A day at the lake

Our friends, Lori and Larry, invited Char and I to spend the day with them at their camp at Glendale Yearound. Glendale Yearound is a private development on land adjacent to Prince Gallitzin State Park and Glendale Lake in Cambria County.

We set out on Glendale Lake on their pontoon boat at about 10:30 a.m., with hopes of relaxing and doing some birdwatching (all of us), maybe seeing some dragonflies (me), and doing some fishing (mostly Lori, with Larry doing some, too).

We had good luck with the birding, spotting Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Green Herons, Double-crested Cormorants, Belted Kingfishers, and an Osprey. The highlight, though, was getting a chance to see one of the Bald Eagles that Lori and Larry have been spotting throughout the summer. Unfortunately he was flying very high and I couldn’t get a real good shot of it.

Larry cooked burgers on a propane grill while we were anchored on the lake. We also had potato salad, fruit, chips, and brownies, so we had a great lunch on board the boat!

It was a beautiful day, too – pleasantly cool, as the newspaper forecast – but with sunshine, blue skies, and puffy, white clouds.

We docked in the late afternoon and then spent some time around a campfire back at Lori and Larry’s camp.

All in all, a fun way to spend a day with good friends!

Before we even got out of the marina, we spotted a Great Blue Heron. Apparently he was checking out all the boats that were docked there.

Wind ruffles the feathers of a Great Egret as it perches on a branch near the shoreline.

The sky and trees from the far shore are reflected in the cove at the Beaver Valley Marina.

After spending the day on the pontoon boat, the four of us enjoy the smell of the campfire. From left to right: me, Char, Lori, and Larry.

Take me (us) out to the ballgame...

Last evening I joined my brother, Charles (“Butch” to a select few of us), his wife, Barb, and their grandson, Jeremiah, at an Altoona Curve baseball game. This was the first time the three of them had attended a Curve game and, I do believe, they all enjoyed it very much. (I always enjoy myself at baseball games.)

The weather was beautiful – it was 80 degrees and sunny at game time – and the Curve won the game over the Trenton Thunder by a score of 4-3. After the game, Jeremiah went down on the field to join in the “Kidz Run the Basez” event. Also, there was a beautiful post-game fireworks show. But, without question, the highlight of the night was “Pappy” getting Jeremiah a foul ball! Butch out-hustled another Grandpa in the chase for the ball, and accomplished it without hurting himself. Quite the feat, I think!

My great-nephew, Jeremiah, sister-in-law, Barb, and brother, Butch, take in an Altoona Curve game last evening.

Our seats in the top row of Section 314 (my favorites) offer a great view of the action at Blair County Ballpark and also give us some "elbow room."

Jeremiah proudly shows off the Official Eastern League baseball that his Pappy, with cat-like reflexes, was able to retrieve for him.

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

I spent Monday through Thursday on a 970-mile expedition throughout West Virginia. My ultimate goal was Charleston, home of the West Virginia Power, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

During the trip, I photographed Mail Pouch barns, Historical Markers, covered bridges, and country scenes along the way. Other stops included Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Pleasant Creek Wildlife Management Area, and a stop along the Greenbrier River Trail at Anthony.

Monday night I stayed in Marlinton at the home of my niece, Rhonda, and her husband, Brett. It was great to see Rhonda and her family and spend some time with them.

In the photo above, Rod Blackstone, "The Toastman," throws a piece of toast into the stands after an opposing batter strikes out. The Toastman is a fixture at West Virginia Power games at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston. With two strikes on the batter, Rod begins yelling, "Smell the toast!" or "Warm up the toaster!" After the strike out, led by The Toastman, fans seated in that area begin taunting the batter with cries of "You are toast! You are toast! You...Are...Toast!" Rod also excites the fans by holding up signs and leading the cheering for the Power players. It's an act not to be missed when in Charleston. Rod's day job is Assistant to the Mayor of the city.

