Aliens on the Bayou!

Strange things are around us and we never even notice them. Walks through the woods can be quite exciting if you just look closely at what you are stepping on and over. It is such an amazing world. It rained off and on today making it most unbearable to me..I wanted out! I was going stir-crazy being inside so between rain showers, I grabbed the camera and headed to the woods behind the house. My footsteps were muffled not only because of the recent rains but because I have a tendency to wear leather moccasins instead of shoes. These allow me to step softly and not disturb the surrounding wildlife. Today though, I was more interested in the tiny world beneath those moccasins.

Aliens! Creatures from another World! Unexplained Beings! Last week, I posted a picture of a lichen that I had come across in the creekbed. This sparked an interest in the land of miniature..I was hooked! So this hike was to photograph lichens! Lichens..remember..the two-in-one living being..the fungus/algae in one thing! That right there tells you that these are unique! Now you tell me..are these not the weirdest-looking living things that you have ever seen?

After scouring the forest floor, I finally found my lichens! My alien world of fungi and algae! There, on some fallen hickory branches, were the most curious looking lichens ever! Bunches of them all on a handful of twigs! I had found a whole slew of the little things! As I photographed them, I came to realize that no two were alike. Each was weirder than the one before. Plus, I had no idea where some ended and the next began..they were all just sort of blended in together. All the same..yet, all very, very unique.

There were large, flat ones that were sort of silvery grey and then there were some that were wispy yet hairy and a sort of green color. A few had black dots on them and a rather large one was covered with orange dots. Some had cup-shaped little arms, some had black hairy things, and others reminded me of coral from under the sea. My goodness these things are fun! I snapped picture after picture of the Little Land of Lichens. I am in hopes that I might be able to identify some of them.

Just as it started to rain again, a bright red mushroom caught my eye. I know that I had intentions of only looking for lichens but this was just too bright and pretty to pass. It looked much like something that could have come from the movie "Alice in Wonderland". Maybe not the new movie..I have not seen it so perhaps there are no mushrooms in that version..but in the old animated version. I have no clue as to the type of mushroom this is but it has quite the striking appearance! I can almost imagine some tiny gnome using this as a stepstool or it is the throne for the elf king! Then again it might be some hallucinogenic fungus. I sure wasn't going to try eating it! After a few photos, I left the pretty little red and white mushroom to the wee people of imagination!

And just because it was there..a picture of moss. The rain drops were glistening on the little spore stalks so I could not resist. I had to get a picture of it regardless of the rain that was now soaking me thoroughly! Life is great here on the Bayou..and here in the woods near the creek. There is just so many things to see!

One tough bird!

There is a small bird in my yard that could serve as an inspiration to all of us. It is not a rare bird in that there are many others of the same species flocking around here. It is not a flashy, showy bird with beautiful bright feathers. No, this is just an everyday, ordinary mockingbird. Still, it should be an inspiration..at least it is to me. You see, last year when this bird was just a nestling, it was attacked by crows and was literally torn to pieces. The parent birds tried their best to fight off the much larger crows but they lost all but this baby to the ruthless attack. And this baby was severely injured. Along with the many other injuries, it had lost a leg to the marauding crows. Normally in the wild, birds will just abandon injured babies and re-nest. Not these birds! The parent birds patiently tended to this tiny, helpless baby and nursed it back to reasonably good health. Today, our one-legged mockingbird sits on the old pine stump and sings its heart out. It sings day and night. It sings as if to declare.."I love life and I am going to live it with a happy heart!" I love this bird! We, as humans, whine way too much about the most minor things that we feel are not to our liking. We complain about our aches and pains as if ours are worse than any pains endured by others. We complain about the weather, our spouses and our lot in life. We just complain. Why can't we be more like this bird? Why can't we make the best of what is given us and be happy? Why can't we sing with a joyous heart? I love this bird!

Off on another note.. sometimes mistakes can be happy things themselves. I have had recipes that are a total mess when mixing but the cake comes out of the oven delicious. Then there are art projects that because of one slip or another have to be rethought and remade but turn out to be a favorite. Well, in photography, sometimes this also happens. The lights across the calm waters of the Bay provide an incredible view at times. This was so the other night and I had the brilliant idea to snap a few pictures to share with you. Ha! Ezzy, the dog, had a different idea! She thought it would be much more fun to play tag! It seems as if her running and colliding with my leg coincided with each snap of the camera. Focus..snap..bump..wiggle!

This makes for some really unusual pictures! These look more like we are being under attack from some space aliens rather than a playful pup. Still, the colors and the composition are pleasing for some strange reason. Perhaps it is just really hard to be angry at a happy dog that thinks you are the best thing in the world. Or perhaps, my artistic eye sees things just a tad differently! Regardless, these pictures make me smile and so does Ezzy!