Nature Notes: Blessedly Cool

I am so happy that we are cooling down at night and even the days aren't too warm.

This morning when I woke up it was 55 F (12.7 C).

Today it's only getting into the 70s F (20s C).

In a few days it will be a little warmer but still nice.

Besides cooler weather there are more and more signs of the seasons changing.

I am so happy to be saying goodbye to summer.

It has been an especially hot summer although, unlike many places who have had a drought, we have had plenty of rain which helped.

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Today's Flowers: Grace Garden in September

I had to go to my office in Durham, NC for a meeting and checked out Grace Garden which is below the parking lot.

I thought it was looking well for this time of the year.

It's a small garden but I find it to be charming.

There were a lot of butterflies but they were too fast for me to shoot.

I haven't seen as many butterflies at my house this year.

Hard to believe we are already in September.

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Photohunters: sports and stuck

 SPORTS

 STUCK 

Baseball is one of those sports where the players can get stuck in the mud during a downpour.

Next is another shot of the same baseball park in Durham, NC where the weather is slightly less ferocious. This used to be the Durham Bulls baseball park until they got a modern stadium.

Baseball is a fairly popular sport in the U.S. and my neighborhood parks in Raleigh, NC have baseball diamonds. The shots below were taken at the Optimist Park in my neighborhood.

Although the players below aren't likely to be stuck in the mud while playing the sport of baseball, I occasionally see odd things stuck in the fence.

Here is a shot of the full fence around the baseball diamond when no one was playing the sport.

As you can see in the closeup below, a tennis ball was stuck in the baseball diamond fence. Don't ask me why because I don't know the answer. The nearest tennis court is on the other side of the park with a swimming pool in between the tennis part and the baseball part. I seriously doubt a tennis player hit a ball close to 1/2 mile to go over a playground, then jump the cover over the indoor swimming pool, and to finally get stuck in the baseball fence.

For the stuck photohunters click here and/or click here for the sports photohunters.

Nature Notes: as the month turns

We had a break in the heat during August but September arrived with a return to hot and humid days.

I've been photographing the mushrooms and other fungi a great deal.

I'm starting with late August shots and moving into September later in the post.

You'll be able to tell by the toadstools where it got hotter because they ended up baking in the heat and almost look sauteed. 

Fortunately the weather is set to go back to somewhat cooler days soon although still warm.

I am looking forward to fall and am ready for cool weather.

It's fun spotting the occasional orange leaf signalling season change to come.

A few of the female cardinals still have their darker beaks.

Next is an adult female cardinal with her grown up beak.

The male cardinal below is also an adult.

Looks like some thing was trampling the mushrooms below.

Now I'm starting to get to the baked mushrooms that are cooking from the heat.

I don't know if the white patches come from something eating the skin.

I enjoy the different shapes fungus can make.

I think something has definitely been nibbling on the next mushroom.

My pecan tree is full of maturing pecans.

The cricket below jumped so high I thought he was an athlete.

The dogwood berries are slowly but surely changing to red.

It does seem odd the way single leaves will already turn orange/red while others are green.

 The signs of fall excite me so much I'm recording every sign I see.

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Today's Flowers: End of August and September starts

Most of my hydrangea blossoms turned brown but a few have a touch of color left.

The lantana bloomed later than usual and still looks fresh.

I've heard some bloggers in different parts of the world say that lantana is a weed and spreads all over where they live.

Where I live it dies back to roots in the winter and I've never had it come back anyplace it wasn't planted.

I'm not sure what the flower below is but it caught my eye.

Part of the canna lily below is turning brown while there is still a new bud yet to open.

 

The flowers below are on the edge of a forested area at a park  and I'm not sure what kind they are.

The coleus below is in a planter in front of an arts center at a park.

I spotted the white flowers below in the woods.

The morning glories in the next shot were climbing a tree.

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