We started our journey on a trail, out in the middle of the forest. Almost immediately, we were greeted to tree teepees. Many people come out to the woods to make these, either for recreational activities, or as a temporary camp area.
Our girls l馃挆ve checking out the teepees 馃槏 Recently they have started this play where every teepee is a Peppa Pig home 馃槀 If one is unfamiliar, it is a children's show that features a family of pigs! It's very silly. One of our girls will be Peppa, the other George, and they pretend to play house for a bit.
After the teepee, we walked further down the trail, to a tiny, rocky creek. The girls decided to take a peek; they have been on a binge of bug and lizard collection 馃槃
We found some interesting bugs: millipedes, roly-polys (or potato bugs), black beetles... However, what came next was a great surprise, for myself and the girls 馃槃
This is the Redbacked Salamander. They are very popular in the area; in fact, I used to own one as a pet when I was a girl 馃槉 They are very chill animals, not doing much except looking for moist earth and enjoying the warm sun~ An interesting fact: salamanders breathe through their skin, so it's very important not to have oils and perfumes on your hands 馃毇
After it was said and done, our girls were quite a mess 馃槄 Which is fine by me! I much prefer to have little tomboys than girly girls (only because I was one myself 馃榿). This was our youngest after digging through the creek LOL!
After the thrill of finding critters, we took a little break and ate a snack. The girls had a doughnut -- one of their favorites! 馃崺
It was time to head back home! We started walking back down the trail. Along the way I came across many interesting flowers. Take this one, for example: this is a White Field Rose. Very cute and beautiful...
While we were still attempting to look under rocks, we came across this lovely lady! 馃槏 This is a Black Lace-Weaver. As the name implies, they tend to hide in isolated spots, and make a funnel with their webs.
Making it out onto the neighborhood streets now. Here are some flowers I encountered on people's lawns -- absolutely lovely! 馃槏 This is an Edith Wolford Bearded Iris; it's a mouthful, I know 馃槀 This is considered an award-winning flower (don't ask what the requirements are 馃槼). For me, I love the ruffled petals, the bicolour soft daffodil-yellow and lilac-purple. It gives the appearance of a ballgown.
Another variation of this plant: this one is the "normal" Bearded Iris. The "beard" is actually in reference to the ruffled petals, resembling the appearance of a scruffy beard. I wish they had thought of a more appealing name!
These were an absolute SHOW STOPPER 馃槺 I froze in my tracks upon seeing these ones; my heart fluttered! Such a beautiful display of soft, colorful petals... There are a few nicknames for this bulb, but my favorite is Fruity Petals -- not to be confused with The Flintstones' cereal! 馃槀
As we made it back onto the main road, we noticed that the sun was beginning to disappear... Within minutes, an elaborate array of clouds formed over us, and we were actually fortunate enough to capture a natural phenomena! These are known as Asperitas Clouds. They only appear before a thunderstorm, which we did receive a short storm, and I think they look so cool...
