This evening was the sheep show at my county fair and it was a hot day so hats and shades were common apparel, just maybe not common for a critter with a wool coat. This ‘cool’ sheep was at the National Targhee Show last Friday.
Sheep with Style
Picture of the Day for July 20, 2016
This tree is hanging on tight to the square rock, like someone tried to previously steal it away.
Rock Hugging Tree
Picture of the Day for July 19, 2016
It seems the majority of the summertime flowers are yellow or orange, but there are still some blue flowers mingled in the mix. The American Bellflower is a tall bellflower native to eastern North America, and an unusual bellflower since its flowers are usually flat and not bell-shaped.
American Bellflower
Picture of the Day for July 18, 2016
Many may be trying to get some outdoor activities done, like a nature hike, today and tomorrow before the excessive heat rolls in for the rest of the week. A place to enjoy seven miles of hiking trails, along with native flowers in the prairie restoration areas and a variety of crops, is at the Pope Farm Conservancy, just west of Madison, Wisconsin. A stone wall made with rocks left by the glacier, built in the 1840s and 1850s, line one of the trails for a distance as it rises to the top of a recessional moraine, which provides a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Nature Walk on a Sunny Day
Picture of the Day for July 17, 2016
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the water has a strong pull to lure boys to play along the river water with activities like fishing, skipping rocks and catching tadpoles.
Sunday Water Adventures
Picture of the Day for July 16, 2016
This kitten is waiting to pounce on one of his siblings and it thinks the few blades of grass is enough to conceal his presence. But he didn’t notice the two siblings behind him!
Stalking Kitten
Picture of the Day for July 15, 2016
I’m sure this old building has lots of stories to tell. The Oehler Flour and Grist Mill was built in 1862 by Valentine and Gottfried Oehler and it was powered by water.
Old Grist Mill
Picture of the Day for July 14, 2016
The county fairs have started around the state, but this pig wouldn’t win any show with its swayback look. He loves getting petted and the more scratching under his chin, the more the back sways to the ground.
Swayback Pig
Picture of the Day for July 13, 2016
On the riverbed of the Glacial St. Croix River, which was fed the melting ice sheets that were a mile thick over 10,000 years ago, sand and gravel were caught in giant eddies. The action of the swirling rocks wore holes in the hard basalt riverbed and larger rocks that fell into the holes were tumbled and spun until nearly smooth.
This large pothole is called the Lily Pond, since in the early days of the state park, water lilies were planted in the pothole. I didn’t see any lilies in the pothole, although a frog was croaking up a storm, but I think it might need to be renamed Pea Soup Pond instead.
Lily Pond Pothole
Picture of the Day for July 12, 2016
The road ditches are full of color from the orange lilies, yellow black-eyed susans and purple from the Wild Bergamot, which is also called bee balm, and the bees were very active in the flower blossoms.
Colorful Wild Bergamot
