Sallyacious: The Arboretum Project Week Fourteen

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April 09, 2006

The Arboretum Project Week Fourteen

Panorama 4-9-06

Gorgeous day today. I got out around noon and had an important realization: Sundays are a great choice for this project provided I get through the arboretum before people get out of church. Then, it kind of fills up. Makes photographing just nature difficult.

There were all sorts of people there as the day wore on, including a family geocaching. Mom, Dad, two kids under ten. That was fun to see. I was on the same path they used just as they found the cache. Mom had the GPS, Dad located the box, but they congratulated the kids for their hard work. It was kind of funny, really. And very sweet, that this family had found something to do outside together.

Blue

I think the bird below is a robin, though it might be something else. Hard to say, with so much of it hidden.

Coyness

Daffs

Demure

Lots of wildlife out, now, much of it pairing off. That's been going on for weeks, I just haven't written about it. But the bees are working now, and I'm seeing more and more birds and aquatic life too.

Doves

Drifting

The smallest of the three is, according to the Sibley, a first year Bufflehead. It looks exactly like the picture. Exactly

Ducks

Flora Indeed

I have a thing for turtles. You've probably noticed that by now. I spent several years practicing turtle longevity qi gong (I'm trying to get back into it, which is hard when I have no one to study with) and worked on a sea turtle recovery program for a week in 2002.

I feel so lucky to be spotting these. They've really been obvious the past couple of weeks, and based on the times and locations, I know for sure I saw 5 separate turtles today (one singleton and two sets of two). The only reason I spotted the turtle below is because I saw it swim down there.

Hiding Turtle

Keeping Watch

Leafing Out

Lower Lake 4-9-06

Trailing Green

Pollinators

Opening

Magical

There aren't just koi in the lakes. I have finally seen other fish, but I have no idea what kind they are. Anyone have a suggestion?

Name that Fish

It's somehow comforting to know that humans aren't the only species that hang on to stuff they'd be better off losing.

Needing to Let Go

Leaves

I tried to come up with a better name for the next picture. The pink and green blossoms make me think of tropical beaches and party lights and drinks with paper umbrellas. And then I read the name on the tag and all that was dispelled by images from Monty Python. (The Larch. The. Larch.)

The Larch