2021 Oct 15, National Mushroom Hike at Joe Wheeler

 Today at 10AM, I took a hike on the Jimmy Sims Birding Trail with a group of people led by Sam Woodroof, park ranger for Joe Wheeler. 

We saw Chanterelles, Jelly, Puffballs, and mushrooms. Mushrooms are flesh-fruiting bodies of fungi and a variety of species. 

Mushroom Hike 

Mushrooms

On the birding trail, we could hear a woodpecker but could never spot him. The trail ended at the overlook, but several of us walked a little further across a couple of creeks. It was a great day for hiking. 

We saw some blooming Indian Heliotrope, an annual hirsute plant that is a common weed in waste places and settled areas. Widely used in native medicines.

Indian Heliotrope

Once we got back to the boating dock area, everyone was disbursed. 

I walked down to the edge of the River at the docks, and that is where I saw a couple of gray herons, & a Muscovy duck.

Muscovy Duck 

2020 Jan 27, Enjoying a warm winter's day

It was so nice to finally see 👀the sun today, with a nip of cold air still about. I have not been out much because of the cold winter rain. 

I rode to the Rock Pile at TVA Dam, hoping to see an eagle and maybe some waterfowl.

I saw a few waterfowl but no eagles. 

I met  Steve Lovell, a great photographer who has a website on Facebook where he posts some of his photographs.

TVA Dam & Waterfowl 

I stopped at the TVAM to view the art on display that was donated by Wanda and Bill Isom. 

Every room was filled with art that they had collected over the years. One room was filled with Japanese block art. 

The hall was filled with the art of birds. 

The Main gallery was full of large lithography of birds. 

In the back room was a variety of art, including a Norman Rockwell piece and a Van Gogh piece. 

Loved the displays.

White Muted Swan

Canadian Geese 

Domestic geese

My next stop was Spring Park ( Growing up, I spent many hours playing at this park).

Spring Park has a man-made waterfall that is fed by a spring that flows into the pond below. 

Permanent residents are two Muted White Swans.

Other waterfowl that can be found here are Black Muscovy Ducks, White  Muscovy Ducks, Domestic Ducks, Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, and others. 

It's a great place to get pictures of waterfowl. 

We had a lot of rain this year, and Spring Park was flooded. A couple of rides were completely covered in water and are no longer in use.  

My granddaughter-in-law owns a beauty school in Sheffield, so I stopped in to visit with her and my great-grandson. Hayne is just a doll, so cute, lovable, and sweet. 

Big Box of Chicken and fixin' from Bojangles

Hubby would be home from work soon, so I stopped at Bojangles to pick up a box of chicken and the fixings for supper. 🍗

It was a beautiful day, not too hot or not too cold. 

Hope we have more days like today.

2019 Jun 4, 💐 🌷Trip to Atlanta Botanical Gardens and the Imaginary World of Alice's Wonderland

Today started out in the upper 60s and cloudy it was a great day for traveling. We were up before the sun and on our way by 5:30AM for a 4 1/2 drive to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. 

We took the scenic route through Huntsville, Scottsboro, and several small towns to Atlanta Ga taking I-75 into downtown. 

 Veteran's Memorial Park Chattooga County Georgia "Dick Dowdy's Park" Summerville, GA
is where we stopped to take pictures of the War Memorials of Chattooga County, Couey's Log Cabin, Summerville's Train Depot, and the turntable.

Veteran's Memorial Park Chattooga County, Georgia 

Couey's Log Cabin

Train Turntable

Summersville's Train Depot 

We spent several hours strolling through the botanical gardens, looking at all the breathtaking plants and Alice in Wonderland Characters.

We ate breakfast at McDonald's in Scottsboro and dinner at Red Lobster in Oxford, Alabama. 

Admiral's Feast 

We also took the scenic route home. From Cullman, we took I-65 to Athens, then 72.
We did stop at Wendy's for a chocolate frost.

Hubby did not want a frosty, so we stopped at Dairy Queen for a creamsicle. 

We were home by 8:30PM.

We were halfway to Atlanta when I realized I had forgotten to bring my cell phone and my sunglasses at Red Lobster. 
(Valley Head, Alabama, where we stopped to take a picture of Valley Head Drug Mural, is where I realized I had left my cell phone at home)
I had to use hubby's cell phone to take pictures and airdrop them when I got home. I did go back to get my glasses before we left the restaurant. 

I had a great day.

Imaginary World of Alice's Wonderland 
We were greeted at the Admissions desk, paid our fee, were given a garden map, walked through the double doors, and began our whimsical journey looking for treasures.
We were looking for eleven characters from the Imaginary World of Alice's Wonderland.

