Nature Walk

Today I went to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania at Beechwood for the first time in a couple of months to photograph. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my tripod along and had to rely on my unsteady arms and the sligthly better support of fenceposts and railings. I was stunned how much the nature preserve has changed since my last visit. The entire open field and meadow area is now covered with goldenrod, New York ironweed and boneset - a riot of colors with yellow dominating. When I came to the Meadow Trail, I saw a Monarch butterfly feeding on an ironweed. They seemed to like that plant and I looked out for them, hoping to take a great shot at a Monarch, but not quite succeeding. As I searched for the butterflies, I wondered how many of the people on the trails really see the butterflies, bees, and birds that catch my eye. Most visitors race along the trails as if they were being chased by a wild bear. No one actually takes the time to admire the ever-changing beauty of nature that this microcosmos offers to those who stop and search it out. They might as well walk at a mall.
In the end, I took a couple of photos of a duck and several great shots of a cute goldfinch that was taking a bath in the mini-waterfall by the Nature Center (where my photos are for sale, by the way).