Ft. Fisher on the First Day of Fall

The weather has been truly wonderful down here with skies a deep azure blue -- the perfect backdrop for the sea oats and stones on the beach at Ft. Fisher.  Ft. Fisher (and Wilmington for that matter) attained some notice because of the recent film Lincoln which talks quite a bit about those last battles in the Civil War during the first 30 minutes of the movie.  My youngest daughter's FIL was extremely intrigued by the history of this area which he read up on after his last visit.  Evidently Wilmington was (unknown to the North for much of the time) one of the main ports through which the South got their materials from foreign sympathizers.  How cool is it to live in such a historic and also beautiful area.

I know I have showed pictures of the Live Oaks before but the lines are just so beautiful and they are all  around the park.

Look at that blue sky!

This was not Photoshopped. I wasn't even sure that the camera would capture the gradation of the blue color in the sky -- not often  you take a picture of 90 per cent sky!!  I wanted inspiration for a piece I am going to make this winter using some lovely batiks I was gifted last year.

Again, I was just taking pictures of things that appealed to me.  Here were Painted Daisies (which are everywhere down here) growing through the planking leading to the gazebo.  

Another very tiny wildflower.  I thought it was in the aster family and it is -- Youngia or Hawk's-beard.  It grows year round and I think I saw it in the spring as well.

Miscellaneous Wildflowers at the Beach

 As most of my favorite birds have migrated back north, I have been focusing on documenting the wildflowers that I have found on the island which is composed of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach and is called Pleasure Island (an unfortunate name I think as it always seems like the name of a porn movie!).  I first starting doing this as I was seeing so many different wildflowers growing in my "lawn".  This one is the Common Vetch which was found in my yard..

This is  the Evening Primrose which wasn't even in my wildflower book -- maybe it's considered a perennial(?).  We actually planted this at home in Rochester but it is growing all over lawns down here. The flowers are short lived and literally disappear doing the heat of the day.

This is another view of the Evening Primrose.

There were two mounds of these growing in the empty lot across the street.  I have no idea what it is but it has these heart shaped leaves.  

Again this was growing all over the back yard here as well as in the empty lot and wasn't in my wildflower book.  

   Again growing in the lawn.  I think it is a Skullcap but not certain.

This is  Gaillardia and grows all over everywhere down here in the dunes, lawns and empty lots.  It blooms from April through the fall.

The next several pictures were taken down at Ft. Fisher (the south end of the island).  These and the purple flowers were growing along the side of the road -- literally filling the area with color. I believe this white one is called Star of Bethlehem.

My dear husband identified these as Blue Eyed Grass.  It is sold as a perennial.

There was a field of these by the ferry in a field. I believe these are called Baby Blue Eyes.

Down in Carolina Beach State Park, I saw lots of Fetterbush and Scatterbush.  This white flower was also down there and I think it is Ground Oak.

This is a Spiderwort.  It is a smallish flower but reminded me of trillium with its three lobes.

I also saw this one in the park but haven't identified it.  Any help??  Of course in the park I also saw the  beautiful Yellow Pitcher Plant and the Cinnamon Ferns.

The next two I found down at Ft. Fisher along the walkway.  I believe this is Leopards Bane.

I think this is Coastal Puccoon but according to the book skips over NC but is found in Virginia through Florida.  Maybe it doesn't skip NC after all!  However, I could have it wrong!!

Wisteria is super common (a pest vine) down here but haven't seen much on the island except this down by Carolina Beach Lake.  It is so pretty though.

Have You Ever Heard of a Northern Catalpa Tree?

This is the beginning of the walk along the expressway just at dusk which is nice because it is shady the whole way!

Well, I have just spent the past hour trying to find the name of this flowering tree which I saw on my walk last evening, growing in the wild. It is not easy to identify something when you have no idea what it is except that it is a tree growing in NY and it has beautiful white orchid looking flowers. But finally I succeeded and now I want one! It is the Northern Catalpa. The leaves are very large and the flowers are in large clusters and look like miniature orchids -- I have a weakness for orchids...

Surprisingly, my pictures of sweet peas really came out well. They grow wild along the fence next to a very busy expressway, along which there is a pedestrian walkway which you can see above.

It always amazes me how many different kinds of wildflowers you can find along these narrow wild areas. I probably saw at least four or five other varieties. It was very windy and a getting toward sunset, so picture taking can be a bit challenging as there is not enough light to get the shutter speed fast enough!