Rhonda and me at a scenic overlook along the Highland Scenic Highway near Marlinton. The Highway is a 45-mile route that is part of the National Scenic Byways Program. It is located in the Monongehela National Forest. Nearby is the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, where Rhonda and I went for a walk on the boardwalk through the bog.

On our drive up to the Highland Scenic Highway, Rhonda and I were lucky enough to see a rainbow arching over this old schoolhouse. The building since has been put to use as a barn.

Rhonda pointed out this barn to me on Monday evening on the way to the Highland Scenic Highway. The following morning, on my drive to a wildlife viewing area, it was shrouded in fog. When I stopped for a few photos, the hens were clucking inside it.

This Mail Pouch barn, one of a number that I photographed on the trip, is located a few miles west of Lewisburg on US 60. Goldenrod and Blue Vervain fill the field in front of the barn.

Matthew at the Autocross

Char and I went to Blairsville today to watch Matthew drive his MINI Cooper S at an autocross event there. It was sponsored by the Allegheny Highlands Chapter of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). It's a race against your own time -- and the time of others in your class -- with one car on the course at a time. Unfortunately, there were only 19 drivers today, and they needed 20 to make it a sanctioned event. With the unofficial results in, Matthew won his class by 0.05 seconds.

Matthew used to participate in autocross events when he lived in California and owned a Honda del Sol. This was his first time driving at Blairsville.

Coming out of a turn.

Matthew taking the MINI into a turn.

An overview of the course, with Matthew on it.

Shaffer Mountain Bog

On Thursday, Dennis McNair and I went to a bog on Shaffer Mountain in Somerset County. I had never been to this area and saw some things that I had never seen before. Shaffer Mountain is an area that has been in the news lately, as a number of individuals and groups, including Sensible Wind Solutions and the Allegheny Plateau Audubon Society, are opposing Gamesa’s proposed placement of wind turbines on this mountaintop. Shaffer Mountain is in the Golden Eagle migratory route and is an important area watershed.

This beautiful flower is a Yellow Crested Orchid, or Crested-Fringed Orchid, (Platanthera cristata). It is a species of special concern in Pennsylvania, meaning it is on the federal endangered species list or on the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory list of endangered, rare, vulnerable or of undetermined status (meaning they haven't been seen often enough historically to make a determination). This orchid, and similar examples of biodiversity such as this, will go into hopefully persuading regulators to have Gamesa locate the turbines in a more suitable location.

Tawny Cottongrass, or Bog Cotton, (Eriophorum virginicum) was another plant found at the Shaffer Mountain bog that I had never seen before.

Puffs of Cottongrass appear like floating cottonballs among the ferns at the bog.

I had seen Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) before, but usually in the tasty red berry form. Seeing the white flower may have been a first for me.

The Hummingbird Moth

A Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris thysbe) has been visiting our Butterfly Bush on a regular basis this summer. This moth is a member of the Sphinx Moth family and is also known as a “Common Clearwing” or “Hummingbird Clearwing” Moth. It is related to the two Sphinx Moths that I posted several days ago, though smaller than those. This moth has a wingspan of 1.5” – 2” and hovers about flowers much like a hummingbird does.
This photo shows why the Hummingbird Moth, hovering at the Butterfly Bush, is also known as a "Clearwing."

With its proboscis extended, the Hummingbird Moth extracts nectar from the Butterfly Bush.

Meet the Lobelias

Within five days last week, at three different locations, I photographed a number of wildflowers. It wasn’t until I got home, and tried to determine what species they were, that I discovered three of them were closely related. Lobelias are in the Bellflower family, most of which have bell-shaped corollas. In the corolla, there are two upper petals, and three lower petals.
The Great Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) above was photographed along the James Mayer Riverswalk Trail in suburban Johnstown. I had gone as far as I had planned on the trail, turned around to head back, and noticed this lone plant.

