Trip blogging

I am visiting my parents and took a few photos when I went for a walk yesterday. I just walked around the "block" (which down here is about 2 1/2 miles).

Here is one of the ubiquitous ground beetles. I find them amusing, because they are always walking around with their hind-parts up in the air.


On the next lot west of my parents' I disturbed a cottontail from the spot it had been resting. It scrambled out and then stopped, waiting to see what I would do. I took a few pictures, but as soon as I started walking again, it ran off.


There were also a couple of jackrabbits, but they never stopped to let me take a picture. While I was walking I also noted an abundance of red ant mounds. These mounds can be found every several feet wherever the ground is soft enough for them to excavate. The opening to their nest if off to one side of this mound, which is made up of a very uniform size of gravel. I suppose every ant returns with a piece (several times larger than the ants are) periodically and adds it to the mound. Over time, they can get fairly large, like this one.