A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods by Charlie Doggett | Make Your Own Book

Greenway Fall Flowers

Sometimes I think there are nearly as many flowers blooming in the Fall as in the Spring, at least along the greenways. A couple of shots from my morning bike trips on Stones River and Shelby Bottoms Greenways:

5 New Bird Photos From Costa Rica

Be sure to see the 5 bird photos I posted on my Costa Rica Decision Process Blog. Three are first-time sightings for me: Black-billed Nightingale-thrush, Collared Redstart, and Volcano Junco. The Toucan and Quetzal are possibly better images than I already have. My two days birding on the two-week trip were my favorite. The purpose of the trip was to see if I could re-retire in Costa Rica and it looks like I may by the end of the year. 

A New Flower Today

And of course I can't find it in either one of my Tennessee wildflower books. Let me know if you know the name of it. It is growing in many places along the Shelby Bottoms Greenway. (Thanks to Jill for identifying it for me!)

Hollow Joe-Pye Weed

Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern Box Turtle
On Shelby Bottoms Greenway

Saw this little guy slowly trying to cross the paved path Monday. I stopped, made this photo, then picked him up and put him across the path before he got hit by a fast-moving bike.

Keep your eyes open! There is always another adventure around the next corner. 

Wild Potato Vine

I am still riding my bike on the greenways three days a week, just not posting many photos. I was calling this flower a wild morning glory and it is in the morning glory family, but most commonly called Wild Potato Vine and sometimes Man Root or Wild Rhubarb. It has a giant root that can weigh up to 30 pounds and be up to 4 feet long! Amazing! The technical name is ipmoea pandurata. Cool! There is always something new in nature and on both these greenways!

Wild Potato Vine
ipomoea pandurata

I've been seeing a lot of these for the last week or two. Nice! 

Indigo Bunting

This is only my second shot of one, both with cell phone and too far away to see well, but at least this one shows the whole bird. They are mostly on the move and fast-moving and really avoid people. Seldom seen up close. It reminds me of the Blue Morpho Butterfly I've seen in Amazon and Costa Rica but no good photos!

Indigo Bunting Cropped In
On Shelby Bottoms Greenway

Cropped Even More

My earlier May sighting photo only caught his head. They are the most brilliant blue of any bird in North America, I think. It is also interesting to note for any regulars on the greenways that both of these shots were made at the Shelby Bottoms end of the Cumberland River Bridge.

Beauty Reflected

A reflection of trees in the Stones River from the little bridge near Hartland Park. There are new natural beauties every time I ride my bike on the greenway!

Stones River, Nashville, TN

"My Spot in the Woods"

Possibly my favorite magazine is The Tennessee Conservationist, and certainly one every Tennessean who loves nature should subscribe to for just $15 a year or less with multiple year subscriptions, for 6 large, nature-packed issues featuring everything nature, the wonderful Tennessee State Parks, and page-fulls of beautiful nature photos. I love it! Only Nature Photographer magazine compares!

Cindy Potter with a student in "Her Spot"

The feature article in this 2014 July-August issue is titled "My Spot in the Woods" by Mary Priestly, reporting on the terrific annual 6th Grade school project by Cindy Potter, at St. Andrews-Sewanee School in the South Cumberland, my favorite hiking area. Once each month during the school year, regardless of weather, each child spends time in the same spot in a nearby forest (Shakerag Hollow) writing down their observations; what they see, hear, smell, and feel. Back in the classroom each child uses those notes to write a short essay on "My Spot in the Woods" for that month. It is typed and posted on a hallway bulletin board. The following months are posted on top so that someone could read through the changing observations. The kids also memorize something from one or more nature poems/writings of their choice by authors like John Muir, Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting, Robert Frost's "Who Has Seen the Wind," or Wendell Berry's "The Peace of Wild Things." I think this is so wonderful and maybe even better than how I experience the woods as a Boy Scout at that age. Nature is life-changing, formative, and enriching is so many ways!

The July/August 2013 issue of The Tennessee Conservationist featured the similar process that David George Haskell experienced in his daily trips to his same spot in the woods. The article by Rosanna O. Salmon is titled "Find the Inspiration to Observe Nature" but is unfortunately not archived on the magazine's website. But David recorded it all in his book The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature. It inspired me to start my nature blog called Nature Notes on which I assume you are reading this. I've never made it a true daily effort, yet I encourage you to see what I have recorded frequently for nearly two years now. This year has focused a lot on my 3-times a week bike ride on two Nashville green-ways, though there are still state park and other trip reports plus my backyard nature which was the major focus last year. Nature is everywhere and just seeing it makes our lives richer!

I hope you grow richer this week by spending some time in the woods!   :-) 

Greenway Cows

Cows Along the Stones River Greenway

This morning on the Stones River Greenway

The old farm has been bought by Nashville for a city park

but I guess the cows have squatter rights for awhile!

Passionflower & Queen Anne's Lace

From my Greenway bike ride today:

Queen Anne's Lace

Passionflower

The Official State Wildflower of Tennessee

While Iris is the Official Flower

I almost missed the Passionflower which was mostly under the leaves along the trail beside Ravenwood. Glad I saw it because it is one of my favorite wildflowers and only blooms for a week or two in early summer or late spring. It is also called Maypops, Passion Vine and Apricot Vine. How wonderful to have a greenway with all these beautiful wildflowers in every season! 

