Afternoon Thermals

 Goldenrod blooming, seems early

 Sumac drupes almost ripe

 Sourwood fruit in downy masses

 Possom on the porch at night

(he really is there next time I'll use the flash)

Clouds drifting by slowly

Buzzard enjoying afternoon thermals

A good day to paint

Sourwood Mountain

We made it back safely and today we're recuperating from the long drive. This morning I looked out and saw this tree is blooming. I think it's sourwood. I knew about sourwood honey but I also learned the flowers can be squeezed for sourwood jelly. I never knew so many native deciduous trees have such beautiful blossoms.

Last night I made another red flower bowl, about 11 inches in diameter and 2 inches tall. The two small folds on one side of the bowl wanted to be there so I let them stay. I've found in using these bowls with folds near the edge a spoon in the bowl is less likely to slide down into the food.

Here's a cypress grove swamp platter I made. It's about 15 x 9 inches. I didn't like the upper part of the trees so I wiped them off and tried again.

I'm still not sure I like the green but I think it's too late to revise it. I think greens are the hardest color to get right. I've actually used three greens and one chartreuse, we shall see. We were going to go to the Trash and Treasures sale today but were too tired to load up, next week. 

Here's Sourwood Mountain with Shad Cobb and Charlie Cushman. Hope you have good weekend. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Table Rock

Legend has it that a giant used this mountain as a table; the legend persists today hence the name of this mountain remains as Table Rock. The mountains is solid granite and stands at 3100 feet in elevation. We took a drive in upstate South Carolina to visit the 3000 acre Table Rock State Park. With more rainstorms expected we had the park nearly to ourselves.

At the overlook I noticed many plants are growing right out of the native rocks.

I glanced down and noticed what looked like a pandorea flower, but I didn't think an Australian native would be here in the wild. It must be a native morning glory or wild potato vine. They are all in the same family. I should have examined the leaves more closely but with the thought of a snake lurking I didn't venture into the thick underbrush.

Picturesque Lake Oolenoy surrounds the visitor center. Bass, bream, and catfish abound in the lake. 

You can fish from the pier or boat, but only canoes, kayaks or boats with trolling motors are allowed on the lake.

The trail to the visitor center was lined with beautyberry, Callicarpa americana. I never would have thought to use this shrub as a hedgerow but it was quite effectively done here.

This is what the flower looks like. To see the berries which are quite striking, click here. The berry photo was taken at my former home in Florida.

The entrance to the visitor center is nearly obscured by these two large redbud trees. The Eastern redbud, Cercis canadencis, is much larger and more tree like than the Western redbud, Cercis occidentalis.

 Redbuds have beautiful heart shaped leaves.

 Here's a sucker with the new growth of the leaves.

 Outside the center there was a bed of purple cone flowers, Echinacea.

Several of the native trees on the grounds were labeled and these flowers are of the sourwood, Oxydendrum.

What a nice visit we had. Even though it was cloudy, it didn't rain till we arrived back at our RV. Thanks for visiting and for all your comments.