Western Trillium – Trillium ovatum – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Western Trillium, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (10/27/2012.) Scientific name is Trillium ovatum.  Photo below was taken in Ponderosa State Park, Valley County, ID on June 1, 2012.  Go to the Western Trillium detail page for more photos and information.

Western Trillium, Western White Trillium, Pacific Trillium, Oettinger’s Trillium - Trillium ovatum

Western Trillium, Western White Trillium, Pacific Trillium, Oettinger’s Trillium – Trillium ovatum

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Pigeon Mountain – Trees and Tunnels

Pigeon Mountain – a major spur of Lookout Mountain – is a wonderful place, even outside the fabulous wildflower site called The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain.  During hunting season – turkey in the spring, and deer in the fall – there are a few roads opened that are closed the rest of the year.  These were opened in early September at the beginning of archery season (firearms deer season started today – Saturday, Oct 20, 2012.)  I was fortunate enough to get down onto two of these – Estelle Mine Road and Owl Hollow over the past couple of days.  Ostensibly the trip on Friday was to photograph an Agalinis species that I really wanted to be, as reported by others, Agilinis decemloba.  I got the photo, and I think it’s likely Agalinis tenuifolia instead.

False Foxglove - Agilinis spp.

False Foxglove – Agilinis spp.

While I was disappointed not to fine retuse corolla lobes on the Agalinis, Friday at Pigeon Mountain, followed with a wonderful drive with my wife on Saturday morning up the Estelle Mine Road, was anything but disappointing.  Check out a few of the photos I took on those two days…

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Pale Gentian – Gentiana villosa – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Pale Gentian, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (10/17/2012.) Scientific name is Gentiana villosa.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, GA on Oct 15, 2012.  Go to the Pale Gentian detail page for more photos and information.

Pale Gentian, Striped Gentian, Sampsons Snakeroot - Gentiana villosa

Pale Gentian, Striped Gentian, Sampsons Snakeroot – Gentiana villosa

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Nakedflower Ticktrefoil – Desmodium nudiflorum – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Nakedflower Ticktrefoil, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (10/16/2012.) Scientific name is Desmodium nudiflorum.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, GA on June 16, 2012. Go to the Nakedflower Ticktrefoil detail page for more photos and information.

Nakedflower Ticktrefoil, Naked-Flowered Tick Trefoil, Naked-stemmed Tick Clover - Desmodium nudiflorum

Nakedflower Ticktrefoil, Naked-Flowered Tick Trefoil, Naked-stemmed Tick Clover – Desmodium nudiflorum

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Sunrise at Lake Ocoee

My wife and I were going over to Waynesville, NC on Thursday to pick up a granddaughter who had been spending a few days with her best friend from Papua New Guinea.  Being the fall color season, we wanted to take some time for some photographs in the mountains, so we left early, before 7 AM.  It turned out that sunrise was just as we were getting to Lake Ocoee (also known as Parksville Lake), and the cool morning brought fog and mist with it.  We also had time to take brief drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from the daytrip to Waynesville.

Sunrise over Lake Ocoee

Sunrise over Lake Ocoee

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Blue Waxweed – Cuphea viscosissima – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Blue Waxweed, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (10/11/2012.) Scientific name is Cuphea viscosissima.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, GA on Sep 24, 2012. Go to the Blue Waxweed detail page for more photos and information.

Blue Waxweed, Clammy Cuphea, Tarweed - Cuphea viscosissima


Blue Waxweed, Clammy Cuphea, Tarweed – Cuphea viscosissima

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Broadleaf Arrowhead – Sagittaria latifolia – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Broadleaf Arrowhead, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (10/09/2012.) Scientific name is Sagittaria latifolia.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, GA on Sep 26, 2012.   It  is also known by the common names Common Arrowhead, Arrowleaf, Burhead, Wapato, and Duck-potato.  Go to the Broadleaf Arrowhead detail page for more photos and information.

Common Arrowhead, Arrowleaf, Burhead, Wapato, Duck-potato, Broadleaf Arrowhead - Sagittaria latifolia

Common Arrowhead, Arrowleaf, Burhead, Wapato, Duck-potato, Broadleaf Arrowhead – Sagittaria latifolia

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Bur Cucumber – Sicyos angulatus – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Bur Cucumber, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (10/04/2012.) Scientific name is Sicyos angulatus.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, GA on Sep 25, 2012. Go to the Bur Cucumber detail page for more photos and information.

Bur Cucumber, Oneseed Bur Cucumber; Star Cucumber - Sicyos angulatus

Bur Cucumber, Oneseed Bur Cucumber; Star Cucumber – Sicyos angulatus

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Virginia Dayflower – Commelina virginica – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Virginia Dayflower, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (09/30/2012.) Scientific name is Commelina virginica.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, GA on Sep 26, 2012.  Go to the Virginia Dayflower detail page for more photos and information.

Virginia Dayflower - Commelina virginica

Virginia Dayflower – Commelina virginica

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Retirement – What does it mean?

I’m now, as of September 22, retired.  In a couple of weeks I’ll be semi-retired, since I’ll be going back to work for my former employer on a part-time basis.  I was on 3 weeks of vacation prior to the official retirement date, so I’ve had some time to reflect on what this watershed event in the lives of my wife and I means to us generally, and specifically for USWildflowers.com.

What does it mean?

  1. Less money – Even with the part-time work, we’ll have a lower income than when I was working full time.
  2. More time – I’ll be working something less that 20 hours per week in my part-time job when that starts in mid-October, so I’ll have over 20 hours extra per week to pursue other activities.
  3. Less stress – I determined a couple of years ago that I was not handling the stress of my job as well as when I was younger, or perhaps the stress levels had increased past the point of my tolerance.  In any case, I knew something had to change relative to that stress.  The reduction in that stress has been wonderful these past four weeks.  I hope it is also making me less of a pain in the neck to my dear wife, since she has to put up with me for more hours each week now.

Those first two items may have an impact on USWildflowers.com.

Gerry photographing Yellow Fringed Orchid by USWildflowers, on Flickr

Will I be doing more of this?

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