"....Your children shall be like olive plants all around your table." Psalm 128:3

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Nature Fun

 
We have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather in our area. It seems as if we are spending more time outside than inside these days.  :)

A couple of weeks ago, hubby suggested we hike what is locally called "2nd Mountain". It's not too far from where hubby and sons turkey hunt. And the top of the mountain just happens to be directly across from our house. The girls and I had never hiked this mountain before, and we were expecting a nice, wide path to hike on. Well, there was no path at all. And it was rough terrain the entire time, with steep inclines, rock scrambles, and thickets to get through.
But in spite of the 3-hour work-out, it was alot fun. We saw so many interesting things along the way. And the best part was when we got to the top, we looked towards the east and saw our house.  :)

Here are some photos of what we saw.

We crossed  small streams as we hiked...



Wild irises were everywhere...




We fought our way through thick briars and underbrush..

The mountain laurel wasn't blooming yet...


Plenty of lichens..


   Interesting brown moss..

 Acorns scattered about..

And acorns sprouting everywhere..
Even on a rock!

Rock scrambles..

We all had our trusty hand-made hiking sticks with us, which were a great help on these rocks.  :)

Beautiful ferns..

A dead pine tree, loaded with pine cones..


Hmm...wonder what lives in there?
 Or there?


We wondered what (or who!) made the holes in these rocks..



We couldn't identify this little plant, but the pink bell-like blossoms were lovely..

When we finally made it to the ridge, the view was breath-taking..
 

There was evidence of the pine beetle's damage..

But thankfully, there were plenty of pine saplings everywhere on top..


 We saw ferns growing out of rocks! Amazing!






And this little guy..a juvenile Black Rat snake..



 Not sure what these interesting-looking plants are. Anyone?



Our final destination was the creek, and it was a very welcome sight..


 Time to cool off, watch the butterflies, and catch crayfish..

 And this beautiful tree was growing beside the creek. Lovely!
 It was a wonderful day enjoying the beautiful creation of our Awesome Creator.  :)

    "O Lord, how great are your works!" ~ Psalm 92:5
 

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13 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 27, 2015 at 9:12 AM

    Awesome post Lisa. Lucky you.Living here in North Texas we are getting tornadoes,heavy rain fall :( I am shocked that the sun is out today...
    Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos.
    Blessings,Renee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaMay 27, 2015 at 10:04 AM

      Thanks so much for stopping by, Renee. I have never been to TX, but I have always wanted to visit.
      Hope you are enjoying your sunny day! :)

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 27, 2015 at 12:20 PM

    :-) Thank you for stopping by.LOL Right now you do not want to visit. It has gone Crazy here..Tornadoes like 20 min from me, lakes over flowing,roads covered,and not passable...
    Hey do you have a blog button for your blog I can add to my sidebar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaMay 27, 2015 at 1:06 PM

      I have heard about the bad weather. Wow! I can't imagine!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 27, 2015 at 12:43 PM

    Hope you do not mind, I took your blue flower photo,and made a button to link back to you :-) If you want a code to add it to your blog for others to snag I can send it to you :-)
    Blessings,Renee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaMay 27, 2015 at 1:06 PM

      I don't mind at all! I had a blog button, but it wouldn't work sometimes, so I deleted it. I am not very tech savvy. :)

      Delete
  4. AngelaMay 28, 2015 at 10:38 AM

    I'm ready to get out more with my kiddos this summer, as long as I can stand the heat! We've got lots of great natural areas - trails, lakes, a river, creeks, etc. I enjoyed looking at your pictures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaJune 2, 2015 at 5:00 AM

      I don't mind the heat - just the humidity, Angela. But we live in the foothills of the mountains, so that helps.
      Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

      Delete
  5. MA FMay 29, 2015 at 3:38 PM

    Lisa are you in the East...your mystery plant could be Cancer root or Bear Corn...I love those iris...may favorite flower, the wild yellow ones are invasive here so I probably should not love them so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaMay 30, 2015 at 3:26 AM

      Yes, we live in the mid-Atlantic. I have never heard of Cancer root or bear corn. I will have to look those up in my field guide. Thanks for the tip and for stopping by. :)

      Delete
    2. CarolJune 2, 2015 at 8:45 PM

      I liked those blue irises too.

      Delete
  6. CarolJune 2, 2015 at 8:44 PM

    One thing we haven't seen much of in the 15 yrs we've lived where we are, are butterflies, which is really disappointing. Too much native bush, perhaps and not enough flowers, although in the past 6 months or so I've seen more around than possibly the past 6 years. I do enjoy your nature photos, Lisa.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaJune 3, 2015 at 2:55 AM

      We love butterflies and always see plenty of them, whether we are hiking or at home. At home, we try to attract them as much as possible. My dh bought me a butterfly bush several years ago, and by mid-summer, the butterflies are swarming it. We also plants zinnias; they love those, too.
      Thanks for visiting , Carol. :)

      Delete

Thanks so much for stopping by. I love to hear from my readers, and your thoughts are welcome. And I try my best to respond to each and every comment. :)

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