smurthys, 1 month ago

Back in the comfort of home after a rejuvenating 2-day #camping trip.

Sadly, the main #hiking trails at the state park were closed due to recent rains, but a nearby town forest made up with its well designed and marked multi-use trails.

We hiked the entire trails, which was just 7kms but offered great nature. Also, you can see from the map why we were so turned around in the forest that we'd no clue where we were after just minutes inside.

#health #photography #amateur #forest #wildflowers

A caterpillar with green, black, and brown strips on its back sitting on the back of a red flower. Blurry green vegetation in the background.
A flower bud with brown and yellow filaments still forming. Blurry green vegetation in the background.
An unlabeled map with a green trace of a hike. White text on black follow the map showing some stats of the hike.

smurthys, 1 month ago

Some more pictures from the 2-day #camping trip at a state park. 👆🏽

Not just wildflowers, lots of wild insects and animals too.

Picture 1: Shot from quite a distance.

3: See video 👇🏽 to truly appreciate the beauty of this caterpillar.

4: I don't know the kind of insect on the right, but it was stalking the caterpillar, which responded by just staying still. Somone, please help me make sense of the impasse these two creatures caused for themselves.

#photography #amateur #forest #wildlife

A brown lizard sitting on the ground with brown dirt and a small brown rock. Some twigs, dried leaves, and shoots of plants around.
A white hairy (but not furry) caterpillar on a tree trunk. Lots of brown dried leaves in the background.
A beige and white furry and thorny caterpillar on the ground with gold-brown colored sand. A bug with yellow and brown back, and brown legs, on the right facing the caterpillar.

smurthys, 1 month ago

Video of the aforementioned furry white caterpillar. 👆🏽

Tell me if this is not the cutest caterpillar you have ever seen.

#photography #amateur #forest #caterpillar #video

Video of a furry white caterpillar slowly moving on a tree trunk. Brown dried leaves in the background.

smurthys, 1 month ago

Back at the state park, a 3km evening hike on a trail that was right behind our campsite. Brilliant lake views (hard to capture in pictures) and as always, excellent wildlife.

Picture 3: Erased something from the picture for privacy.

Picture 4: The picture doesn't capture it, but the vultures are huge IRL. And I bungled the chance to get a closeup of one of the vultures that was pretty close to me. 🥺

EDIT: Added alt-text to pics.

#photography #amateur #forest #wildflowers #vultures #pier

Front view of a deep pink (almost light purple) flower. Petals look like frazzled hair. Fuzzy green vegetation in the background.
A long steel fishing pier in a lake. Green forest on the far side of the lake.
Seven black vultures on a pavement with some water. Two vultures on the left, group of five more on the right.

smurthys, 1 month ago

Two short hikes Thursday morning before leaving the state park. The second hike was on an ankle-bending rocky trail with steep gradients, not surprising because parts of it are popular for rock climbing and rappelling.

Incredible views of the forest, lake, and rocks. Decent cardio workout as well. 😉

#photography #amateur #forest #trails #rocky

View from the bottom of a rocky trail in a forest. Two brown trail markers with red trail indicators are visible on the right side of the trail.
A view from the top of a crude windy stone steps along a trail in a forest. Crude wooden rails on the right.
View from the bottom of a rocky trail in a forest.