After photographing the RED-TAILED HAWKS’ nest, I walked back, trying to decide where to have my picnic lunch, which, in the heat and humidity, , had started weighing heavily on my shoulder….but as I walked, I stopped thinking about it, for this lovely yellow water lily greeted me:

I had, earlier, spotted this WOOD DUCK mother, shepherding her brood on the water: Then this CHIPPING SPARROW in the clover: One not-very-common sighting was this CAPE MAY WARBLER which Danny Brown and his friend Mark Haas both id'd for me: this CEDAR WAXWING was too high up in the tree to get a good shot: so was this RED-HEADED WOODPECKER: the EASTERN KINGBIRD was flying near the river reeds: The squirrels all seemed to have fresh new tails! the Sycamore seeds looked plump and pretty! even the Dandelion, that commonest of weeds, looked lovely: I think these are BLUEBELLS (Thanks, , for the correct Cow Vetch id!) but I am not sure: an unknown caterpillar had pupated, getting ready to issue forth as a butterrfly: and a Mushroom had...well...mushroomed: could tell me if it was an edible one! I walked past this bush, which seems like HOLLY to me, but surely holly puts forth berries only during Christmas time? As I crossed one part of Des Peres creek, I found a GREEN HERON and a WESTERN PAINTED TURTLE next to each other: Then the heron decided to give the turtle a wide berth: I got the turtle in the water, and the heron near it : I decided I was quite hungry, and decided to stop at the Muny and have my lunch. As I took out my sandwich, I looked up and at the tops of the columns, the BARN SWALLOWS were making their nests: It seemed it was a day of seeing parents and their homes! I normally take "beelines" across the Park, heading in a straight line as far as possible. My return took me across the hot concrete parking lot of the Muny, and I was cursing myself for walking along that...but at the back of the Muny, I had a totally unexpected treat. Something larger-than-a-bee whizzed past me...and yes! It WAS a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (not hard to id, as this is the only Hummingbird in Missouri!), sipping nectar from the Pink Honeysuckle: Out of that flower, and aiming for the next one! </lj-cut> Here, you can see the ruby throat of the bird's name: I really had to whip the camera into these three shots as in a flash the bird disappeared! Sunset found me very satisfied with my long, solitary ramble in Forest Park!