Late Summer Nature Thoughts.....

- Now this is more like it! What a beautiful week in southeast Tennessee. On the Cumberland Plateau, morning lows have been in the upper 50s/low 60s with highs in the low 80s. Lower humidity have made it a great week to enjoy morning coffee on the back porch.

Photos....Bottom to Top.....

- Old Glory on display in the beautifully landscaped yard of one of our residents on Fredonia Mountain......

- A Red-Bellied Woodpecker surveys his domain from a dead branch of an oak. These colorful birds are regular visitors to my back yard suet cakes.

- This Gray Catbird is a bit out of habitat....Typically a denizen of the undergrowth and thick tangles of vegetation, this one has decided to take a look around. This species is not as well known as its more famous cousin, The Northern Mockingbird. Both are in a group often called the "mimic thrushes". It is more often heard than seen.....a distinct repeating 'meow' emanating from thick growth, thus the name. And yes, this is the same perch occupied by the woodpecker in the previous photo.

- One of nature's most unusual creatures. This Walkingstick (an insect) is almost impossible to see among the branches it calls home.

- Species that thrive in warm, humid weather, like this Crape Myrtle, have flourished this year across the Southeast.

- The "Daddy Long Legs"....also called The Harvestman....not an insect but member of Class Arachnida....along with the spiders, ticks, chiggers, etc. This one has a back left leg missing. This species, despite local stories to the contrary, is not poisonous. They feed on decaying plant matter and an occasional smaller insect.