Our first encounter was with PEGASUS, the flying winged horse, a child of Olympians & Poseidon.

Pegasus was covered in brown plants, and his wings, tail, and mane were covered in green plants. He appeared to be in a slow Trott.

Pegasus 

At the Kendeda Canopy Walk, hidden by a canopy of trees and shrubs, was the Mammoth.

The Mammoth was covered in Greenery, except for his white tusk, which helped keep him hidden from view.

Mammoth 

Earth Goddess was nestled in the Cascade Gardens next to the cascading waterfall.

The Earth Goddess's face and hand were comprised of green plants.

Her hair, covered in multi-color plants, flowed down her head onto the ground.

Her eyes were closed, and water flowed through her fingers as the serenity of it all touched her soul. 

Earth Goddess 

The Giant Phoenix was perched along the wall of the Astor Overlook. His body was covered in brown plants. The tip of his feathers was covered in green plants, and his wings spread wide.

Eyes of an eagle, hungry enough to eat a man.

Giant Phoenix 

Sea Maid (Mermaid)

Sitting in the fountain near the Rose Garden, we saw a beautiful mermaid.
The sea-maid was covered in green plants, and her brown(plant) hair flowed down to her waist, her tail folded beneath her.

A trio of camels lined the Anne Cox Chamber Flower Walk.
They were composed of brown bushy plants with a little greenery on their faces. The mats/blankets upon their backs were covered in multi-colors of green plants.
On one of the camels sat a rider his upper body was covered in greenery, his pants a reddish-brown, and his boots matched the matt. 
The baskets the camels were carrying were covered in red, green, and brown plants.

Camels 

The camels were covered with green mats carrying baskets of red, purple, green, and brown.
Stepping carefully along the flower walk.

Dragon

We saw the larger-than-life, fire-eating dragon standing guard over the plants in the Rock Garden, ready to breathe fire on offenders. 
The dragon was covered in a mixture of greens, &  browns with brown spikes down his back. His upper wings were brown, the underside green. A fierce creature to behold. 

the White Rabbit

The not-so-white rabbit's body was covered in green plants, his ears and nose in pink plants, and his boat was covered in reddish-brown plants. Atop the cane in his hand was his tall green hat.

Floating in the pond among the greenery sat the not-so-white rabbit. It was the rabbit that Alice had followed down the rabbit hole.

The Queen of Hearts Chess Game

Within sight of the not-so-white rabbit stood the Three of Hearts, the Ace of Hearts, the chess players on a green and white chessboard lined with heart-shaped green and brown trees waiting to capture Alice, but Alice was asleep in the nearby garden. 

The Shaggy Dog is sitting at the Garden House, waiting for someone to stroke his long green fur.

Cheshire Cat and Sleeping by Alice 

The Cheshire cat was sitting in the tree watching Alice sleep.
Alice's dress was covered in blue flowers, her hair in yellow flowers that surrounded her face as she lay sleeping in a bed of flowers, grass, and red, yellow, and white mushrooms.
Her face, socks, and belt were covered in green plants.
The Cheshire cat was covered in multi-greens with pink inner ears, big blue/green eyes, and a wide, mischievous grin that showed his white teeth.

At the Botanical Gardens 

We saw Picture plants Although pretty on the outside, the interior of a pitcher plant is quite sinister for visiting bugs. Once lured into a cup (a pitcher) by sweet-smelling nectars and flashy colors, the insect is greeted with downward-pointing hairs. Insects are captured by slipping and falling off the hairs and into a liquid at the bottom of the pitcher. They die by drowning in this liquid. Acids and enzymes then break down the insect into a soup, which is used by the plant for nutrition.

Picture Plant 

We saw Water lilies, Roses, Catci, tropical plants, and eatable plants. Plants inside hothouses, in a dry climate, in humid climates.

We saw turtles, male California quails, and blue, green, and yellow poison dart frogs. 

We saw trees of different species and sizes, fountains, and several eating places closed except for one.

Chihuly Glass Art

Orchids

Water Lilies 

A couple of pieces of Chihuly Glass Art, one hanging in the great hall(greenish-yellow tubular glass shapes) and another atop a fountain (blue swirling glass) in the Rose Garden.

The garden's directions were easy to follow, and the foliage & flowers were breathtaking. It was a trip worth taking. 
I took hundreds of pictures and still could not capture all of its beauty.

2019 May 15, Day Trip Decatur's Historic & Parks Gardens 💐 🌷

Hubby and I had a great day. I was not sure if we were going anywhere because by 10AM, it looked like rain, but we decided to go anyway. 
We rode to Decatur, stopping at Old Bank Park Garden took pictures of the garden.

