Mysterious Forest

It’s notoriously hard to get a good weather forecast for Shenandoah National Park. The park is over 100 miles long and the closest cities and towns are at least 1,000′ lower than the ridge line.

I checked the weather before leaving home. The forecast for a nearby town was for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the upper 70’s. There was a slight chance of rain so I grabbed my rain jacket on the way out the door.

As I reached the foothills of the mountains it began to rain. “Not to worry,” I thought. I had my rain gear and the trailhead is 20 miles north of the entrance station. The weather there could be completely different.

I entered the park in a steady rain with temperatures 15 degrees lower than I expected. The drive to the trailhead was mostly inside clouds intent on shedding their moisture as they crossed the Appalachian Mountains.

When I arrived at the trailhead the rain was slow but steady. Having already driven over two hours to hike this trail, I decided to don my rain gear and make the best of it. As they say “there’s no bad weather, only bad gear.”

About 15 minutes into my hike the clouds still enshrouded the mountains but the rain had stopped. The vistas I came to see were clouded in but it was still a good day and left me with a reason to come back another time.

There weren’t many dramatic views that day but the weather gave the mountains a peaceful and mysterious quality.

Photograph of a foggy and misty forest in Shenandoah National Park by Doug Couvillion

Painted In The Sun

Photograph of a painted turtle sunning on a log in the Mattaponi River by Doug Couvillion

Quietly paddling the Mattaponi River on a cool September morning, I captured this image of a Painted Turtle. Like all reptiles, turtles are cold blooded, so you’ll see them basking in the sun on cooler mornings. They love logs and rocks overhanging the water. There they find a sunny location with a quick escape into the water if a predator, or curious photographer gets too close.

Snake In The Grass

photograph of a black snake coiled in a grassy meadow

Hiking through a meadow on a sunny, summer afternoon I spotted this beautiful black snake resting just off the hiking trail. In my experience black snakes are fearless of humans and this one was no exception. I got close enough to get this picture with my iPhone and the snake didn’t seem in the least bit interested or concerned.

Pollinating The Purple Passionflower

Photograph of a bee on a purple passionflower by Doug Couvillion

A variety of pollinators were active on the Purple Passionflowers in a meadow I hiked in early August. The bumble bees seemed to be running things, perfectly sized to gather the pollen from the down turned stamen of the passionflowers. In fact, most of the yellow above this bee’s wings is a thick coating of pollen.

The day I met Tessa

Photograph of a woodland box turtle by Doug Couvillion

This little Woodland Box Turtle and I briefly shared a hiking trail in Powhatan State Park earlier this month. Encountering wildlife, even a small, humble turtle, always makes me feel more connected and brings me a sense of joy and awe.

I prompted ChatGPT to write a short story about a turtle and a photographer meeting on a hike and here’s what it came up with.

Continue reading “The day I met Tessa”

Eastern Glass Lizard

photograph of a legless glass lizard on the beach in Duck, NC, USA

This Eastern Glass Lizard was hanging out near near the surf on the beach in Duck, NC. I watched for a while and quickly realized it wasn’t a water snake. When it tried to get away from me, it had trouble navigating the waves and wasn’t doing much better traversing the wet sand. Knowing people aren’t very kind to snakes, I felt bad leaving it in the open.

Continue reading “Eastern Glass Lizard”

Backyard Visitor

There are lots of hawks patrolling our neighborhood this time of year. This beauty was perched on a branch about 8′ off the ground on a recent sunny afternoon. You can bet the squirrels and chipmunks that frequent my yard were nowhere to be seen.

My hawk identification skills aren’t great but I’m pretty sure this is a Red-Shouldered Hawk. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a look at the markings and coloration on the breast and belly.