I always wondered where my town was when the dinosaurs walked the earth, when the Rockies were built, when the sea covered the middle of North America, etc. This interactive map designed by a paleontologist answers those questions.
I could not get the interactive map to load, so go here to see where your city was 400 million years ago: https://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#240
I don’t won’t garden, but I found the art work in this video quite appealing (and I love the bees).
We recently got back from mid-coast Maine, and I miss it. Here are some flowers from the trip . . .
rhododendrons outside our front door – there are some big bumblebees in there
foxgloves across the road
peonies (actually from New Hampshire)
Some exuberant elderberry bushes from our nature center at home
gratuitous lobster roll photo
We have been walking in the parks around here and enjoy keeping tabs on the baby Canada geese – who are getting really big – and are so far managing to evade the snapping turtles in the area. Yesterday we were entertained by a family of wood ducks as they had an evening snack.
We do not have nesting coots close by, but I did get a kick out of this fellow. . .
This time, we left the boardwalk behind and walked into the wooded trail.
The low-lying marshy areas are greening up.
Ramps and trout lilies are in evidence.
And we came upon this sight. How many deer are in this picture?
Nope, there are two.
Closer to home there is the Shaker Nature Center with its new, improved boardwalk that is a pleasure to walk. While compact in size, it covers a wetland marsh (with red wing blackbirds that nest in the cattails – they have just returned to the area), and a creek that connects a series of lakes developed by the Shakers, who settled in this area, for their mills.
The area is also on a migratory path for birds such as cedar waxwings, warblers, Virginia creepers, wrens, Canada geese, and mallard ducks. We have also seen buffleheads, coots, mergansers and occasionally a loon. Turkey buzzards are a pretty common sight, as are red-tailed hawks. A surprise this weekend was a bald eagle soaring overhead. I know they nest along Lake Erie, but this is the city dog-gone it! It was a thrill and he gave a good show.
enlarge this photo and you will see a bunch of little fish in the stream
If you enlarge this photo (a lot) you can make out the eagle’s white head and tail – near the daytime moon.
In this area, all of our dogs can read.
On the way back home, we saw a turkey. Again, a first for me to see here in the burbs. I am glad they are in the park!
We’ve been walking for exercise and, fortunately, as a number of wonderful locations close by that provide an opportunity to stretch our legs.
Above is Sunset Pond at North Chagrin Reservation on a relatively gloomy day, that still enabled me to get a photo of some early coltsfoot blossoms.
The Metroparks around here (The Emerald Necklace) are wonderful and, so far, are still open for walks. It is comprised of a ring of parks that encircle the city and offers picnic areas, trails, golf, bike trails, the zoo, interpretative centers, nature classes, etc., etc.
Firearms, fibers, any news or behaviors that make me say, "hmm, let me take another look at this."
I still miss my man, but my aim is getting better.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 