July 10, 2016

The holiday is over and Lake Wicwas is back to its quiet self, especially the past few days when after a lovely hot spell (it hit 94 degrees) the weather turned cold and wet.  Linda noted that yesterday's high temperature was lower than this past Christmas day!  But we sure did need the rain.  The moisture gave a great boost to the withering flora, as greenery from blueberries to weeds surged with a dose of moisture.  The blueberries turned plump and blue and consummated the first scrumptious treats of the year.

Warm Scones with Wicwas Blueberries

A little bit of moisture always brings out my favorite, colorful ground dwellers, the red-efts.

The red eft is the juvenile stage of the eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)

One must be careful walking in damp conditions to avoid stepping on these little guys.

On a hike up to Crockett's ledge before the rain hit, one of the nephews spotted this snake sunning itself in a protected crack at the very top of the cliff.

A Garter Snake enjoying the warmth of the sun-heated rocks

It looks pretty safe there from just about every threat!

The deer flies continue to be about as bad as I remember them.  (Do I say that every year?)  But the deer fly strips prove there is good batch of them out there.

Proof that deer fly strips really do work

You can get these - of course - at Amazon.

It's no wonder there are so many flycatchers around here.  Mrs. Phoebee may make a lot of racket, but she does her part in cleaning up the flying insect brigade.

Perched, radar on, and cleared for take-off for its next sortie

A friend and good land steward spent many hours last week picking up the trash that collected along the sides of Chemung Road over the past year;  it looks great!  (Thank you JG!)  But it was sad to see that within hours of his work, the next installment of road litter had already begun.

One would have hoped that someone buying a can with the word "America" on it would have a little more respect for the nation that bears the name.

Before the rain hit late in the week I found this tiny maple tree sprouting in the moss on a tree that fell into the lake many years ago.  It always amazes me how creative seeds can be in finding a place to roost.  This youngster won't make it to old age, but like many lake lovers, it sure will enjoy its childhood growing up on the shore of a beautiful lake.