Pine Barrens of the Carolina Sandhills, where a tiny remnant of the ecosystem which once dominated the American Southeast has been preserved for just such an excursion as this...
A mystical place of silent splendor; silence broken only by the occasional call and reverberating hammer of the pileated woodpecker...
The boys lag behind, iPhones in hand. Later, they share glimpses of life beneath the royal long-leaf pines. Enjoy.
Bluer than blue...
Pine Barrens Gentian (Gentiana autumnalis)
To be, or not to be? Not a bee, in this case, but a nectar lover, nonetheless. Hoverfly.
Maryland Goldenaster, glamming it up in a patch of sunlight on the forest floor.
Gulf Fritillary, Lepidoptera luminary.
Purple Gerardia. Figurative food for our eyes, literal food for the very hungry caterpillar (buckeye butterfly larva).
Gerardia pedicularia. Fernleaf False Foxglove.You two Gerardias know each other?
Silver or Florida Argiope. Her web is the trap, False Foxglove is the lure. Happy hunting...
All that white in the background?
Sandhills.
Sand racer, fastest lizard alive! Hunter was faster. Turns out it's technically a six lined racerunner, and had this one been more than a few weeks old, Hunter might have had a bit more trouble catching up.
Hunter's dad was quicker than this eastern fence lizard dad; here it tolerates a quick peek at its iridescent blue flanks and throat.
Looks like even more homework to do.
We're glad that the woods sent us home with such questions as these.
Our brief little walk on the wild side afforded plenty of cool encounters with familiar and not-so-familiar wildlife. Immersion in such a pool of bio-diversity is humbling and inspiring.
For now we're homeward bound with field guides on our minds...
As we wrap up our trek, a backward glance yields a glimpse of the future...
On behalf of the Jay and Hunter, a hearty thanks to those who protect and maintain NC's state parks and natural areas...
Today's photos courtesy of Jay Randolph
