Puttering on the Parkway

On Thursday, a gloriously beautiful day, I decided to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville and see what interesting things I might find.  Usually when I go motoring, I head north on the BRP, so this felt like a "new" adventure heading south.  I didn't stop off at any of the adjacent towns because I was more in a mood for nature experiences. 

It's the right time of year for wildflowers to be blooming in the mountains, and I'm always looking up for birds, so it was a great day of enjoying creation.  I took a "bajillion" pictures, but have selected a few of my favorites and grouped them by category, not necessarily by location.  However, all were taken somewhere between mileposts 380 and 410 on or near the Parkway. The physical high point was at my turn around spot, Mount Pisgah,  at 5000 feet of elevation.

WILDFLOWERS (few of which I can name!)

I know this one! A rhododendron about to burst.

A rhododendron that has burst! Locals call them "rhodos".

Rhodo again.

These were the most incredible shade of yellow and covered a large bank by a path.

Solomon's Plume, I think. 

Something I've never seen before.  I need to find a wildflower guide to be able to name it.

BUTTERFLIES (these were at the 5000 feet point)

LANDSCAPES - as the elevation and weather changed

My favorite - taken from Mt. Pisgah.

THE ONLY BIRD WHO WAS STILL LONG ENOUGH FOR A DECENT PHOTO: TOWHEE

He was singing his heart out!  I also saw several other birds, including an indigo bunting, but couldn't get good photos.

Life in a little mountain town

It's been a crazy, awesome weather day of big thunderstorms rolling over the mountains.  You can hear them coming from about an hour away.  In between downpours, the sun pops out in very bright contrast. I love mountain weather!  It's fun trying to time errands between the storms, and hearing the heavy rain on the roof AFTER making it in to the grocery store.

On my errands today, I noticed several things I'm enjoying about small town mountain life. 
--The kindness of the real estate office in letting me use their printer for personal business. "I'm not real up on that kind of thing, but if you bring in your flash drive maybe we can figure it out." We did.
--The "code red" that was called in to the realty office while I was there.  (Really, they called it a "code red".) Chamber of Commerce was notifying everyone of a "huge sinkhole" at one of the two main intersections in town where the road would be closed indefinitely.  Much laughter ensued.  I drove by the huge sinkhole later; it WAS a big hole in the road, but it looked more like the type of thing I'm used to seeing in Norfolk when an old water main under the street breaks.  Kids had ridden up on bicycles to look down in it as the workmen leaned on their shovels.
--The middle school aged boy standing outside the post office when I went to drop off mail who was selling the weekly local paper for 50 cents.  He was beyond polite in asking if I wanted to buy one and in thanking me for my purchase.  Might have been a Boy Scout; a fine young man.
--The cashier at the Bi-Lo who gave me one of their shopper reward cards and told me just to come back later and fill out the form for Luella at customer service.
-- The maintenance man who came back to fix the bathroom light after driving to Asheville for "parts" last week.  His chattiness factor was way over my line, but he sure was happy in his work.
--A local produce stand with a handmade sign reading "Berry's" - referring to strawberries.

No relevant photos to share, but maybe the words paint a picture of life as I saw it today in this little mountain town.

Tomahawk Lake

Tomahawk Lake - the pride and joy of Black Mountain Parks & Recreation!  This pretty place is about 1/2 mile from my rental, and I COULD walk there, but the hills between here and there would be pretty challenging, and the roads are narrow with no sidewalks.  There is a 1/2 mile walking path around the lake, which is very pleasant and easy to do "laps".  It seems very popular with the locals, and there is a city pool adjacent which I assume will be opening in a couple of weeks. 

The view from the opposite side of the lake.  Picnic pavilion is in the center of the photo, and beyond that is a municipal golf course that is also quite pretty.

A Hooded Merganser sitting on one of the nest boxes that surround the little island in the middle of the lake.

Lots of Canada Geese and their new chicks roaming around.  So fluffy!

A beautiful B & B that overlooks the lake and park.  For those who like B & B's, this would probably be a great place to stay for a visit to Black Mountain.

I think this is a Northern Shoveler.  He was very adapted to human presence and enjoying "shoveling" for food along the water's edge while I sat on a nearby bench in the beautiful sunshine.

This range of mountain peaks is referred to as the Seven Sisters in Black Mountain.  This was the first place I was able to get a clear concept of which mountain peaks were referenced; seems to me the mountains are everywhere! The building in the center of the photo is the Senior Center, with a picnic pavilion to the left, and private residences to the right.

Bent Creek Forest & NC Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum is a place to which I was happy to return, having visited in 2011.  I went ahead and became a member, knowing I'm going to be going back several times over the next few weeks, and  because they also have reciprocal arrangements with other gardens throughout the US that I plan to visit.  It is a beautiful place, focusing mostly on trees, but they do have some native and planted blooming flowers, too.  From almost any place in the property you can see the mountains in the distance. There are about 10 miles of hiking trails, but on this visit I mainly enjoyed the cafe (gluten free bread, yay!), the greenhouse, and the blooming gardens.

