29: The pond and the woolly bear
Posted: October 21, 2010 Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in Life, Autumn, Earth, hiking, home, Local Tourists, nature, Photography, pond, Spirit, Walking, water, weather | Tags: birds, crows, Holden Arboretum, pond, trees, wooly bear 9 Comments
(Peering through the grasses and shrubs.)
Part four of our epic hike at Holden Arboretum. Don’t worry. It will end soon. 😀
When we arrived at the top of the small hill where we had our picnic lunch we noticed a small pond hidden amongst the grasses and shrubs. It is a pretty little pond, much smaller than ours.
(Finding the pond.)
I was surprised to see that there were still some flowers blooming, flowers that have dried up in our area. Perhaps the lake effect cloud cover keeps it a little warmer there.
(Pond and asters.)
(Reflections.)
After our picnic we sat for a while, enjoying the place, the day, and the beautiful weather. A woolly bear wandered over to visit with us.
(Woolly bear.)
Long-time visitors to this blog and Bountiful Healing may remember that I seek out and photograph woolly bears every year. For those interested:
The woolly bear that joined us after our picnic seems to think winter will be mild this year. I haven’t seen any others around our property although M says there are plenty of them out there. It will be interesting to see if our woolly bears agree with the Holden Arboretum woolly bear. Past experience has shown that the woolly bears are about as accurate as other weather forecasters. Take that as you will.
Today’s Walk
I went out for what was supposed to be 30 minutes and ended up staying out there for almost 2 hours. I completely lost track of time while absorbed in the play of light and shadows. I love the light this time of year. It’s warm, colorful, and sometimes playful as the sunlight darts in and out of the clouds and the canopy of leaves on the trees in the woods.
(Light and shadows in the woods.)
It’s another beautiful, invigorating, fall day with a deep blue sky. It is windy, brisk, and cool. The gusty wind has the leaves flying off the trees and dancing in the air before landing on the ground or the pond. While back near the woods I was showered with leaves which prompted me to do a little dance in celebration of the season. I suppose it’s a good thing that there was no one around to see me.
(Light, shadow, and leaves.)
The birds are pretty active today, too. A killdeer came flying by, followed by a murder of crows. (Sorry, J. No parliament of owls, kit of pigeons, bevy of quail, or mischief of rats. They may all be out there but I didn’t see them.) Buzzards circled around over the woods, bluejays jeered, and a wide variety of little birds flitted about.
(Crow in flight.)
That’s about it from the Bogs for now. Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for my 30th day surprise.
(Today’s view of the pond.)
Life in the Bogs 
Great photos, as always! Believe it or not, I had no idea what those little caterpillars were called… and I just recently had 2 posts with my son holding one of those!
Thanks, Holly. 🙂
Wooly bears are a big deal around here. There’s a town nearby that even has a parade and festival to celebrate them.
Haven’t seen a woolly bear yet, now that you mention it. Generally they are all over the place showing off their weather forecasts. I’ll have to get out and look more carefully.
Been enjoying your autumn. It certainly has been a colorful season for you.
(I didn’t know you were an Ohio State fan–I’ve been reading others’ comments. They played my Badgers last week — gave me a wonderful birthday present. ‘Nuf said!) 😉
Thanks, Bo. 🙂 And if it was a birthday present, then that’s okay. 🙂
(I’m not really an OSU fan but don’t tell anyone around here I said that.)
I’ve been fascinated by wooly bears since I was a little girl. I didn’t know they were weather forecasters though – what is it about them that does the forecasting? What type of moth or butterfly do they turn into?
Karma: The woolly bear caterpillar turns into an Isabella tiger moth. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac and common folklore, the longer the middle brown band, the milder and shorter the coming winter; the shorter the brown band, the longer and more severe winter will be. Scientifically, it’s hogwash. Still, it’s fun. 🙂
I had to Google “Woolly Bear” – so they are caterpillars! Regardless of the folklore, I hope we have a mild winter because the last 2 have been so harsh.
Kala: I have mixed feelings about mild winters. On the one hand, I’d rather not have a deep freeze and ice. On the other, I love the snow. So I guess I want something in between harsh and mild, with lots of snow for playing in.
[…] can find a lot of wildlife too, if you look carefully. I haven’t found a woolly bear yet. (That link takes you to my last post regarding the wooly bear which includes links to posts […]