One of the last sunsets of Summer.
Category Archives: Around The Hill
Clouds and Goldenrod
Faded green valleys vent a recent rain.
Golden rod color illuminates the landscape.
Barely a splash of maple or oak to be seen.
Big Buck
This fellow was out at dusk the other night, accepting the admiring gaze of a neighborhood doe.
American Dagger Moth Caterpillar
This fellow made his way across the bluestone recently. I gave him a pretty wide berth – close enough to get a photograph, far enough that his spikey hairs didn’t touch me as they are somewhat poisonous and will cause irritation.
Wikipedia reports:
Acronicta americana, the American dagger moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was originally described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841 and is native to North America.
Then, I noticed that nature had copied the pattern of his yellow starlike fur in green on the forest floor.
Tinker Creek
Earlier this week, this was the view of Tinker Creek immediately before it joins the East Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek.
Usually, this view shows beautiful stone ledges with small, but graceful waterfalls. The other day, however, this ‘babbling brook’ transformed into a ‘raging river’.
Tinker Creek begins in an unnamed lake near Lackawanna Mountain in Clifford Township. It flows south-southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning west and entering a wetland. Here, the creek turns north for several tenths of a mile before receiving an unnamed tributary from the right and turning west-northwest. After a few tenths of a mile, it receives an unnamed tributary from the left and turns north-northwest for several tenths of a mile before heading in a westerly direction for more than a mile. The creek then turns northwest, and after a short distance, reaches its confluence with East Branch Tunkhannock Creek.
Fawn
It seems that there’s quite a population of fawn late this summer. A slow auto ride along neighborhood roads just around dusk reveals several doe and fawn within a mile or so.
For everyone’s benefit, all auto rides this time of year that time of day should be slow.
Earlier this week more than a dozen dragonflies swarmed the backyard. How many can you spot in the photo below?
Forest City Trail Town Festival
Dusk Buck
Hay Bales
Hay bales populate fields throughout the neighborhood.
One day dotting the landscape, the next day, as if by magic, and a lot of hard work, fields left empty readying for next cutting.
It’s the peak of the summer, evidenced by nights that now dip into the 40’s, and the Clifford Fireman’s Picnic!
Bear
On the way to breakfast last week, this fellow was out for an amble through the state game lands.
I rolled down my window, and hollered “Hey, hey you!”.
He made it clear that he had heard me by taking a couple of faster steps in the direction he was headed.
He also made it clear that he had absolutely no interest in conversing with me, as he refused to even look in my direction.
As another car approached, I put my arm out the window, directing the other drivers attention to the bear.
“See the labrador over there?” I asked, as at this distance, the bear could have easily been mistaken for a dog at first glance.
“Why that’s a bear!!” the woman exclaimed as we all laughed.
“I’ve been coming here for 68 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a bear!” It was nice to share the experience with her.
Later breakfasting at Arlo’s a couple and their two young children sat next to us. We told our story, and the young boy told his story of having seen two dogs chase a bear just the day before!