This is one of the picnic areas in the park.
These two boys were exploring while their parents lingered over their picnic meal nearby.
Several of these were lying on the ground under a tree. I believe they are hedge apples.
And here are some that haven't dropped from the tree yet.
Just a view of the lake and picnic area on a lovely fall day.
This bird (not sure of its identification) seems to be carrying an acorn in its beak.
I was meaning to capture the color in the trees across the lake, but these red leaves in the foreground stole the show.
very pretty. i'd say that bird is a woodpecker of some sort - maybe red-bellied or flicker?
ReplyDeletewe call those hedge apples bois d'arc apples or osage oranges. :)
I think the bird is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Even though many leaves had dropped you still have beautiful images of fall.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, Linda... That is a neat park.... When I first saw a hedge apple, I had NO idea what it was... That was many years ago--and since then, I have seen more of them... They truly are weird!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYour bird is some kind of woodpecker, maybe a Red-bellied...
Hugs,
Betsy
Lovely area. That apple looks like a yellow brain.
ReplyDeleteTheresa - Doug thought it was a Northern Flicker, but the photo isn't clear enough to be sure. Ruth and Betsy are leaning towards a red-bellied woodpecker. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ruth. The red-bellied woodpecker is ahead in the voting. :)
Thanks you, Betsy. We're glad we found this place. It's a state park, and it's only about an hour's drive from our house. The hedge apple was a new one to me, too. I had to look on the internet to find out what it was. What did we ever do without the internet?
Hilary - That's funny. When I was doing the internet search to find out what it was, I typed in "yellow tree fruit that looks like a brain." :)
Hedge apples? Never heard of them. They look rather alien.
ReplyDeleteThe woodpecker shot is great.I like it when the hedge apples are left with no leaves, it almost looks like a decorated Christmas tree.
ReplyDeleteOh, these are delightful, Linda! The last shot of the red leaves you captioned perfectly. They are indeed quite the show stealer! We always called those green, brain-looking things, horse apples. Not sure if that's right, though. The markings on that bird remind me of a red-bellied woodpecker. Oh, I see others have said the same. Could be a flicker too, I guess. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteStephen - I think I'd heard of them, somewhere in my distant past; but I had no idea this is what they looked like.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steve. That shot was sort of an accident. I was trying to capture it while it perched on the side of the tree trunk, but it flew just as I clicked the shutter.
Thank you, Gail. TexWisGirl also told me that "horse apples" is another name for the hedge apples. See the amazing things we learn in the blogosphere? :)
This is a beautiful park. I have to admit that I haven't heard of it before, but I would enjoy a visit there. I like your picture with the red leaves in the foreground.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty, George. But you and Betsy would be bored...no waterfalls. :)
DeleteGreat Fall pics from Quabache State Park! Makes me want to go back again...it's been years and we only live 10 miles away! We used to take the grandgirls there a lot, even in the winter. It was so beautiful and neat to see deer at dusk coming out from their day of sleep. The girls would get so excited and glad that Grandpa didn't have gun! You brought back some great memories Linda, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDiane - It IS a neat place. We've lived within an hour of it all these years and had never been there until this summer. You should take those grandkids again. They're never too old to enjoy an outing with Grandma and Grandpa. Just make sure the gun stays at home.
DeleteWonderful picnic area, Linda. I really like the first photo and the one with the boys. I've never heard of and never seen anything like hedge apples.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Petra. The hedge apples were new to me, too.
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