Chilly and damp today, but that didn't dampen Ellen's and my plan to walk around Moreau Lake. Ellen lives way up in Newcomb, where she writes the wonderful blog Adirondack Naturalist, but every so often she comes down to Glens Falls for shopping and auto service. So we met there today and took off together to Moreau Lake State Park while her car underwent repairs.
Even under a cold grey sky the lake shore was lovely, with white clouds of Shadblow drifting out from the edge of the woods. Along the banks, Highbush Blueberry shrubs were studded with bright pink sputniks of buds, and Trailing Arbutus still held a few little fragrant clusters of white and pink waxy blooms. A noisy pair of Canada Geese came surfboarding down on the lake, while a Wood Duck went hooting across the water and a pair of Mallards blithely bobbed on the waves. We met a couple who told us a Loon had been seen on the lake, but alas, we never saw it. We did, however, see swarms of tiny Mayflies flitting over the water, as well as a swirling mob of Suckers in close enough to the sandy shore that a fin stuck up out of the water. My friend Sue and I caught their spawning frenzy a few days ago (see Sue's blog Water Lily for terrific photos), but today the fish seemed a little less riotous.
All in all, a fun walk with a fine friend who knows how to enjoy an amble: meaning, we stop every few feet to take photos of flowers or drop to our knees to peer closely at mosses or pick up a stick to poke at dead fish or lift pieces of poop to smell if it's otter scat. As I said, a fine friend who really knows how to have fun.
Because the day was so dark, most of the photos I shot were blurry. But I did get a few I liked.
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For more photos and another account of our adventures around Moreau Lake, be sure to check Ellen's blog.
5 comments:
What a great review of the day! And great pics, as usual. I've downloaded mine on the new laptop, but have to wait for internet access to post them. Maybe tomorrow!
I so wanted to get out today and photograph the new blooms and shoots, but it's so cold I didn't! So! Thanks for posting yours so I can share.
I love that photo of Haircap Moss!
the little "flap" at the base of the Wild Cherry - I believe that is called a Stipule?
Thank you, friends, for your kind comments. And yes, Scotty, I believe you may be right. I had always thought of stipules as tiny little things, but having big fat red ones would be appropriate for a cherry, no?
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