Greenbriar Park : Oxford, MA (9/9)

On Saturday morning I headed over to Greenbriar Park for a short hike. It was a typical early Fall day, sunny but a bit cold. I parked over by the ball field and headed down the path that skirts the pond. The beginning of the path was surrounded with Jewelweed. Some of it was perfectly lit for a picture.

After walking through the woods, the path breaks out into a small clearing. Some birders were already there and they had located a Scarlet Tananger which they graciously pointed out to me. The birder's had been out earlier in the morning and had seen an American Bittern and a Sharp-shinned Hawk but not much else. Their report foreshadowed my morning. I was able to locate a few birds here and there but they were mostly our year round residents (American Robins, Downy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees).

But, when you get outside, there's always SOMETHING to see. While talking to the birders, I spotted a plant that I'd never seen before. Using the Connecticut Botanical Society's fantastic web site I was able to identify it as Bluecurls (what a cool name!). Along the water's edge was what I think was Pickerelweed.

The mushrooms were also out at Greenbriar. I found a few of the toadstool variety and one futuristic looking puffball.

But, the sighting of the day happened on the way back to the car. I just about stumbled into a Garter Snake who was sunning himself on a bush. His color was absolutely unbelievable. The stripes were dark and his skin was unblemished. I have to believe that he just recently shed his skin (I just learned that snakes do this on average six times a year). Anyhow, the conditions were perfect for photos and I got a few nice ones of his entire body and a ton of great closeup shots. What a great find!