November 13th – the lake level has fallen by about a foot.
Click an image to view a larger image

Zen: Sun Playing On Water

When we returned to the boat launch after the ‘Long Row’ it was late afternoon and the sun was playing on the water. Perfect end to a great day…
Click on an image to view a larger image

Related posts:
- The Long Row: 2007 (Part 1)
- Lake Oconee: The Long Row, 2009 (Part 1)
- Lake Oconee: The Long Row, 2009 (Part 2)
- Lake Oconee: A Plethora of Docks