Behind the Arboretum are some well used trails through an "experimental" forest; one that is used to study how forests change and what impact invasive species have.  A she-Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway had recommended a visit there as a good "ramble" through the woods. There were quite a few runners, mountain bikers, and hikers with dogs on the trail.  I heard a few birds, spotted fewer, and couldn't photograph any.  But I was excited to try out my new binoculars that I had been saving my pennies to buy.  I found them at the Wild Birds Unlimited in Arden on the recommendation of one of the birders I had chatted with the day before.  They carried a much better selection than I had found in Virginia Beach, and I was also happy to be "buying local".

 Beautiful pink dogwood with the sun shining through it. (NC Arboretum)

 There were bird feeders up close to the educational building and some of my favorite birds, American Goldfinches, were enjoying the thistle feeder.  Looks like they are just changing from winter to summer plumage. (NC Arboretum)

 I love the "ordinary" purple iris, a variety of which can actually be found growing wild around here. (NC Arboretum)

 Flame Azelea - I believe these are kind of unique in the area, and can be found along some hiking trails in the mountains. (NC Arboretum)

 Pretty little yellow flowers; I'm feeling too lazy to look up an official name. (NC Arboretum)

 This was like a "tulip tree" but it was trained along and draping over a stone wall.  I don't think I've seen it growing that way before. (NC Arboretum)

 A happy lily of some sort blooming in the greenhouse, which makes me think it might be "special" since it was in that environment rather than outdoors. (NC Arboretum)

The most symmetrical flower I can ever recall seeing. It was stunning, about 4 inches in diameter, and I found it in a planter near the entrance to the Arboretum.  It was another beautiful, sunny day - the way spring is SUPPOSED to be, and I ended up staying outdoors for about 7 hours of it!

Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary

There was sun on the morning of Wednesday, May 8, and I couldn't get outside fast enough after so many days of cold and rain.  I visited this bird sanctuary created by the local Audubon club, saving a rare mountain wetland area from becoming a shopping center.  There were 5 "real" birders there who I enjoyed visiting with, and who were happy to help me know what I saw.

There were quite a few mallard mamas and babies, and also a group of male mallards hanging out together in another part of the water.  Must have been some good grub on the bottom, because they were all feeding heartily.

Great Blue Heron "yoga".  The birders were quite proud to point out their nesting pair, and I honestly had not expected to see herons here.  These guys were hanging out in their favorite tree the whole time, so they must have already eaten that morning.

Also lots of turtles around.  Sometimes I didn't realize they were there until I heard them plop off the log and into the water.  But these two seemed rather fond of each other.  Turtle smooching?

There were quite a few nesting boxes installed in the sanctuary, and I watched a pair of house wrens going in and out of this one carrying nesting material. 

A fellow that was looking for birds at the same time thought he had spotted an oriole, but another guy came along and helped identify this one as an American Redstart.  The bird was really flitting fast and furious in the brush, so I feel very lucky to have gotten this shot at all.  I later read that it uses its tail to flick flies off of branches and then eats the flies.

Also did not expect to see a green heron, and I had never been able to see one in breeding plumage before (the red chest), so I actually had to ask one of the real birders what it was.  I feel like I should have known that, as many as there are in Tidewater. This guy was way back in a little cove, so my zoom served me well.  I hate that there is a drink can in the shot, though.

A common, but very cute female cardinal.  One reason I chose this location to visit on this particular day was because I read that it had boardwalks throughout, and with all the rain there had been, I rightly judged that it would save some tromping through mud.

My "home" through the end of June is in a very hilly neighborhood close to downtown Black Mountain, NC. There are neighbors very close by, but all has been quiet so far.  And all has been rainy (and cold) so far.  Record-breaking rain totals and river flooding have welcomed me to the area.  But it's great weather for resting! I haven't been able to be outdoors in the area as much as I would like because of the weather, so the only photos I've taken have been in the yard.

This goddess figure is probably about 3 feet tall and is actually in the back yard of the neighboring house on the north side.  That house has gone up for sale since I arrived, and I kind of hope it stays empty; it's great having quiet over there.

Another little statuary figure, this one in a little side garden of "my" house.  The yard is kind of quirky; there is a pretty large front yard lined on the street side with very tall spruce trees of some sort, but the backyard is quite shallow and has a shed, tin roof covered wood storage area, large garage (locked), and also contains a screen porch the length of the house.

I believe this is called a "bleeding heart" plant; it is right outside the screen porch door. I think I'm at about 2400', so some things that were blooming in coastal Virginia are just getting started here.

I always love having blue jays around!  This guy seems to be going through a molt, at least I hope that's what's going on around his eyes.  He was sitting on the back yard neighbor's clothes line post.  I hear lots of birds singing when I wake up in the mornings, and that makes me very happy.