A common Anole hanging out with the flowers on this early fall day. He twisted up and down stopping in yoga-like poses.
The flowers remind me of a wild aster, but different than those in New England. The bank of the canals running through the old rice fields at Caw Caw County Park are lined with them.
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These spiders have webs all along the trails around the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation. During our visit June 26th there was a lot of mating activity. Look closely in this photo and you will see the much smaller black male on this side of the more colorful female. An exoskeleton she recently shed is stuck in the web just above them.
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Our guide on the walk says these spiders won’t jump out onto human passers by. I reminded myself of that a few times as we passed under some webs. We’ll return in a few weeks and see how family life is progressing.
In the mean time the pond surfaces were active with dragonflies in a variety of colors scooping up other insects.
Spider lilies didn’t seem to mind the heat with their roots in several inches of water.
Dried Milkweed pods releasing their feathery seeds to the wind.
The rose gardens at Elizabeth Park are still full of promise with fresh blooms opening daily. The plants on the archways, popular for prom and wedding photos, don’t look so healthy right now, but the bushes in the rows between range from having one or two blooms to massive displays.
The individual blooms are outstanding in a range of warm colors reaching for the late summer sun.
Dahlias know how to show off with big, bold blooms with perfect form and splashy displays.
The opening buds give a hint of what is to come.
The plants aren’t much to look at, with solid stocks that require staking. Hartford’s Elizabeth Park has a display with above ground beds for easy removal of the tubers in the fall.
Get up close and the detail of each bloom is a work of art.
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The light and moisture on the Connecticut River at dawn shift quickly. As the sky lightened a stream of fog became visible rising out of a field onto the river.
Spider webs and wild flowers in the field gave an artsy display.
Fog swirled around on the river even after the sun rose.
Pulled down by the weight of the moisture, grasses dipped and bobbed.
Birds were busy catching their first meal of the day.
Rose of Sharon are in full bloom around Connecticut. This Hummingbird was attracted to the back of the blooms, both the white and pink variety.
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This seems like a banner year for Water Lilies; they are in every pond I pass. Or maybe I just never noticed before.
Most that I have seen are white with yellow centers.
This frog appears to be turning his back on the gorgeous bloom as he watches for lunch to pass by.
Taken at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, in one of the area dividers. I had to stand on my tip-toes to get the shot.
Cactus collection at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo greenhouse.