More Flowers on the Greenway

This shot was made the day before I left for Warren, AR trip and late posting. And I haven't looked up their name yet, but will. The visual feast I get riding my bike is just a bonus to the good health and adventure!

Carolina Rose or Multiflora Rose

Life-giving Trees!

Maple Tree

This is the tree I'm looking out my office window at right now!

One of the best things about McKendree Village is

the large number of beautiful, mature trees!

Indigo Bunting

His head is peaking from behind one of the leaves in lower left quadrant. I've seen several Indigo Buntings along the Shelby Bottoms Greenway, always flying. They don't sit around on branches like some birds. And this tiny glimpse is the only photo I have managed so far - though not much. Click to see larger version. Made with my little pocket camera, Canon Powershot. I'll keep looking for a better shot.

Indigo Bunting Peeking Over a Leaf

Wildflowers on the Greenways

All but three of these photos were made today as I biked along both the Stones River Greenway and the Shelby Bottoms Greenway. They are just one of many reasons I enjoy biking the greenways. Plus today I again saw an Indigo Bunting, just not a very good photo yet of this beautiful bird that doesn't stay still long.

The first of Spring - Wood Sorrel in front of Redbuds

And yes this is the only one that was shared earlier.

But has to be a part of the flowers post! :-)

And sad to announce that they are turning this beautiful spot into a dog park.

Common Daylily, shot last summer in July

Wood Sorrel up close

Red and White Clover

If you click image you can see difference in leaves & flowers

Beardtongue

This could be Smooth or Long Sepal

Smooth Vetch

Japanese Honeysuckle

Smells good but a vicious invasive species not good for local plants

Nodding Thistle

Another invasive species not good for local wildflowers

What a joy to ride by all these flowers 3 times a week!

And there will be new ones during the summer. 

All of these were shot on my little Canon Powershot pocket camera

River Shore Roots

Roots washed up the Cumberland River banks

On my bike ride today

Shelby Bottoms Greenway

My regular routine three days a week is to bike the Stones River Greenway five miles to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway pictured here, three miles to the Nature Center giving me a round trip of 16 miles. Shelby Bottoms is an easier greenway because there are few hills, unlike Stones River with many steep hills. When more ambitious I go downtown making it a 22 or 23 mile trip or to Bicentennial Mall and Farmers' Market for a 28 mile round trip. Shelby Bottoms is mostly level and wooded like in this photo.

Red Kangaroo Boxing

I saw two of our Nashville Zoo male Red Kangaroos "Boxing" today.

Young males do this to establish dominance by knocking the other over.

The one who eventually is dominant will have the females.

After a few minutes, they went back to eating grass.

Click to enlarge

Clover Overtaking Mustard Flowers

My last two bike trips on the Greenway have been only to the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, but I have noticed all along the greenway that clover has suddenly appeared and becoming dominant over the yellow flowers of last week. Plus it was fun to find one little patch of Red Clover near the skatepark in Two Rivers Park. Maybe I'll get a photo of them Wednesday when I hope to go all the way to downtown Nashville which gives me 23 miles instead of the 16 ridden today. It is so good to have a nature-filled greenway to bike on!

Nature on my Adventures Blog

Wednesday morning I rode my bike to Farmers' Market north of downtown Nashville for lunch and then back. On the way there I photographed this huge Pileated Woodpecker, Wild Tom Turkey with tail spread, and some wildflowers. Could have been posted here on Nature Notes just as well. See the photos at:
http://charliedoggettadventures.blogspot.com/2014/04/biked-to-farmers-market-for-lunch-today.html

My Adventures Blog often includes nature, so consider following it as well as this one.

Bears - The Movie

Saw this delightful Disney Nature film Bears this afternoon and it is so very well done! I recommend it for all nature lovers and both wildlife and landscape photographers for the gorgeous Alaskan landscape shots and intimate and natural animal photography, including a lot of other animals beyond the bear family followed for a year.

It's Green Now! Spring is Here!

My Backyard

Violets & Forsythia!

Spring is in my backyard even if it did freeze last night.

Stones River Greenway Biking

I biked 10 miles on the Stones River Greenway yesterday and had a ball! Spring is here as shown by this scene in Two Rivers Park along the greenway. I went as far as Shelby Bottoms this trip and just might go all the way to downtown Nashville next time or the time after that. 

Spring is Trying Again!

The Jonquil was shot in the Woodlands and sprouting flower in a neighbor's yard.

My 2013 Nature Blog available as a book

Nature Notes 2013 by Charlie Doggett | Make Your Own Book

Spring Coming?

The long shadows of a winter snow and the February arrival of Crocus herald the coming of Spring (we hope!).

Albatross Bird Cam

Watch the mother albatross in Hawaii take care of her youngster. Cool!
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/?utm_source=Cornell+Lab+eNews&utm_campaign=5395106b94-Cornell_Lab_eNews_2014_2_06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_47588b5758-5395106b94-303794049

In fact the whole Cornell Lab of Ornithology website is great and you can record your bird counts for the Great Backyard Bird Count there, February 14-17. Do it! I am!

Nashville Zoo Birds Book Published

Rainforest Aviary by Charlie Doggett | Make Your Own Book

Nature Posts on My Adventures Blog

Maybe I shouldn't have so many blogs! As with most of my adventures, my trip to Panama is more about nature than anything else. So all this past week and 5 more days you can see bird and other wildlife photos and reports of adventures in Panama at http://charliedoggettadventures.blogspot.com/

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan in Panama