​After working for a long day, I decided to relax and take a walk in Brightwood Park.  After passing the pond junction, I heard a banging noise like someone tearing down a house.  Instinctively I scanned across the dense woods, and found a pileated woodpecker couple (red mustache is the ID of a male) working hard by checking up from one tree to the other for food.   

Aiming and focusing was quite a challenge when I tried to take photos of them.  Luckily, in one of the photos I seemed to catch the moment of one bird extending the tongue to lick food from a tree.

​After the woodpeckers flew away, I continued my walk towards the dam.  A  handsome bullfrog was posing on a log and waiting for photographers.  The creature allowed me to take photos from several angles, and was very calm even when I approached within 3 feet of distance.  When I moved on I encountered another model, this time a cute chipmunk.  The little one let me take a few shots and started to wiggle.  I guess the fellow needed a bathroom break.  I waved and the fellow disappeared in less than a second.

With the way they flit around amongst the flowers, it is very difficult to get clear photos of yellow finch(s).  This species is the state bird of New Jersey!

 ​Gazing at the spiderwebs shining and vibrating under the morning sun, I became curious if these could be musical instruments made by nature to play in an orchestra to celebrate the Creation.

(Chuan-Chu is definitely onto something!  Check out this website for how spiders "tune" their webs:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EkEsTafD38.  Also, MIT scientists have actually explored the music of spider webs.  Listen here:  https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/04/14/mit-spiderweb-music-scn.cnn)

 It was early in the morning.  A green heron was patiently waiting to catch its breakfast.  It would have been nice if I could have caught the moment the fish jumped in the heron's mouth.  I will have to try next time.

 As I have shared before, Brightwood Park is a place where one can discover new objects of fun at every visit.   I have never returned home without images of new wonders in my cellphone and camera.  

This morning a glowing spiderweb lit up my journey in the park.  A unique voice drew my attention to the pond, it was the greeting of a female wood duck  The background of the swimming duck was laid out and decorated continuously by an invisible artist.

It is the blooming time for ghost pipe flowers.  The primrose seemed to consider it a little boring, and decided to contribute a few bright yellow flowers to make it a world of color.

After months of dormancy, Ganoderma mushrooms finally have woken.  They stretched and presented a colorful pattern, like stacked pancakes covered with maple syrup.  In a separate area, the same species appeared in a diverse pattern which reminded me of steamed buns, scones, and ham-and eggs.  I suddenly realized it's time for breakfast. 

July 8 
When I first entered the park this morning, I was excited to see several yellow finches checking out the coreopsis flowers.  I was unable to get a good photo shot because they either hide behind the plants or move very rapidly.  Hopefully I can do better with their cooperation next time. 
 
While a group of mallard ducks were conducting a parade in the pond, two chipmunks formed a mini-band by singing without a stop.

Spiderwebs are generally not pleasant to encounter by accident.  But they can make some people (such as myself) obsessive, upon watching their glowing and colorful reflections under the morning sun.

 
Monday (July 8)
In addition to the slime mold from yesterday, this morning I found a few colonies of tiny and cute white mushrooms.  They reminded me of manna described in the Bible, the food God provided to feed the Israelites for 40 years while they sojourned in the desert.    

Wineberry plants are seen in many parts of the park,  The fruit is ripening but unlike other wild-grown fruits, not consumed by animals or birds.  I guess the hairy or thorny coating scared away those who were tempted.

Log date:  July 7
Although we had a few warm and humid days, these conditions seem to be welcomed by several plant species.  I took a photo of the tansies by the parking lot in the early morning, and thought that was it for the day.  In the afternoon Denise sent me two beautiful photos of slime molds on the stump of a downed tree near the dam.  I could not wait to check them out. 

Ghost pipe plant has a better name in Chinese: 水晶蘭, which means “Crystal orchid”.  The cluster is getting taller everyday and today they look like a group of beautiful high school girls hanging out together.

The pattern of the clouds and the reflections were fascinating.  I could not wait to record them to share with you.

 ​Knowing it was going to be a warm and humid day, I did my survey of the park early in the morning, at about 6:20-7:00.  Likely I was the first visitor of the day.  Right along the trail in the meadow area, I saw a turtle digging a hole to lay eggs.  This is the fourth year I observed such a special moment.  Previously, the turtles rushed in and rushed out, carrying mud on the backs.  This time I was pleased to see the new mom first washing up and then coming to the delivery room with a smile.  Although there did not appear to be a concern of privacy, when I made a circle around the pond and came back to the same spot, the turtle disappeared and the hole was already well covered.  

According to the information obtained from internet, it takes 72-80 days to hatch.  I hope to catch the time when the babies are hatched and move back to the pond.

I checked where I saw the beefsteak mushroom two days ago.  It was amazing to see the rapid and dramatic morphological change within 72 hours.  On the first day it was like a steak, the next day it turned into like the head of a hippies singer, now on the third day it disappeared.  I had no idea whether the mushroom was consumed by animals or insects, or played gone with the wind.

There are a couple of additional interesting objects that I would like to share with you.  The first was a ring-shaped mushroom, with a diameter about 1 centimeter.  Other than a wedding ring, the only thing I could relate to was calamari on a dinner table, realizing that I skipped my breakfast and came to the park in a hurry..    

The second object was a tree nodule near the erosion area.  Once again by watching this, the memory of the fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen came up and many of my childhood images flash through my mind.

 I hope you and your family had an enjoyable 4th of July holiday.  

Yesterday I was informed by Denise of her discovery of red-colored, tiny-and-cute mushrooms on the logs at about half-way between the dam and the Prospect Street entrance.  This morning I could not wait to check it out, and even went to the park a second time around noon to appreciate the mushrooms again.  The creatures first appear in brown color.  Upon maturation they turn red and fuse to one another.  Some of the patterns look interesting, one like a praying child, and the other reminded me of the character in Henry the comic strip by Carl Thomas Anderson in the 1930s,

Watching the red mushrooms in scattered patterns, it suddenly occurred to me that this could be nature's way of decorating the park to celebrate the birthday of this blessed country.

The beefsteak mushroom I saw yesterday had a rapid turnover like a magician's performance.  The appearance today is like a singer from the Hippies era.

On the right side of the driveway to the parking lot, several hamburger-like mushrooms made me feel hungry.  I thank Lloyd for his timely reminder cautioning me to refrain from becoming a modern version of Adam and Eve. 

 a dead tree by the dam.  In the morning a branch of the dead tree by the dam reminded me of a bunker with artillery at Normandy Beach.  By noon when I took a step back, I saw a monster with its mouth open and tongue flipping.

I include photos of a tiny spider less than half a centimeter in diameter) with long legs.  I apologize for the quality as the iPhone has stretched to its limit.

The ghost pipe just started to bloom.  In the next few days I expect to see more flowers.