Baby frogs (about 2.5 cm in body length) are out exploring their world around the dam.  

​In addition to baby frogs, I saw a broken branch and a few mushrooms in Brightwood Park this morning.  By staring at them for a while, the broken tree branch appeared like a human face wearing a monocle and a dog face.  The mushrooms are becoming alive, too, with patterns like eyes, nose, hair, beard, etc.  They made me feel like a child again.

 I usually get up early and check out the park shortly after 6 a.m.  JPL and I typically have a change-of-guard around a.m.  This morning I overslept and didn't get to the park till 7.  It was a pleasant surprise to see the beautiful rays and the reflections of water drops hanging on the leaves and the flowers of plants.  The humidity provided a perfect environment for mushrooms to enter the stage.  Trees and smaller plants all looked cheerful.  Photo No.14 taken by iPhone reminded me of ballroom dancing.

It appears that the coyotes are away for vacation.  Deer activities are increasing in the park as well as the neighborhood these days.  From the photos here one can clearly see deer are selective in their diet.  Some plants are bypassed and spared.

 I never regret getting up early and spending time in Brightwood Park at so-called "golden hours."  In addition to the fresh air, there are many beautiful moments appearing in seconds or minutes, which can only be seen and captured in narrow time-windows.  Here are a few examples taken with my iPhone.  Of particular interest are the young trees with their upper limbs brightened by the sunlight and their lower parts remaining dimmed, as if the trees were wearing short pants to cope with the heat.

The drought has caused the ponds' water to recede and has worsened the duckweed problem.  However, Brightwood is still a fun place early in the morning.  For example, I experimented by moving close to spiderwebs after I was chased by mosquitoes and other blood-thirsty bugs.  It seemed to work for me and I thanked my eight-legged little friends for liberating me from the annoying disturbances.

Upon watching and photographing the remarkable art and engineering projects of my spider friends, I first felt a little upset with tree branches blocking the view.  Later I changed my mind by discovering and appreciating that this can be an elegant string-music instrument designed by nature, with countless strings manufactured by the spiders and the bows contributed by twigs of trees.  A title then came across my mind for the photos taken: "Fiddler on the Web?"
 

 Warm days without rain is taking a toll in Brightwood Park.  The small pond is disappearing, with mud and weeds all over the place.  The large pond has been covered by duckweed.  I went there shortly after 6 the morning of July 31 and saw a green heron couple desperately looking for fish for breakfast.  By looking at the facial expression and their motions, one could tell how frustrated they were.  I apologized for the poor resolution of the images because of insufficient light and the distance between me and the herons.

 Two deer came to the shore of the large pond for a chill.  Drinking the water and even enjoying a bath should be well  acceptable, but not what one of them did at departure.  Maybe it needs an education in etiquette!   ​Before going home, I spotted a lanternfly on the grass by the parking lot.  After taking a few photos for the record, I did a good deed for the day, as I was taught by my boy scout master many years ago.