Lynchburg Photos

Nature Close to Home

Recent weather prevented solar observing for the last month. Most days have been overcast and rainy. I was particularly disappointed to miss imaging the huge, complex sunspot group crossing the Sun last week. So, instead of my usual astronomical images, I've decided to share some pictures taken over the years around my house.

I'm hoping to see sunlight like this in my yard soon.

A young deer has been grazing our back lawn almost daily this week. I caught it chomping on an azalea bush.

A few years ago a bat decided to camp in our carport for a while.

This hawk pounced from its perch to the ground, but apparently missed its prey.

One spring, robins built a nest in the planter directly in front of our living room window. I took these pictures through the window glass so I wouldn't disturb feeding time.

Some natural activity isn't very attractive! The green goop seen in the next two pictures has invaded a patch of bare ground in our yard. At first, I thought it was animal droppings. Later, I discovered it's a species of blue-green algae called Nostoc Commune. I'd love to get rid of it, but it's devilishly hard to pick up. It has a tendency to break into smaller pieces and worm its way around rocks and plants. What a mess!