Old Bank Street Park Garden 

Next, we rode to Frazier Park. (Never been to this park) I was surprised at how beautiful and serene. It had blooming Hydrangeas, and Magnolia trees were in bloom, as other shrubs, trees, and flowers along a running stream with a cross bridge. 

Frazier Park 

We rode over to Albany to Delano Rose Walk and the Children's Riverwild Playground, splash pad, and Garden. We had taken the grandkids to play in the park when they were small. The River Wild Garden Walkway was new to us. 

DragonFly 

River wild Park 

Toad Frog 

Swamp Rabbit 

Tortoise 

Delano Park Rose Garden

We loved the Frogs, Toads, Beavers, Fireflies, Turtles, butterflies, signs, and statues throughout the Garden. By the time we reached the Rose Garden, it had begun to sprinkle. A landscaper working in the garden, I said a little rain cannot hurt but he said I cannot get my work done in the rain. I kept on taking pictures, but the rain got harder. I looked around, and the gardener had disappeared, he had gone back to his truck to keep from getting wet. I started back to the car, and the rain began to come down hard, but I made it to the car before I got too wet. We rode to Huntsville to get the oil changed in our car by the time they finished, the sun had come out, so we rode back to Decatur so I could finish taking pictures.

Pink Rose 

Entrance Way lined with Snow Queen Hydrangeas

We were getting hungry, and we did not eat lunch because we had stopped at the Shell Gas Station, where they sell hot food, and bought some corn fritters. Hubby had been wanting some. We also stopped at McDonald's for hot apple pie.
We ended up eating at Jack's on hwy 31 because we could not decide where to stop in Decatur. But that was okay because we both liked Jack's

2019 May 8, 💐 🌷Visiting the Memphis Botanical Gardens Memphis, Tennessee

Hubby and I had a great time at the Memphis Botanical Gardens.
We did not see a lot of blooming plants, but we saw a lot of interesting plants and animals.
In the Japanese Garden, we walked across the half-moon bridge, where we saw turtles and goldfish swimming in Lake Biwa and  Canadian Geese strolling along the banks.

Half Moon Bridge in Japanese Gardens 

One of my favorite places was the Prehistoric Plant trail, where we saw a couple of stone dinosaurs in a sandpit where children could climb atop them.
Dotted along the path were signs about Primitive plants, Prehistoric Memphis, Stories in Stone, Flying giants, and Some things change, and some things stay the same.

Dinosaur in Sandpit 

In the Urban Garden, we saw the chicken coop that housed the Blue Buff Columbian Brahmas hens and a rooster.
Also in the Urban Garden were vegetables, blackberries on a trellis, grapevines, and Espalier Fruit Trees (the technique of controlling the growth of trees and shrubs.

Urban Garden

There were booths set up for school children to make things from the countries of  India, China, and Africa.
We saw a mother bird feeding her babies.

Mother birds and babies 

There were many fragrant plants to attract butterflies in the Butterfly Garden, with not a butterfly in sight.

Butterfly Garden 

There were orange and red azaleas, blooming Camelias, and purple hydrangeas.
The daffodils were sleeping, waiting for next spring.

Dogwood trees in full bloom, huge giant trees reaching for the sky, and small trees where birds could nest.

Bird hiding among leaves.

There were water fountains and air-conditioned restrooms throughout the Garden.
We stopped several times just to cool off, but hubby was still dripping wet when we arrived at the car.

List of Factory Vehicle Tours Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi

1. Tiffin Motorhome Factory -Monday thru Friday at 9:30AM 

Walking tours depart from the Visitor’s Center at the front gate and last approximately an hour.

No appointment was necessary.

https://tiffinmotorhomes.com/about/factory-tour

2. Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant 300 Nissan Drive Canton, Miss. 39046

(601) 855-6000

Canton tours are scheduled at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Central most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Advance reservations are required, and tours normally stay booked up months in advance.

http://www.nissan-canton.com/visit-nissan-canton/

3. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama — Montgomery, AL

Hyundai offers a 90-minute tour of its assembly plant in Alabama, which builds the Elantra and Sonata sedans. The tour takes visitors to several different buildings on the campus by way of trams, which have an audio tour. Tours are free, but reservations must be made ahead of time. Groups depart Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. The on-site visitor center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

You MUST HAVE A CONFIRMED TOUR RESERVATION BEFORE YOU CAN ENTER HMMA

https://www.hmmausa.com/hmma-tours/

Note: You must have a confirmed tour reservation before you can enter HMMA.Note: You must have a co

