Take a Hike

Today was day off number two, but I felt like being outside today because I spent so much of this week in the office, doing paperwork. This morning, while it was still cool, I went for a hike on the nature trail with my trusty side-kick. He is a 4-year-old Great Dane, named Dozer.

The purpose of my hike, other than enjoying being outside, was to make sure that there was still flagging tape up at all of our proposed sign locations on the nature trail. Over the past year, I have been working with a boyscout group on an Eagle Scout project to put up interpretive signs on the nature trail. The scouts used a distance measuring wheel and flagging tape to mark out the appropriate spacing between stops along the trail. I followed them later and looked at what was on the trail as well as what pre-made interpretive signs were available through our supplier. I adjusted the flagging tape and marked out which sign would be at each location. When I received the signs that I ordered, I gave them to the scouts along with our state sign regulations. We discussed the materials and the sizes, and the scouts set to work on building the posts for the signs. They will be here this weekend to help dig the holes along the trail and set the posts. I am really looking forward to the completion of this project!

Dozer and I had a very nice walk. I attached his leash, as well as my camera case to my belt so that I had my hands free to walk with my check list in hand to mark off each stop. Most of the flags were still in place, but a few had succumbed to the forces of nature and I had to replace them. We saw a lot of spiderwebs (in our faces) and fungi while we walked, enjoy the photos.


This is a Net-winged Beetle. I apparently arrived sometime after it had shed its larval skin and emerged as a winged adult. When I first saw it, I wondered what it was eating or what was eating it because of its exoskeleton sitting next to it. When I got home and looked at the photos, I guessed that it was probably a the orange insect's shed and did a little research to find out that my second guess was the right one.

This little Yellow-necked Caterpillar was inspecting my flagging tape as well.

I was surprised to see this lovely little Rain Lilly or Atamasco Lilly in bloom. I saw many of its friends in bloom earlier this summer.

Yes, Dozer, I agree, those are lovely fungi!