This barred owl is a frequent visitor to our backyard in SE Louisiana. It is more common for us to hear these owls than to see them, they have a loud distinctive call that you can hear in this YouTube video. According to experts, their call sounds like “who cooks for you”, which seems like …
Author Archives: jimr77
Suburban Opossum
This opossum was calmly perched on a fence in our neighborhood as we walked by on a recent morning dog walk. Opossums are nocturnal animals, so seeing one out in mid-morning seemed unusual. Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is the only wild species of opossum in the United States, and it is our only native marsupial. They …
Lake Pontchartrain
A dramatic view of Lake Pontchartrain from its shore in Fontainebleau State Park, just east of Mandeville Louisiana. This was taken on an unseasonably warm day in late December.
Kayaking down Cane Bayou
The pictures below were taken on a balmy Sunday in mid-November during a kayak excursion on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. Cane Bayou is one of several streams that empty into Lake Pontchartrain from the north, it runs between Fontainebleau State Park and the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. There is a convenient launch …
Mandeville LA, 70 Days after Hurricane Ida
People who have not experienced the aftermath of a severe hurricane may be surprised at how long it takes to clean up an area. Today, 70 days after Ida’s landfall, tree debris still lines the streets of my neighborhood in Mandeville LA. Mandeville is around 40 miles from the path of Ida’s eye, but still …
Continue reading “Mandeville LA, 70 Days after Hurricane Ida”
Autumn around the Lake
In fall the scenery on and around our lake in north-central Minnesota is wonderful. This post simply shares images taken this October.
The Shaggy Inkcap (another mushroom)
The shaggy inkcap mushroom (Coprinus comatus) is a common mushroom that is also known as lawyer’s wig or shaggy mane. Reportedly is is an excellent mushroom to eat when young, but only immediately after picking. It turns black and dissolves into an inky mess soon after it is picked (which is why it is called …
Fly Agaric and Other Mushrooms
The Amanita muscaria mushroom, commonly known as Fly Agaric, is commonly seen in popular culture. It appears as garden sculptures, in video games, in the Disney movie Fantasia, and in Smurf cartoons. We found beautiful specimens of it recently as we hiked through a forest in the north-central Minnesota lake country. Fly agaric is toxic, …
Maples in Itasca State Park
Minnesota’s Itasca State Park is best known for the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which is within the park. Established in 1891 it is the second-oldest state park in the US, only Niagara Falls State Park is older. Although it is not yet officially fall, the changing leaves on maple trees in the park were …
North MN Outdoors 