Gossamer.

For the last month or so, I've still been doing the daily challenges off and on, but I haven't been so good about posting them here. In fact, I've been experiencing a creative slump these last couple of weeks. It happens now and then, but each time it happens, I fret that this is going to be the time that I don't recover! So in an attempt to break out of my slump, I brought my camera to work with me everyday. I've been promising myself for sometime now that I would do this, but I can never seem to bring myself to follow through. That is, until this week. I brought my camera to work with me everyday, vowing to take just ONE photo before the end of the week.



I drive through our local park to and from work. It's pretty scenic, especially in the mornings when I see sunrises, deer and sometimes turkeys. I also pass by this field. I've been trying to get up enough nerve all week to stop and take a few photos. Why the hesitancy? For one, places to pull off the road are few and far between on my route through the park. Also, I'm not exactly dressed to go hiking. Then there's the fact that I'm kind of in a hurry because well, I'm on the way to work. Or, I'm on the way home from work and need to pick up Lauren from grandma's, take the dogs out for their potty break and get dinner started.

So that gave me all of about ten minutes to get the job done.



Apparently, the place is called Scout Field. The sign says that it is "a grassland habitat, an area dominated by tall grasses & wildflowers, and inhabited by many species of birds, insects, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Grasslands are vibrant, visually pleasing, part of our environment and need to be protected."



Right now, the field is covered in goldenrod as far as the eye can see. Bees were crawling all over it. I ventured into the goldenrod just a teeny bit so that I could get some of these shots and thankfully was not stung (However, I did find numerous little burrs stuck to my shirt when I arrived home.).




Here is just one of the many bird houses scattered across the field. As soon as I got out of the car, a blue jay flew over my head.



I had to hold the camera above my head to get this shot. I wish I had more time to follow the trail, but I guess that will have to wait until I have more than 10 minutes to spare (And the company of Mark, because the place is fairly isolated.).

Hopefully this is the start of a new habit. At the very least, I plan on stopping by the field again so that I can track changing of the seasons.