We are into August, and looking forward to September. The summer so far has been kind with ample rainfall and not as hot as previous summers. My hope is it will remain as such . I have noticed some changes signaling a season winding down and a new one coming. Joe Pye Weed is blooming. What a lovely history surrounding this plant. I'd tell you about it but it's easier to just have you Google it.
The oaks have been dropping acorns, and I must say there have been plenty and they are quite large. A good sign for wildlife, lots of mast to help them winter over.
These acorns are large enough to hollow out and make pipes out of them. We use to do that as kids. Never actually smoked any tobacco in them though.
The streams are in super shape. This one produced many brookies on a recent outing. I sat alongside a pool just above where this photo was taken. I observed several brookies feeding on what appeared to be nymphs of some kind. Every so often I would see a brookie move forward with speed and make a grab at something. I have pretty good vision but I could not identify what they were feeding on. I tossed an ant in the pool and instantly one rose and was on then off.
I did manage to find a few that played nice and came to hand.
This is a Partridge and Orange soft hackle. The body is Ephemera silk thread. Notice how the color changed when wet. Very much the same color as most underwater insects.
Such gorgeous country. We're still frying out here.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz
DeleteThanks
Mark every morning while watching the weather the story is the same for you folks out there. You just wonder how long can this go on without a viable short term solution to ease that drought.
I just looked up the story on Joe Pye weed. Thanks for the tip! Beautiful photos as always. We are fortunate to have such reliable rain this summer.
ReplyDeleteShawn
DeleteThanks
Shawn I find those bits of history surrounding certain things so very interesting. Have you ever heard of the Joe Pye bucktail? Thankful for the wet July...some hot days ahead in the next week.
I checked out the Joe Pye sea trout fly. I wonder what the story is there?
DeleteHello Alan, I tell you that the climate is changing rapidly in the world, here in South America there was practically no winter, today it is temperatures of 7 or 8 degrees Celsius when in other years we still had temperatures below zero. beautiful flowers in the photos and a good story about that medicinal silver .... a hug
ReplyDeleteArmando Milosevic
DeleteThanks
Armando I agree with that fact. Climate is changing. We need some native thoughts on how to help stop it and change some minds.
Joe Pye, good man.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteInteresting Google about the Joe Pye weed. Sweet looking stream too!
I'm working my way through "No Hatch to Match" by Osteroff. Good read, lots of info.
billp
DeleteThanks
Bill glad you enjoyed Mr. Pye's story. Like I mentioned to Shawn there is also a Joe Pye bucktail.
That book has to be OK, just the title would have me picking it up and checking it out.
His name is Osthoff though, oops. I used to use his small Woolie buggers and worms lot back in WI. This is our monsoon season so streams can vary wildly. A stream I fished last week at 130 cfs is now 255!
DeleteI'm off to find some brookies this weekend and to find some shade. =)
ReplyDeleteThe River Damsel
DeleteThanks
Emily I hope you find both. Enjoy.
Alan
ReplyDeleteOur acrons here are not that big; must be another variety of oak tree there?
Finally get to go trout fishing in the morning on the Sipsey--- no generation until 12 noon----thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
DeleteThanks
Bill big and plenty....I'm glad your going to get some time on the Sipsey. Hope the trout are in a fly taking mood.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteJoe Pye weed is to August as Goldenrod is to September.
Interesting story about Joe Pye.
JJ
Beaverdam
DeleteThanks
Joe fields of goldenrod, I love it. Some say the colonists used goldenrod to color the paint for their homes.