Sapsucker Woods in September

Sam and I took a walk in Sapsucker Woods today after a day of raining yesterday. The ground was soft and a bit mushy, but the pathway was raised and easy for walking.  Everything had that clean feeling after a recent rain and there was quite the assortment of fungi growing in some unique spots.

We looked for the green heron and the fledged blue hersons, but only saw a hawk flying overhead.

Here are some photos from the walk.

Tremen Park in Ithaca

The glaciers had a huge impact upon central New York. When they receded, the Fingerlakes were formed.  Many of the gorges were also influenced by glaciation.

Treman gorge is South of Ithaca and is a lovely spot with two sites for camping and picnics. There are several trails, some more rigorous than others.  I walked down to Lucifer Falls today and photographed the gorge which is lacking a lot of water. Usually, Lucifer Falls is a torrent of water with over 100 foot drop. Today, there was but a trickle.

During the Depression, the Army Corps of Engineers worked on the trails to make them accessible to the public.

There is swimming at the pool at the lower park, with lifeguards on duty.  The water was 63 today and much cooler than the temperature I would like for a swim.

Lucifer Falls

Canadian Falls

Maid of the Mist and Canadian Falls

Maid of the Mist

Maid of the Mist

Canna

Cleome

Canadian falls

Canadian falls

American Falls and Rainbow bridge

American Falls

Tower with viewing

View from restaurant of Canadian falls

American falls with crumbled rocks

View from restaurant of Canadian falls

View from restaurant of Canadian falls

Starfish Cactus

A couple years ago, a friend gave me some cuttings from her cactus. They rooted and were then planted in soil and left to grow in the greenhouse. This spring, I brought the cactus outside and put it on the deck with many other plants that had wintered over inside.

Today, as I was watering the plants on the deck, I noticed a start flower on that same cactus. What a thrill!  Of course, I had to photograph it and found it very interesting in its details.

The name is Orbea variegata syn. Staphilia - Starfish cactus and you can see why when you look at the shape. The outside flower is a star.  Look carefully at the macro shots inside the flower. The shape of 5's is consistent right down to the center of the flower.  Love the consistency in nature!

Orbea variegata syn. Staphilia - Starfish cactus  

Sapsucker Woods

Sapsucker Woods and the Lab of Ornithology are a short distance from my home, so I went over there this evening in search of the Great Blue Herons.  The five fledglings and parents are supposedly still in the area, but I did not see them this evening. After having followed their development on the Cornell webcam, I was anxious to see them in person. Another time.

I did see a green heron cleaning itself on a log near the trail.  The photos here were taken in various locations around the pond.

Green heron

Water lily leaves

Pickerel

Water lily