On a hike I did with Matt and Amy and the dogs, we came across 5 or 6 monumentally stupid college age guys with a little too much testosterone, who had decided to drive their jeep up the Laurel Creek Gorge hiking trail. The trail is narrow. . .some spots are barely 18 inches wide, and it is strictly for pedestrians and bicyclists. When we met them the first time they were more than a mile in, with nowhere to turn around and a big downed tree and boulder blocking their way. They apparently moved enough to continue but we then saw them on foot later. This was where they had to leave their Jeep. This is so illegal that we were amazed that anyone would try such a stupid stunt. When we found the car, it was on a 45 degree angle, leaking gas, and wedged in between some boulders with no way to move it anywhere.

The shot above is some of the damage they caused driving through lush growth of rhododendron and smaller more delicate plants. What a bunch of idiots.

Even these blackeyed susans were wild. I have no idea what the delicate white stuff is below but it too seems to be abundant everywhere Abner and I hike. The bees really seem to like the susans. Almost every flower had a bee on it.

This is the bird I mentioned in the text of this blog. A sibling of his had just decided the time had come to fledge and he flew away while I was standing next to their birth box. This guy then came up and sat in the opening staring at me deciding whether or not his time was due. In the end, he went back into the nest with the other remaining baby but I am certain they had flown within a day.

There has been a lot of rain this summer and the forest floor is covered with every imaginable variety of fern and moss. It is all so lush and green. I wonder how people can stand to live in the desert.

Some of the wildflowers were new to me this year. I don't know what this is, but I love the green patch inside the petals.

One of the bird boxes I monitor is right by an old family cemetary on the grounds of Biltmore at the top of a hill. This is the memorial stone naming the family members buried on the site. On the way back down from the cemetary, I came across a very tall and beautiful thistle that had bloomed and was providing a feast for this bee.

This orchid is one that Jim Rogers grew in the greenhouse attached to the Conservatory at Biltmore. I had never seen a flower with actual black coloring on it before. The fungus below was growing on the Bent Creek Trail in the Arboretum and to me looked exactly like some of the coral I have seen while diving.

We have had some very dramatic weather this summer. The shot above is of Biltmore as you approach the house from the South on the Deerpark Trail. The three shots below were all within minutes of each other as a rip roaring thunderstorm went through and spawned a tornado that blew through Biltmore and took out numerous huge old trees. Cleanup took weeks.

What is there to say about mushrooms. They come in so many sizes, shapes and colors. Who knew?

Wild flowers were abundant this spring and summer. Above are the very common Mountain Laurel blooms we see all over the place here, but I still think they are beautiful. The flower below grows wild in many of the forests around Asheville, and I still don't know what it is.

The photo above is of one of the buildings of the Inn at Middleton Place. I am not sure about the creature below. He was a huge flying insect that was resing on one of the tires of my car when I was ready to leave. He wasn't.

Those of you who have followed this blog remember my fascination with all the mushrooms and other fungi that proliferate the forests here.

Above is one of the ponds in the gardens at Middleton Place. The three photos below are of the Inn. Immediately below is the Lodge where there is a game room-library space in which they serve wine and cheese to guests every afternoon. The other shots are actually of the buildings with the guest rooms. This place was fabulous.

This guy is an Ibis who was walking around in the heat of a July afternoon at Middleton Place poking his curved and pointy beak into the ground for something tasty. I would have been in the shade if I had to hunt for food that afternoon. Below is the remaining residential building at Middleton. It was originally used as a guest house adjacent to the now ruined main house.

The gardens are fairly formal until you get close to the Ashley River, which you can see below as it flows toward Charleston and the Atlantic.

This whole group of shots were taken late on Sunday afternoon in July at Middleton Place. It was hot, and very humid. I thought I would collapse from the heat but wanted to get these photos. Abner stayed in the room where it was air conditioned.

I didn't get too close to the swan. My recollection is that they can get quite aggressive, and I decided not to test it out.

These shots were all taken on a hot Saturday in July at Middleton Place outside of Charleston. You have to see this place to believe it. The Great Blue Heron below was not only probably the biggest one I had ever seen, but he also was the least concerned about the proximity of people. I couldn't have been more than 30 feet away when I took this photo and he showed no interest in moving.

In the above shot you can see the construction of Antler Village below the Inn on Biltmore Estate. Below is the French Broad which is looking a little muddy these days with so much rain. Better than drought though.

This year in the fields along the river, they have planted rows of sunflowers and what I think are soy beans surrounding the corn fields. It is so beautiful. The shot below is of one of the ponds at Middleton Place.

So many baby birds were born this season, I feel like a father dozens of times over. These shots will give you an idea of how crammed into these nests the birds are when they are starting to mature and get ready to fledge.

The babies above were only a couple days old and thought I was mom. Below is the beginnings of the new Antler Village project at Biltmore. It will contain a number of new buildings including a new Outdoor Center, a pub, and some interactive exhibits relating to the farm and dairy. Can't wait.