4. Mercedes-Benz — Tuscaloosa, AL

Tours begin and end at the Visitor Center and consist of a walking tour with a distance of about 2 miles for about 1 1/2 hours. Cost $5person. Tours are Monday and Wednesday at 9 & 9:15AM & 12:30-12:45PM Call for reservations 888-286-8762 or 205-507-2252

https://www.mbusi.com/visitorcenter/vc-plant-tours

5. Nissan — Smyrna, TN; Canton, MS; Decherd, TN

Nissan offers tours at its three plants in the U.S. The Smyrna plant has built a wide variety of vehicles since production started there in 1983. Today, the factory assembles the Altima, Frontier pickup truck, Maxima, Xterra, and Pathfinder. The plant is currently closed for vacation, and tours are booked through the end of July. Tours are available at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call (615) 459-1444 for more information

http://nissan-tennessee.com/visit-nissan-smyrna/

6. Chevrolet Corvette — Bowling Green, KY  The General Motors factory in Bowling Green makes just one vehicle: the Chevrolet Corvette, in all its various forms. The one-mile walking tour shows nearly every step of Corvette assembly, from robots welding the steel chassis to the marriage of the chassis and body. Tours depart Monday through Thursday at 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. The cost is $7 per person. Closed until June 2019.  Please subscribe to NCM eNews for future updates thank you.

https://www.corvettemuseum.org/visit/plant-tours/

Alabama Coastal Connection, Wetland Birds, Dunes, Barrier Islands & Butterflies

Wetland Birds

The tidal marshes of Alabama feed a rich bird community. The newly created salt marsh is a prime feeding habitat for herons, egrets, pelicans, terns, sandpipers, and blackbirds. As the arch matures, the diversity and abundance of birds will increase. 

At least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 

The marsh at low tide brings sandpipers moving in unison across the wet sand areas. 

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), American Egret (Casmerodius albus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)

The Snowy Egret, American Egret, and Great Blue Heron feed on fish and invertebrates from the marsh. 

Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) 

The open sand dune area provides primary nesting sites for the Least Tern, which have been threatened with habitat loss.  

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Old pilings in the water provide a resting site for Southern Brown Pelicans, which once were near extinction in this area. 

Ruddy Turnstone(Arenaria interpres)

Cruising along the rock is the Ruddy Turnstone. This bird turns over oysters and clam shells in search of food. 

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

Gifted with a graceful wing beat and beautiful coloration, the Black Skimmer grazes along the surface of the water in search of fish.

The large (Phragmites) to the East of the marsh are utilized for nesting by Red-Winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles. 

Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Barrier Islands

Shaped by Wind and Water

Sea levels began rising 18-20,000 years ago, moving sandbars toward the mainland. The rate of rise slowed 6,000 years ago, allowing the sandbar to emerge as the present barrier islands. 

The dune land plants stabilize the wind-blown sands, building ridges and mounds called dunes in the highest areas of the beach, dunes are very important because as a storm attacks a beach, water and gravity roll the sand downhill away from the dunes. 

This builds up an offshore sandbar, absorbing energy from the waves of the storm and protecting what is left of the beaches and dune lands. 

After the storm, the offshore bar provides sand for rebuilding the beach. 

Barrier islands perform two functions:

1. Barrier islands protect the mainland from erosion by absorbing much of a storm’s energy. 
2. Barrier islands trap a mixture of fresh and salty Gulf waters, contributing to the formation of estuaries. Coastal seafood species are dependent upon the abundant food and brackish water habitat the estuarine environment provides

Alabama Coastal Connection

Dune Plants survive in a harsh environment.

Adaptation allows plants to survive salt and freshwater flooding, extreme high and low temperatures, and hurricane-force winds. 

These plants reproduce from cuttings created by storms and wave action. They all rebuild the beach and dune system by trapping wind-b town sand. 

Sea Rocket (Cakile constricts)

A common succulent found just above the high tide line, Sea Rocket has thick fleshy leaves to help conserve water.

Large leaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)

A creeping perennial that spreads by far-reaching underground stems, Pennywort grows to about 6 inches tall and has clusters of tiny white or pale-green flowers on a 3-inch stem. 

Coastal Panicgrass (Panicum amarulum)

A dense, upright perennial bunchgrass, Panicgrass helps anchor the shifting sands with deeply buried root systems.

Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)

As the most important and widespread grass on southern coastal dunes, the Sea Oats' recovery following storm impact is the first step in dune rebuilding. 

Morning Glory (Ipomoea stolonifera)

This vine, with trumpet-shaped, white flowers, grows low to the ground, escaping the killing effects of salt spray. The stems may extend over the sand surface for 30 to 50 feet. 

Butterflies of Dauphin Island