The Conewango November 8, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, outdoor recreation.add a comment
Mike wanted to paddle at least one more time before winter. He invited Terry who invited me… Lucky me! Gorgeous blue skies, temps near or above 60.
We put in to the Conewango Creek off Route 62 between Jamestown and Frewsburg. Many thanks to Sarah who helped us with the logistics.
Mike paddled in front, Terry behind. I sat in the middle. (I’m not used to not being in control… it was quite a lesson in patience and trust…)
This section of the creek is part of Chautauqua County’s Marden Cobb Waterway Trail. We stopped at one of the leanto sites for lunch.
I took way too many pictures of leafless trees reflected in the water.
Not all of the water is this flat. Once you pass the Akeley Bridge, there are several spots where the water runs fast. It made me very nervous. (I don’t have a good track record with boating in general. For example, click–> here.) I put my camera in the dry sack during that part and have no pictures…
Still, everything went well. I didn’t get (too) wet. We didn’t capsize. There were no strange weather changes. Could this be a new era for me and boats?
Holts Run November 1, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, fruits and berries, hiking.6 comments
Took a long, lovely walk out Holts Run in Allegany State Park. Took mostly color and texture shots for my photography class.
I was very delighted to come across Spicebush with berries!
I also ran across a fossil… way up on the steep hillside above the abandonned beaver lodge… an unlikely place!
Lost in Photoshop World… October 30, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in Photoshop, planet earth.3 comments
Anybody Recognize This? October 27, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in mysteries.6 comments
Found this plant in the spillway between two ponds at Audubon yesterday. It looks so parsley, or cilantro-esque.
A Couple of Critters October 21, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in birds, reptiles.3 comments
I took a long walk at Audubon yesterday toting the camera… Couldn’t resist taking a few shots of our latest adoptee – we’re calling her “Angel Wing” because of the condition of her wing.
She cannot fly and will most likely spend the winter in Audubon’s backyard where we keep a portion of the pond free of ice through the use of a bubbler, and where she will munch on birdseed kicked out of the feeders by other birds.
I also happened on this fellow, soaking up some late afternoon sun:
He’ll be fine under the ice of the pond through the winter…
In the meantime, let’s all enjoy autumn together…
France Brook Road October 16, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, hiking, trees, weather.5 comments
France Brook Road is a one-lane dirt road through Allegany State Park. It is beautiful in any season… but especially today after an early October snow storm.
There are several beaver colonies along this road. I stopped by one of the Beaver Ponds that I have visited before during spring and summer. There were a couple of goldenrod plants near it that looked so cool covered with snow:
The snow kept coming down… from the clouds, but also it would fall off the branches in big loud plops.
I walked further up the road…
I came upon a beaver colony that I didn’t know was there… Guess I never walked this far, and I never noticed it when I drove this road, either…
I kept thinking I saw a beaver swimming out near the lodge, but I decided it was more likely snow plopping off branches…
I took 283 photos… oh my…
Spiders October 13, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in arachnid.3 comments
I was late for work on Sept 10th because of this spider… I forgot about the pictures, but was going through some old folders and found them…
Cute Little Caterpillar October 6, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in insects.9 comments
Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata)
While out walking the trails at Audubon, I found this critter munching away on an Alder.
I wasn’t sure I had the ID right when I looked it up in our Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner (a wonderful guide, by the way). The picture in the book shows front and back with much more black – much like a Wooly Bear.
So I googled up some more images and found some at the Duke University website that look more like mine. (You’ll have to scroll down on their page to find this species. Click –> here.)
According to Wagner, this little critter will overwinter in the pupa stage and eventually turn into a moth.
Abstract September 29, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in photography.3 comments
Many thanks to all my blog friends who gave feedback on my photography assignment. I’ll be making the final cuts and edits over the next week… You all helped me a great deal and I appreciate it! I made a couple of posts over on my art class blog with some of the suggestions you all made:
While shooting photos for my class, I became fascinated with rust on the side of an abandoned sheep-dipping wagon.
I didn’t know it was a sheep-dipping wagon until later when I talked to the farmer whose property I was on… I didn’t know what sheep-dipping was until he explained… I guess I’m just a city girl…
