New things at Mouteau Park this week.....

I have more posts about the zoo at Tacoma, WA, but want to keep up with the critters back home, too. I had several interesting walks this week with bugs, butterflies and other critters that fly. I think the Eastern Pondhawk female is one of my favorite dragonflies, because I love the beautiful green color.
When I got the photos on the computer at home, I found that I caught her munching on a fly(?).

Crunch, gulp....almost gone!
I think this is a Halloween Pennant male. I just looked on-line to find out the difference. This one has reddish markings on the tail area and those reddish bars on the wing edges. Kelly at Red and the Peanut had a beautiful female in her blog which looks golden on the tail area and lacks the bars. I hope I got these right.
Mr. big green grasshopper.....

.....a different sort of smaller green hopper. I like the way the back looks like a blade of grass.

These yellow flowers were very busy with all sorts of bugs....bees, lightening bugs, and wasps mostly.

Speaking of wasps....these two were....uh.....busy! I like how the one on the bottom continues to feed......

.....and they fly around together while connected! Always something new and different to be seen when you have a camera with you!

Many of the butterflies were really torn up. A torn Monarch.

I've never photographed this butterfly/moth before and do not know its name yet. I DID buy a butterfly book....honest....but I haven't had time to look it up. I think I'm more confused now that I have a book then I was without one!

Tried to find this one.....an Azure of some sort? It was much bigger than the little Eastern Tailed Blue, but I definitely saw blue inside the wings.

Several Buckeyes flying around.

A flat out pose, even if not from a good angle. These are all right along the side of a pond, and I kept thinking any time I was going to be be busy taking a photo and step off the side of the hill into the water!

Pearl Crescent whole.....

.......torn.

Otter love.....

I admit it.....I fell in love with the sea otters at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (Tacoma, WA)! They have to be the cutest animals I've seen in a long time and the this exhibit was great because I could take photos without plexiglass in the way. I was fascinated by the fact that he could haul his hind-end sideways into his "lap" and kneed it and wash the tail. Very agile! Would love to feel the fur. My favorite shot :-)
My daughter liked this one best.....doesn't he look very comfortable and serene??

There were 3 of them leisurely floating around on their backs and grooming.
An occasional roll-over or somersault.
Ahhhhh...... from the cute face, the little front paws.....

......to the hind feet and tail.....cute!

They tuck bits of food under their armpit and bring it out later. This one is gnawing on something.

Washing the face and whiskers with a nice cheek massage thrown in.

"Much better....now a nap"

My daughter and I might still be standing there if Mike hadn't finally dragged us away.

Familiar and unfamiliar and sort of familiar....

Maybe I should call this post "East meets West". I saw many things in Washington that were familiar and some that weren't and some that I wasn't sure about......they were sort of like home, but not quite. A Chickadee is cute no matter what side of the country you are on! I think this is the same we have in the east.....a Black-Capped Chickadee.....but somehow he seemed a bit different. I felt the same way about the House Sparrows.
He was one of the few birds I managed to get to come to some seeds I put out. It is difficult in strange places to know where to find birds. I could find no nature centers listed, but my sister found a list of some local sites on the Rainier Audubon web site. However, after trying to visit 2 of them, we didn't have a lot of luck. My gut observation is that unless you get away into the mountains or the countryside.....and know where to go....that the parks and such are more geared to recreation than bird watching. Lots of biking/hiking trails, but not into the woods or areas that are wild. It may have been the wrong time of year for some of the places.

I liked the way this silhouette looked. Whatever this fir tree is, the chickadee liked it.

I saw lots of trees that I didn't know....and still don't know them because I don't have a tree book for the northwest. This is in my sister's yard and has these "shaggy" cones.

She said this one is a Douglas Fir....she has a couple of those.

This odd tree is at the Tacoma Zoo, but I saw the same kind at that log cabin we visited. No idea what it is, but the stark look of the branches stood out to me.

I believe this is an Oregon Junco......again, I could tell it was a Junco, but different then the ones that I see at home!

I'm not used to the wet atmosphere that allows moss and lichens to grow all over the trees. What a variety here on one branch!

Another shot of the mixture

Crow.....I think I got that one right! They walk around in the front yard of my sister's house looking for food. This one found something and took it to the roof.

Very willing to pose.

Many plants that I didn't know or don't see at home. Saw lots of these flowers and have no idea what they are. (NOTE: Ruth says they are Tansy...thanks, Ruth!)

Bushes/trees with white berries? (NOTE: Jenny says they are Snowberry...thanks, Jenny!)

....and orange berries? (NOTE: Katney says Mountain Ash.....thanks, Katney!)

And these???

Waxwing! I know that one!

This maple has the largest leaves I have ever seen and still has the "helicopter" seeds attached.......mine all lose them in the spring.

Another maple? Similar seeds.

Tree frog that came visiting one night :-)

OK.....obviously I need to get some reference books for the Seattle area before the next time we go back!

Renton, Washington library....

I like libraries with imagination. The one in downtown Renton, Washington is built over the Cedar River. What a wonderful idea! A view from outside.
Cute sculpture

A more distant view. There is a nice path that takes you under the library and under the nearby road and along the river. Wonderful place to walk.

This is the view if you are standing inside the library looking out.

There were several Mallard Ducks swimming along in the river.

On a hot day, it would be nice to join them!

And of course I have to show the quilt that hangs on the library walls :-) I like the way the quilter used the airplane blocks around the edge to celebrate the presence of Boeing.