I am fairly certain that the above plant is Indian Tobacco (Lobelia inflata). I would expect the scientific name is derived from the fact that the calyx becomes inflated in fruit, which is very clearly seen in this photo. Native Americans were said to have smoked and chewed its leaves, hence the common name. This one was photographed at Mallards Rest, near Boswell, Somerset County.

This striking deep red one is a Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), also known as Scarlet Lobelia. This species is pollinated chiefly by hummingbirds, since most insects find it difficult to navigate the long, tubular flowers. I found this one in Fulton County while photographing Jackson's Mill Covered Bridge.

Top down day

Char and I took advantage of a nice day and put the top down on the Miata for several hours of cruising on the roads of Bedford and Fulton counties. I was in search of covered bridges and Mail Pouch barns to photograph. Of course, there are sources to help in the search for both, so it’s not like we’re just out meandering around. Although, in the case of the Mail Pouch barns, the source is not always up to date. With the old barns fading away and falling down, it sometimes makes locating these old relics a challenge. Such was the case today, and in one instance we just gave up and moved on.

In Bedford County, with Jackon's Mill Covered Bridge in the background, Char checks the map to see which way we go next.

A small Mail Pouch barn sits along PA Route 655 in Fulton County.

Beauty and the "Beast"

Today was one of those “It’s great to be retired” days. I took a drive on PA Route 164 between Portage and Munster in Cambria County. I had heard about a gorgeous half-mile stretch of wildflowers alongside the road there and wanted to see them myself. I was not disappointed!
Wildflowers cover this Cambria County countryside.

PA Route 164 goes right through these beautiful wildflowers.

After that, it was back in the car and on to the Wilmore Reservoir Recreation Area – known locally as the Wilmore Dam. This site provides for activities such as boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and picnicking. I hiked in several areas on the property – in woods around the reservoir, along streams, and through a meadow. There was beauty everywhere! The “beast” was everywhere, also. The “beast” I speak of is litter. It just amazes and disgusts me that just about any place I’ve gone to lately for a walk or hike are covered with litter. What is wrong with people? I don’t understand how they can go out to enjoy all that beauty and leave it trashed. Maybe those people aren’t really going out for the beauty – they couldn’t be. Sorry for the rant, but it just bothers me so much.

Boaters pass by this pile of trash left behind by uncaring jerks on the shore of the Wilmore Reservoir.

On a lighter note, the Painted Lady butterfly was waiting for me in our wildflower garden when I returned home today. It was much more cooperative today, giving me a chance to photograph it with wings spread. You can compare today’s photo to the one I posted yesterday with its wings folded.

A Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) spreads it wings on a Black-eyed Susan. The Painted Lady is perhaps the most widespread butterfly in the world.

Moths and Butterflies (mostly)

Audubon Society "Moth Light"
Allegheny Plateau Audubon Society members, including chapter president Dennis McNair (right) and Tom Dick (2nd from right) examine the moths that have collected on the sheet.

The Blinded Sphinx Moth (Paonias excaecata) has a wingspan of 2 3/16" - 3 3/4". Note the "eyespots" on its hindwings.

The Ash Sphinx Moth (Manduca jasminearum) has a wingspan of 3 5/16" - 4 1/8". The Ash Sphinx is named not because of its gray color, but because its host plant is the Ash tree. Given the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle throughout the country, and the destruction it causes to Ash trees, this could put this moth in real danger.

Last night I attended an Allegheny Plateau Audubon Society “moth light” event at Tom and Sally Dick’s farm in Somerset County. It’s the first time I’ve been to such an outing and it was pretty interesting. A white sheet was hung over a rope that was fastened to three poles, which were in the ground. Two mercury vapor lights, operated by a portable generator, were mounted atop the middle pole. There was one light on each side of the sheet. The moths (and other assorted bugs) were attracted by the lights. For some reason, whether they tired of flying or were attracted by the warmth of the sheet, many elected to remain on the sheet. This gave the group an opportunity to examine the bugs that showed up. We were out from about 8:00 until 11:00 p.m., and the highlight had to be attracting two large members of the Sphinx Moth family.

