Meadow Walk

Most of the rain is behind us. We had a few moments of the slightest mist throughout the day. The temps were perfect for camping. After breakfast, hubby suggested we talk a short hike to see the cemetery in the state park. As we neared the trailhead, we came across this hawk. It was on the roof of a building so I couldn’t see it clearly. Not sure what kind it was. We had to go through one of the flower-filled meadows to get to our destination. See my extra. And where there are flowers, there are also insects. My favorite was the Eastern tailed-blue. There were many more that I simply could not capture. I also like the milkweed beetles on the milkweed pod. The spider wasn’t my favorite. Hubby almost walked into a huge web with one like this. The flowers were a nice variety. We saw passion flowers (second row first block) growing wild during both our hikes. One new wildflower for me is the Sweet Everlasting (second row, second block). The pink single blossom (top row, second block) is called a Littlebell) and the delicate yellow flower (top row, third block) is called a Desert-chicory. The bottom row, second block is cockleburs. Not sure I ever identified those before. The clumps of blue flowers growing among the tall grasses ( bottom row third block) are called a blue mist-flower. You can probably easily identify the others. Our short hike got me 7,800+ steps for almost 3.5 miles. I was too tired to take a shower until I rested a bit. Hubby heated lunch while I dried my hair. Then we scouted out (in our truck) other trails for later in the week. The river trail is closed for maintenance unfortunately. After lunch, hubby cooked the noodles and I chopped the veggies and made the dressing for a salad that will go with our meatball subs for dinner. Now it is nap time. Wishing you an afternoon rest. Stay safe. Thanks for visiting. “When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson