Yesterday, after work, I met two old friends who are in town and their baby at Chewacla. I asked if she (the baby) had been to Chewacla before. Not outside of the womb, they said. I think I was with them in Chewacla while she was in the womb, too. I suppose Chewacla is our place.
It was beautiful yesterday. I was there to identify all the plants; my friend was there to identify all the rocks (at the park one finds 1.2 billion year old foundation rocks and 900 million year old "new" rocks from one of the periods in which Alabama was covered in sea).
In any case, I had my camera and took photos of plants. The red buckeyes (Aesculus pavia) were amazing in bloom. I took (too) many photos of them. I selected three:
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| Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) |
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| Bumblebees loved the red buckeye. I've read hummingbirds love them, too, but didn't see any. |
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| The forest floor was covered in red buckeye for as far as you could see. |
A few weeks ago I posted photos of violet wood-sorrel (Oxalis violacea). Now one of her yellow cousins is blooming. There are several yellow species that grow in Alabama, and I am having a hard time distinguishing them. Based on photos, this one looks like the tufted yellow wood-sorrel (Oxalis priceae). Some may have heard of oxalates, which can form kidney stones. The dianion is named after Oxalis.
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| A yellow wood-sorrel, possibly the "tufted" species (Oxalis priceae) |
Other sights:
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| Native azalea, probably Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescens) growing in the wild. Fragrance level: intoxicating honeysuckle. |
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| View from the highest point in the park, Chewacla Creek below. Ugly water tower in the distance. |
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| Chewacla Creek (or a branch thereof) |
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