The Little Nuthatch — north carolina

On Wednesday a cold front rolled in, bringing clouds and wind up to 30 mph. I had the day off so I headed out to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for the sunrise. With the cloud cover it was no great sunrise, but it was still incredibly beautiful.   The wind!! I often see wild boar in the water, but seeing a raccoon was a first for me.    

One of my favorite places in Summer in North Carolina is Mount Mitchell. Coming out of Florida in July it is especially nice to go up the mountain and into cooler weather, the only time in Summer when I have to get my hoodie out again. The main draw is the amazing 360 view, on this particular day it was very foggy and at moments it was too thick to see anything from the summit- but it would clear a bit and the clouds themselves were gorgeous! These photos are from the summit and the gorgeous Balsam Nature Trail.  ...

When in North Carolina we went to the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest. It is the home of the first Forestry school, and a very cool place. With all the rain North Carolina has been having, the forests were just going crazy with mushrooms and plant life. It was overwhelming! Every step was another cool thing to look at. Where does this old train track go? The trail did not allow me to follow, perhaps it's even dismantled around the bend, but boy was I curious to know!

Here are some photos from the island in Marshall, NC. This is an island in the middle of the river, there is an old high school there that are now artist studios, and a nice park. I enjoy walking around the island and bird watching. This year the river was very high, and there were a lot less birds. Last year I saw a lot of flycatchers and kingbirds, but none this year. The geese are fun though! Oh, and mulberries for picking!

I had a great time in North Carolina this month. So many little creatures appear in the Summer, it's a treat to see them. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