Gracie the Wonder Pug was an impulse purchase from a pet store in a mall. We were there to see the movie Avatar and stopped by the pet store to see the critters and saw the little pug puppy we had admired three weeks ago was still there. Who could resist this face?
We consider her a modified rescue. The fee was a little high but worth it to get her out of the tiny cage she was stuck in. Perhaps not the best planned addition to the family but we've never regretted it.
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
Whatever their origins, every dog needs regular exercise. Being the lazy louts we are, this is the one area of her life where Gracie has probably been shorted. So to try and redress this imbalance, last Friday we took an excursion to the wilds of a nearby park along the river. There was a lovely dock and the view of the river was fantastic.
Gracie was less than thrilled.
The dock rocked a bit too much for her, so we wandered around the rest of the park for a while. This spectacular oak overlooked the river and was one of the biggest I have seen in our area.
Darling Spouse is much enamored of willow trees that dangle in the water so this shot was for him.
The Hudson Mohawk River complex is, unfortunately, contaminated with PCBs. You can fish 'em, but you can't eat 'em.
We still had some energy when we left this park so we headed for a section of bike trail that was new to us. On the way in, I noticed the worst case of fasciation I have seen in a while. The plant in question is an evening primrose and usually has tall, straight stems with flowers arranged at the top. As you can see, this one has the flattened stem and hyper-floration typical of the disorder.
Moving on, we discovered the trail was bordered on one side by part of the old canal system. An amazing number of critters called this tiny little watering hole home. Painted turtles were on every log and branch sticking out of the water. I have no idea how many there were as they kept sliding into the water at our approach, but I counted at least nine in a stretch that was less than an eighth of a mile long.
Dragonflies were also common. This beautiful red one seemed to be following us down the trail and posed quite nicely for me.
Monarch butterflies have been a little thin this year so we were happy when we spotted this one. I couldn't decide if I was disappointed or excited to see it was actually a viceroy, not a monarch. We don't see them very often, either.
A great blue heron taken off when we first approached the canal. They really do look downright prehistoric, modern day pterodactyls. Lucky for us, this one landed at the far end of the canal and I was able to get a few nice shots.
The highlight of my day, though, was the green heron we chased the length of that little stretch of water. Every time we got close enough to see it clearly, it flew further off. I've only seen this bird once before in the wild and that was in Massachusetts (all of this took place in upstate NY, a little south of Saratoga, for those who don't know me.)
I believe this one to be a juvenile, with its neon yellow/green legs. According to Cornell's All About Birds, they have sometimes been observed to use tools to catch fish!
Overall, a very nice outing. We got to enjoy some nature and wildlife and Gracie got some exercise. Possibly more than she wanted. :)
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