Cool Nature Photos

part-time-Farmer-NC · Jul 7, 2025

OK... Let me start with "I've been robbed"... Happened the other day while wife and I were going out for supper at Cracker Barrel.

Drove through a thunderstorm that flooded the roads. In a break between the clouds of water we saw not one but two rainbows... We drove for maybe 3-4 minutes and then it happened... We got to the END of the rainbow... Yep the actual end of the rainbow (see pics). We stopped and looked along the side of the road (us264) and notta, nothing... Someone had stolen our pot of gold.

Can't leave nothing alone for any length of time now a days. I can't help but wonder if the leprechaun reneged on us and kept the gold to himself. They are however know for their shenanigans and of course lucky charms, they are magically delicious...

Fuddyduddy1952 · Jul 7, 2025

It was at other end

part-time-Farmer-NC · Jul 7, 2025

Had a great time teaching my granddaughter how to use an open faced reel and wacky worm rig.

Took her out to the lake, we brought along some striper gear should I see any good marks. Notta... So we took off into a cove and introduced her to reel and artificial baits. We were an hour or so into it when I was watching her cast and it dawned on me... She was left handed, my pole is set up for a right hander. I switched the crank to the other side and she was smoothly casting and retrieving in no time.

She actually hung two pretty quickly the first got away. She was ecstatic to catch that one.

Thomas · Jul 7, 2025

Mom drops by with her little ones.

goeduck · Jul 7, 2025

Fuddyduddy1952 said:
It was at other endView attachment 3715938

So THAT is the pot at the end of the rainbow?

Runner · Jul 10, 2025

Accidentally uncovered a clutch of box turtle eggs while digging in the compost pile. They were uncovered for a while before I figured out what they were. Covered them back up, so hopefully some might survive...

Hughman · Jul 11, 2025

Took a hike yesterday to Sword lake in the Carson Iceberg wilderness. Lunch and a swim.

dj1701 · Jul 16, 2025

Got a shot of this fawn playing with their sibling while mom grazed on my lawn.

dj1701 · Jul 17, 2025

Had a visitor to the feeder yesterday. I seem to have a bunch around these parts.

Black squirrels are a fascinating color variant found primarily among eastern gray squirrels and sometimes fox squirrels. They are not a separate species but rather a melanistic form, meaning their fur is darkened due to an overproduction of melanin pigment, resulting in entirely black or very dark brown coloration instead of the typical gray or reddish
This melanism lacks the white belly fur seen in standard gray squirrels and can make them appear sleek and uniform from head to tail.
The black coloration stems from a genetic mutation, specifically a recessive allele or faulty pigment gene that originated from interbreeding between eastern gray squirrels and fox squirrels thousands of years ago. This gene is recessive, so both parents must carry it for offspring to express the black fur, which explains why black squirrels are less common overall.
Black squirrels are most prevalent in the northern United States and Canada, particularly around the Great Lakes region, including Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, and parts of New York.