Friday, September 26, 2014

Scenery

Here are some scenes which caught my eye on my walk to the grocery store today. As you can see, Autumn is moving in, however slowly.

Bug-chewed Virginia Creeper along the Dykeman Walking Trail
Shelf Fungus along the Dykeman Walking Trail
A view of the upland meadow
Upland meadow view with Blue Mountain in the background
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Autumnal Equinox 2014

The sun has arrived at the equator on his journey south for the winter, marking the change to cooler weather and even shorter daylight hours. Yes, I know the equinox is tomorrow, but I'll be at work. So my annual equinox post was shot and goes up today. I've brought you pictures of Fall flowers and turning leaves from the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. I've also brought you Jethro Tull singing Songs from the Woods, appropriate music for the season. So kick back, break out the new-brewed ale, and celebrate Autumn's arrival!

Staghorn Sumac is one of the first trees/shrubs to change color
Southern Gaura is a late summer/early autumn bloomer in these parts
New York Asters, another Fall bloomer
Yellow Birch leaves along the creek
Calico Asters in the upland meadow
The woods along the upland meadow are starting to turn ever so slightly

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday, September 14, 2014

It's Almost Autumn

It's starting to feel like Fall, even though the Autumnal Equinox is still a week away. The temperature got down to 46ºF (7.8ºC) last night, and it was in the 50s (10º - 15ºC) the whole time I was on my hike this morning. And a beautiful hike it was, walking all the trails in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park and taking note of all the signs of approaching Autumn. The Fall flowers - like the Boneset, Goldenrod, and Calico Asters pictured below - are starting to bloom, birds I'm used to seeing/hearing seem to have gotten scarce or disappeared altogether, the hawks are migrating (there were two Redtails circling above the upland meadow and there was a pair of Cooper's Hawks being harassed by Crows down by the Little League fields), and there's just a general feel of Fall in the air. So of course I'm in heaven! Here are the best shots taken during that walk. Enjoy!

Boneset growing along the Dykeman Walking Trail
A Bumblebee visiting some Goldenrod along the Dykeman Walking Trail
The hillside stairs on the Upland Trail
The view of the upland meadow from the western end
The Calico Asters are starting to bloom along the Meadow Trail
On the Meadow Trail, looking north across the meadow to Blue Mountain
Bridges across the creek as it flows between the Little League fields
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Serenity

Today was overcast but still seasonably cool, and I decided to visit some of the more serene spots in town, those places that are oases of calm and quiet set in the midst of traffic and residential areas. The little farm on Hockersmith Avenue came to mind, as did the wetland areas of the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. And I found a surprise waiting by the north duck pond in the park - a visiting Double-crested Cormorant. I'm used to seeing them around salt water rather than fresh, and they were abundant around Newport, so I choose to see this as an old friend come to see how I'm doing.






© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Monday, September 08, 2014

These Caught My Eye

Off today and tomorrow, which makes today errands day. As usual I walked to the grocery store via the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. These were the sights that caught my eye and translated to photo well. Enjoy!

A Martin house in the middle of the marsh in the Dykeman Spring wetlands
Spotted Knapweed growing along a chain link fence
A scene on the forest floor along the Upland Trail
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Along the Rail Trail

I took a leisurely stroll along the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail today. At the height of Summer the rail trail is kind of boring, at least at the Shippensburg end; there are so many trees and so much foliage that scenery is blocked. But there are some clear spaces, and I got some shots there, plus two scenes amongst the greenery along the trail as well. Enjoy!

A farm along the Rail Trail
A farm road off the Rail Trail, with a very hazy Blue Mountain in the background
A sign of approaching Autumn - a fallen Sumac leaf amidst the greenery
Unknown flower growing along the Rail Trail
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Friday, August 29, 2014

Cutting Across the Meadow Again

Another single day off, and it's a cool, clear, dry day, so while running my usual single day off errands I cut across the upland meadow in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park because I knew there'd be an unusually clear view of Blue Mountain up there in this weather. I wasn't wrong. And the meadow itself was looking good, too. Enjoy!

The hay road in the meadow winding its way up the hill
A view of Blue Mountain from the meadow
A view of Blue Mountain from the meadow
Rolling hills - a view of the meadow and beyond
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

A Colorful Sunday Morning Walk

A Sunday off, just a single, and lots of things to do on it, so only a few pictures caught going to and from the grocery store. It's been so wet this summer, and especially during this last week, that when the sun finally comes out - as it did today - everything is so lush and colorful. Enjoy!

Still haying on the upland meadow. It was so wet this week that today was the first day he's been able to continue.
A view of the meadow and the tractor path from the east end of the meadow
A sunflower on Orange St.
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday, August 17, 2014

A Damp Sunday Morning Stroll

As I was sipping my morning mug of chai masala while reading through the overnight entries on the blogs I follow and Facebook and doing some morning email, I heard the rain start to fall. Bummer! As this is my second day off of two, and usually dedicated to hikes with the camera, this was not good news. Well, it was a gentle rain and not steady but intermittent and I decided to hoist the umbrella and take a brief stroll through the wetlands area of the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. Here are the best shots from that stroll.

Orange Jewelweed dotted with raindrops
One of the swamp boardwalks in the wetlands
My pew in church, the bench along the north duck pond where I often sit in silence and meditation
A Monarch butterfly in a pause between showers
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Sights Along the Way

Some things that caught my eye walking through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park on the way to the grocery store.

Blackberries ripening along the Dykeman Walking Trail. These are way behind; up on the meadow they've already ripened and been eaten (by me and the birds)
Tree fungus along the Upland Trail in the Dykeman Spring Nature Trail
They're haying on the upland meadow again
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Monday, August 11, 2014

Butterfly Season

It's the height of butterfly season around here; a walk through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park this morning emphasized that. I spotted at least ten different species, but the little buggers don't like to sit still for very long and really don't like to let humans near enough to use a macro lens, so I only got these four using the zoom and a lot of patience. Enjoy!

Silver-spotted Skipper
Cabbage White butterfly
Clouded Sulphur butterfly
Black Swallowtail butterfly
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Overlook

Today is gorgeous - dry, temps in the 70s with a nice breeze out of the northwest. Very comfortable and perfect for walking around town. I walked out the door in search of photos and ended up on Spring Hill in the cemetery, but this time I didn't end up shooting interesting tombstones. Instead I noticed that breaks in the trees surrounding the cemetery offered some great framed views of parts of South Mountain and Shippensburg below. The three following shots are the best of the lot. Enjoy!




© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger