We were walking in the Park last Wednesday and saw this guy just off the trail.  I jumped a bit when I spotted him, but he was so calm I didn't panic.  He didn't move a muscle when we walked by.  Look how he is in the sunspot, probably just warming himself.  

 

It was about lunchtime;  maybe he was just waiting for his lunch to happen by, and he considered us a little too big to swallow alive.  Good!  

 

My reference book:  Snakes of the Southeast  says that Southern Black Racers have white chins.  You can see that in the picture.  The book also told us that they are non poisonous.  We hung around only long enough to take a couple pix.  That was enough for me.  Then back to our walk.

 

There are other snakes out and about these days, and some ARE poisonous, so be careful when you are out walking in the woods.

 

HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

The Devil's Walking Sticks are also blooming now.  There are several on Crabapple Lane, and some on Five Forks Drive too.

 

Its botanical name is Aralia spinosa, and it is commonly called Hercules' Club, Prickly Ash, and Devil's Walking Stick.  If you look closely at the woody trunk you can see how it got that name.  There are big, fat thorns all around the trunk.  

 

It loses its leaves in the fall, and is just a stick all winter.  But in the spring it leafs out again, and now in summer it is blooming.  In a couple weeks, these pretty white flowers will turn to dark red berries.  It is quite striking in all seasons.  Look for it, now that you know what to call it.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

The Sumacs all over the neighborhood are starting to bloom.  The ones here are Winged Sumac and bloom yellow.  There is another species of Sumac: Staghorn Sumac that blooms red.  They are blooming now too.  You can see them along the highways.

 

The pollinators are all over the flowers.  We've seen bumblebees, honey bees, even hummingbirds sipping nectar from the Sumacs.  You can actually hear the bees when you get close to the bushes.

 

I love it when they bloom;  they are so pretty.  Look for them in your travels.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Have you seen the hanging baskets at Hughes?  There are 4 or 5 of them across the front of the store.  Beautiful!!!  The red flowers are begonias, and the green heart shaped leaves are sweet potato vines.  

 

I tried an unscientific experiment a few weeks ago.  I cut up organic sweet potatoes, and placed them cut side down in one of my seed flats.  After a couple weeks they started to sprout!!!!  So now I can plant them in my flower beds to creep along the ground.  It is too late this year to plant them for the tubers though, they take 90-120 days.  But now that I know how to propagate them, I will start them in early spring.

 

That way we will have some to plant in the garden, and some to put in hanging baskets.  I love these.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Here it is!!!  My favorite tree in Meeks Park.  It is on the backside of the trail around the mountain.  

 

We believe it is an Indian Trail Tree.  They are nearly always White Oaks.  When the tree was just a sapling, it was bent and stuffed with moss at the "nose."  Then it was allowed to grow for years, creating this interesting bend.  Often these trees were bent like this to point toward sources of water, or to neighboring camps.  It is a fascinating subject to explore.

 

We have several Indian Trail Trees here in Five Forks.  The first one you notice is at the Creekside Trail trailhead.  There are two big vertical branches on a massive White Oak Tree.  The next one is at the next big curve in the road.  And the third one is on Beaconhill at another major curve.  Interesting.  Were they here before the community, and the developer used them to route the roads?  Are they all pointing toward water?  How old are they?  So many questions.

 

Be on the lookout, you may find others.  If so, tell ME!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

On our way to walk in the Park last week, we drove through the Methodist Church parking lot.  There is always something pretty blooming there.  

 

These bushes are Hydrangeas.  There is also a bank of them in Blairsville near the VFW intersection.  They are so pretty planted en masse like this.  

 

Be sure to look for them next time you're in Blairsville.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Our daily walks always provide great photo ops.  This day, it was the fog.

 

We were just past the resting rock, nearly at the top of the mountain, when I took this picture.  When we reached the top, the fog was below us, and it was perfectly clear.  Strange.  And wonderful.  

 

HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

 

 

 

I love seeing this sculpture up at Bill and Carol's.  It stands about 8 feet tall.  And this particular day it was backdropped by early morning fog.  

 

It makes me think of our home in Tidewater, VA, on the Lynnhaven River, where Herons and Egrets were daily sightings.  We see them here occasionally, but not nearly enough.  

 

Thanks Bill and Carol, for having this where I can see it on our daily walks.

 

HAPPY TUESDAY!!!

 

Do you love kale?  Not everybody does, but we do.  So much so that I plant about 15 plants of it every year.  This is one.  There are lots more.  

 

Sometimes folks don't like certain vegetables because they've just never had them prepared well.  Remember Granny's green beans cooked to death?  Or Brussels Sprouts cooked til they are brown?   If those were the only ways I'd ever eaten them, I would hate green beans and Brussels Sprouts too.   But it is worth it to try new recipes for vegetables, especially when they are described as Super Foods, ie. Kale.

 

Well, we have an excellent recipe for fresh kale salad.  I put it in the recipe section under vegetables.  There is one (possibly) unknown ingredient:  Nutritional Yeast.  You can find it in the Bob's Red Mill section of the grocery store, or in an online health food store like Vitacost  Or try the recipe without it to see if you like it, then add in the Nutritional Yeast if you plan to make it again.  

 

Try it, you might like it.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I thought you'd like to see our big Apple tree this year.  The others got hit by the spring freeze, so they have NO apples, but this one is doing great!!!  It is about 20 feet tall and loaded with apples all the way to the top.

 

When we were little, there was an Apple tree in the backyard.  We all have fond memories of Nanny and Momma and BeeBee sitting in lawn chairs in the backyard, peeling apples for apple sauce.  And then there is Ruby Whitman Apple Cake.  The recipe is in the recipe section under breads:  The Best Apple Cake.

 

We moved here in June of 2004, and on my next birthday, Momma asked me what I wanted for our new home.  I told her an apple tree.  She sent me money and we went to the Ace nursery in Blairsville, and bought this tree to plant just below our lawn.  We have been making apple sauce (just like Momma did) using apples from this tree since 2014.  We planted two other Apple trees, but this one still gives us the most apples.  

 

According to my Garden Journals, these apples should be ready to harvest in late September.  Fingers crossed the squirrels leave them alone til then.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!