Rain Shower Revival of Brightwood Park

 After a few days of hot and dry weather, I felt lethargic while I walked around in Brightwood Park.  It was a pleasant surprise to have a rain shower which was not in the forecast for the night of June 22.  The next morning, I could not wait to check what the rain brought to the park.  Bright-colored slime molds and mushrooms were the first to catch my eye.  They appeared in multiple places.  

The flora of wood ear mushrooms was revived by rain water.  Somehow when I observed shapes like a human face and a hood left behind, I was reminded of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. 

As sun rays brought a sense of vitality to the trees, bushes, and flowers, a stalk of common mullein flowers proudly stood out in the woods like a monument and landmark.

At this time of summer, most of the young birds have already grown up and left their nests.  I happened to see in a tree hole, a young northern flicker being mouth-fed by its mom.  This young one was probably the last in the class to graduate.  The nest became empty when I checked it the next day.  I wonder if the holes with a pattern at the base of the tree were the street address marked by the woodpecker resident.