Mallards Rest, Somerset County

The Viceroy Butterfly mimics the looks of the Monarch as a natural defense mechanism. The Monarch is toxic to animals and birds that eat it, so they stay away from the Viceroys, too.

Today I spent several hours at Mallards Rest, an Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement Site that has been rehabilitated through public-private partnerships. It is located near Boswell, Somerset County, and is a great place to take a walk. I had been out there a few weeks ago with Dennis McNair on a “dragonfly hunt” (no relation). On that visit I missed a shot of a Band-winged Meadowhawk dragonfly. I had returned once before looking for him and was hoping to see him today, but had no such luck. It was a beautiful day to get out, though, and I got some other nice photos. Also, using my new Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, I was able to “put names to faces” of a few wildflowers that I wasn’t able to before.

Painted Lady Butterfly

As I was getting in the car to drive out to Mallards Rest, I noticed this Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on our Butterfly Bush. They're really pretty when they open their wings, but it didn't cooperate today.

By the way, we're up to six sunflowers in our little frontyard patch now. Four more popped open this morning!

Monarch Butterfly and Damselflies

Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Bush

It's not been a good year for butterflies in our area, however I did spot this Monarch on one of our Butterfly Bushes yesterday. I've also seen a Tiger Swallowtail, a Red Admiral, and a number of Cabbage Whites around, along with some Silver-spotted Skippers.

Damselflies in Tandem

These two mating damselflies were photographed along the wetlands trail at Fort Frederick State Park in Washington County, Maryland. I wasn't able to determine their species, but thought it made a pretty photo. Char and I walked the trail there last Thursday afternoon.

Catching up

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College, Pennsylvania, with Mount Nittany in the background


We had two backyard visitors today

One of the many millipedes on the James Mayer Riverswalk Trail -- cute, huh?

Our sunflower patch is growing...now we have two!

Since I haven’t posted in a number of days, I have some catching up to do here.

Last evening Char and I put the top down on the Miata and took the scenic route to State College to watch the Spikes host the Jamestown Jammers in a New York – Penn League game. The Spikes are the short season Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a number of the Pirates selections from this year’s draft are on the team. It was a great evening for a ball game and the Spikes won, 11-2, to make it even better.

Today, at a little before 2:00 in the afternoon, two fawns made their way through our backyard. They took their time, munching on our neighbors’ plants before strolling up the street and then into the woods. Mommy wasn’t around today. One of our neighbors reported seeing this pair a day or two ago, and said that there was no doe with them at that time either. That doesn’t sound good. Maybe that’s why they don’t know it’s not a good idea to be wandering about in the middle of the day.

I went for a walk today on the James Mayer Riverswalk Trail. Although it’s natural to want to call it the “Riverwalk” Trail and, in fact, some sources do use that name, the official trail signs show the name as “Riverswalk.” Therefore, I’ll continue referring to it as the Riverswalk Trail. In any case, the trail is a short (about 1 ½ miles) treasure of nature along what was once the path of the former Johnstown and Stony Creek Railroad between the Johnstown neighborhoods of Moxham and Riverside.

Today the trail was ablaze with a variety of wildflowers, most notably both Pale and Spotted Touch-me-not (also known as Jewelweed). In the Spring, I enjoy spotting Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks along the trail. One thing that I’ve seen this year, that I haven’t noticed in other years, is a ton of millipedes. They are all over the trail on every visit I make. I’ll have to ask Dennis McNair, a biology professor, if there might be a reason for this.

Also, our sunflower patch is progressing. We now have two blooms and more will be coming, I’m sure. As I mentioned before, the sunflowers are the result of the birds dropping the seeds from the birdfeeders. This results, too, in almost nightly visits from a skunk who enjoys scratching around for dropped seeds on the ground – right in front of our porch! Char and I had been going inside when the skunk showed up each night, but it has got to the point where we just stay on the porch and let the skunk go about its business. He stays for about 20 or 30 minutes, eats his fill, then goes on his way.