
Thanksgiving Day 2024


It was a few minutes after sunrise. The Haw River was thundering out from underneath the Jordan Lake dam. Across from me and down the riprap there were a total of 52 great egrets. This time of the year I’m used to seeing maybe two dozen at a time… but a whole 52 card deck of them? There were a few great blue herons in the mix. By 30 minutes after sunrise all but three of the great egrets had left the riprap.
Jordan Lake. This damselfly is well named: American rubyspot. It is a new addition to my insect life list. The damselflies are tiny, delicate and just as ferocious hunters as their bigger cousins the dragonflies.

The crows and I watched as Mother Nature began to dye the silk of her skirts with the liquid golds of autumn. The sunrise of the first day of fall filled air, water and my heart with the changing of the season.
music Midnight Stroll
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The hairy white oldfield aster is a native to the eastern US. It blooms midsummer through midfall. It makes a joyous splash of brightness against the autumn background. May each of you have a blessed day! Doc Ellen

Jordan Lake. Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute. November 4, 2023.