Rain Day and some Orgins

From mid July

Even on a rainy Monday I find a lot of traffic and I'm trying to get out and enjoy nature even tho it's going to rain, because now on weekends I stay home! Since the Outbreak the roads are clogged with humans even more so on weekends. 

So I stopped to check the Vernal Pond on Stagecoach I've recorded 35 species there to date..

red winged blackbird

Saw an egret fly up and as I looked through my bins, I also spotted a Green Heron spook off the edge 

and a duck took to the air all this happened in one glance!  So added yet another species to the Pond. Great Egrets originally came from Asia and Australia...

Great Egret 

I had no particular place in mind, I just didn't want to be home any longer so off I went to do some exploring.  The birds are laying low and raising young pretty hard to find, and as I passed by I spotted this cemetery off the highway so I did a U turn and pulled in..

A long and lovely drive up to the cemetery...and the stones are very old...

The sign was missing probably being redone so a little search found the name McLean's cemetery...I could find no history! The oldest grave is a burial of 1839.  Most of the sir names are from the same families.  Thomas, King, and there is only a couple of McLean's and some stones have the spelling of McLain.  It's not wasted on me that McLain/McLean is a Scot/Irish name.  Nearby here is the McSween family cemetery so I would say this area was settled in the late 1700's by Scot Irish immigrants. 

And lots of Gardeners.  I looked it up on Find a Grave it's listed 

Nearby I spotted this old chimney probably a homestead that was here back when the paved 2 lane road was a dirt track maybe even a wagon road...possibly this was the McLean homestead.  

The rain came down heavier so I headed out...

This is of course a very rural area and the corn is high already...did you know corn was first cultivated in Mexico?

And I've noticed in a couple of places under these power easement cuts Fields of Sunflower are growing...they are all looking the other way.

Sunflowers native to North America! BUT cultivation of the Plant was done in Russia! 

After a quick look at the flowers I continued on my way...I saw a lot of  Cattle Egret in the field with this cow....I believe this is a Brahman he looks a little thin to me, could be an older one  I hope he fattens up...

These Brahman bulls come from India originally...nearby a field of Soybean growing...origins Southeast Asia, China to be exact...

On with my Exploration of Rural America I find more Indian Cattle hybridized in Europe, most of which are accompanied by Cattle Egret origins Africa!

I saw a flock of about 50...

This road I am on is quite nice! I plan to return, the fields had cotton growing last year as I can see the Bowl still attached to the old stalks, now these fields are at rest for who knows how long...

Cotton originated in India and Pakistan.  

Mostly I heard birds and saw a few lift up out of the field and head to the trees that surround the fields...and then  these big Pecan trees.  Pecan originated in the Southern USA and in Mexico.  

This looks like a forgotten Pecan Grove sitting right beside a long forgotten homestead 

I wanted to go peek in there maybe next time...

Looks as if it had a screen porch at one time..

On my way out  A Wild Turkey strutted out to cross the dirt road..origins the America's!

thru the windshield...

A Red Tailed Hawk was spooked off his perch 

And since I was close enough I decided to go see the Beaver Pond...I swore I wouldn't go after I saw the sign posted of the intended destruction of this animal and so for many months I have not checked it out...I just want to know if the wetland will survive without the Beaver...so I went. 

There is still water but the dam has been busted as I figured...and who inhabits the Beaver's pond now??  

An American Alligator..so this proves there was a predator that could manage the beaver...a natural predator very high on the food chair. 

The Beaver created a wonderful environment it really burns  me that he was killed and now his domain has been taken over by a huge predator in the pond  a threat to the birds, frogs and turtles that live here...and probably means no new beaver will take this pond...normally when you remove a beaver eventually another one comes along to take it's place so we'll see. 

Here it is before they ripped up  the dam and killed the beaver..I have to say *bastards* who gave them the right???? Speaking of the USDA

All these photos were taken with my old camera I knew it was going to rain.... it did okay.

So I wanted to go back and see those beautiful sunflowers in the Sun...so A couple days ago I did that...

young northern mockingbird (North America started in South and now all over)

Common Grackle (North America)

Really pretty some of the flower heads are HUGE! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.