Last Few Days in western, NC

and pink rose (Rosa sp?) 4

Turk’s-cap lily (Lilium superbum) 1

Yellow and pink rose (Rosa sp?) 2

Turk’s-cap lily (Lilium superbum) 2

White and pink rose (Rosa sp?) 3

Light pink rose (Rosa sp?)

White and pink rose (Rosa sp?) 1

Yellow and pink rose (Rosa sp?)

White and pink rose (Rosa sp?) 2

Crimson colored rose (Rosa sp?)

Female duck (Anas sp?)

Pink rose (Rosa sp?)

I have a backlog of photos to upload. These are from one of my last walks around Lake Junaluska and it’s beautiful Rose Walk. Sadly, the roses do not have name plates (that I saw) so all I can hazard is that they’re all in the genus ‘Rosa’. Most ornamentals are hybrids bred for showy blooms, colors, scent, etc. Along the parkway there were still some of the native Turk’s cap lilies in bloom though it was foggy and overcast the day we were up there.

“Super” Moon June 22 from Waterrock Knob

Panorama from the trail up to Waterrock Knob

“Super” Moon 6/22/2013

View of the moon from the trail up to Waterrock Knob

Moon over Lake Junaluska

Lake Junaluska at night

Original view from trail up to Waterrock Knob

Edited view from trail up to Waterrock Knob

Sunset from the trail up to Waterrock Knob

Michaux’s saxifrage (Saxifraga michauxii)

Blackberry blossom (Rubus sp?)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

So this year’s “Super” moon was upon us and I went with my roommate up to Waterrock Knob along the Blue Ridge Parkway to photograph the event. Ended up with less spectacular moon shots and better dusk and sunset pictures, definitely a lesson in patience. A “super” moon occurs when the moon is both full and at perigee or closest to the Earth in its orbit. This happens about every 13-14 months, per the linked article. Aside from the moon there were a lot of birds hopping around but I only snapped one decent shot. There was also a lot of Michaux’s saxifrage about, named after the French botanist André Michaux. I played with photoshop a little on one of the vistas along the way up to the knob, giving the picture a rather surreal look. Finally, we stopped by Lake Junaluska to see how the moon looked on the lake. It was a little early and the lake wasn’t still enough to get a decent reflection but a couple of the pictures turned out nice nonetheless.