I spend many morning looking for wildflowers and in the soft morning glow I caught sight of something else. A glittering golden stripe among the green on closer inspection was a spectacular Needham’s Skimmer Dragonfly.
Get out an play!
Love to ALL!
Lee
My husband and I realized we had not been out to Cedar Glades Park in Garland County Arkansas since the government shut down in 2013 that locked us out of Hot Springs National Park. If you like tall Trees, Fungi, Wildflowers and Insects you will enjoy the various park trails.
I love the Fungi but have no clue the names for the majority of them. The variety of shapes and colors are wonderful. It is like an Easter egg hunt in the Forest trying to spot all the unique shape and color combinations. The numerous rainy days and higher temperature have created a bountiful crop throughout our area in Arkansas.
Love to ALL!
Lee
dis·cov·er·y /disˈkəvərē/Noun The action or process of discovering or being discovered.
Often when I tell someone I have discovered something on my hike it feels too broad. It is in reality more of a “Lee-scovery” the action of Lee (me) seeing something for the first time. Yesterday I had two Lee-scoveries, both held hidden beauty until revealed in the images on my computer. This pair of tiny wild Wildflowers made me realize I must not take for granted the beauty unseen by my own eyes. I must allow my curiosity to collect the prospect of discovery even if none occurs. It is better to be disappointed by nothing than to miss the beauty of what I found on this hike. Each of the Wildflowers below were nestles in the lush greenery and appeared as white dots on the landscape. Their true Nature and beauty was a glorious gift.
HSNP Carriage Road Annual blue-eyed grass
HSNP Hot Springs Mt Road Japanese Mazus
If you recognize the Wildflowers above could you please share their name with me. Thank You in advance for any help. Update: Special Thanks to my beloved husband Rick for his time, research and identification of Annual blue-eyed grass and Japanese Mazus. Thank You Baby xx00xx
Love to ALL!
Lee
Lake Ouachita Caddo Bend Trail Tornado Damage
In April 2011 a Tornado ripped across Lake Ouachita State Park in Arkansas. It uprooted Trees all along the Caddo Bend Trail which is a 4 mile loop on a peninsula that reaches out into the lake. As you can see in the photograph above it razed several sections of the Forest on both the north and south side of the trail. I had not hiked the trail since the winter of 2011 (Lake Ouachita State Park – Caddo Bend Trail Pt 1 & Pt 2) and now I found myself in what felt like an alien landscape. It is dramatic to step from dense Forest into places devoid of Trees. One moment cradled in leafy beauty then suddenly out in the bright sunlight surrounded by fallen and snapped off Trees.
Change is always present in Natures plans so I look forward to the future rebirth of the trail flora and fauna. The new open space on the trail will eventually be covered in Wildflowers each spring. The Wildflowers will bring Butterflies, Bees, Dragonflies and other beautiful Insects. New small mammals and reptiles will build their homes in the snags created by the fallen Trees. There are many new lake view locations as well. Nothing stays the same…
Love to ALL!
Lee
The last of Hurricane Issac’s rain is set to arrive in Hot Springs in a few hours. From our window I can see the Trees begin to perform their spiral swirl dance as the wind begins to pick up. Knowing the storm was set to arrive on Thursday I headed into the parched Forests of Hot Springs National Park yesterday. I was on the mountain by 8:15 and the cool 74 degrees felt like a luxury compared to the usual 89 the past two months. Not having my lenses fog up from the humidity was an added plus too.
It was perfect morning for a late summer hike, even with monumental construction taking place at the entrance to the park. The higher I climbed up Hot Springs Mountain the noise from below began to fade. I ran into an old friend as I was photographing a beautiful array of blue Asiatic Dayflowers. The colorful feral cat now has a collar and tags, one of which says “I am not lost”. I am tempted to call the number on another tag as this beautiful baby should not be hunting in the park. There are several creatures in the Forest that could easily hurt this lovely cat.
When I hiked up the Dead Chief and Short Cut Trails the only Wildflowers I saw were wilting Goldenrod spears. Their bright yellow blossoms glowed softly on the trail edges. As I reached the Hot Springs Mountain Trail a lovely Hackberry Emperor Butterfly landed on a stump. It slowly pumped its wing warming in the first rays of the early sun. Further along the trail I spotted Dragonflies, they darted rapidly illuminated by light from the flickering leaves. I was surprised to see they were not monochrome. Their bodies were green with purplish blue tails and golden wings.
At the junction of the Honeysuckle and Floral Trails I made a wonderful discovery. A single pinkish purple Oxalis is being bent by a subtle breeze. A tiny exquisite gift in the parched Forest.
The now falling rain is a gift to the Forest in need of healing.
Much Love to ALL!
Lee
HSNP Floral Trail August 26th 2011 and August 29th 2012
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