The Girl in the Pink Hat

      Some of you will no doubt recall a post some time ago (here) when a charming little girl in a pink hat captivated me, and I suspect many others out for a walk in the park that day.

      Her name is Sasha.

     Who could not be taken in by that impish smile? I arranged with her mom, Megha, to take her for a walk along the Mill Race to hand feed a chickadee or two.

     Sasha brought along her friend, Idhikaa, to join in the fun.

     And so, one evening, we set off to see some birds and coax the chickadees to get to know Sasha. Unbelievably, I don't think I have ever had a slower evening of birding in this location, and despite our best efforts and a copious supply of sunflower seed, we barely heard or saw a chickadee, let alone fed one.

     We had a great time together, however, and Sasha seemed quite happy to load up each chipmunk hole with seed; the chipmunks certainly benefitted from the lack of birds.

     Idhikaa was a delightful companion and we were very happy that Megha had brought her along.

     There were trees to climb and the girls needed no encouragement to test their skills.

     Took me right back to my own childhood!

     Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) nodded in the background.

     This flower is in the genus Anemonastratum but I am not sure of the exact species.

     A Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) seemed reluctant to open up.

     What secrets lurk inside this old stump, we wondered?

     This is a female damselfly (suborder Zygoptera), perhaps waiting for a suitor to come along.

     It is always a pleasure to see Red Clover (Trifolium pratense).

     Water droplets on leaves are scintillating.

     This handsome little fellow is a Green Immigrant Leaf Weevil (Polydrusus formosus).

     Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifola) is a signature plant along the Mill Race.

     Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides) is found alongside the water's edge.

     Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) was an object of delight for the girls.

     It wasn't always easy to find a flat stone to skim on the water, but it's fun to throw a stone and watch the ripples anyway.

     Dusk was descending as we meandered back to our cars.

     We hadn't been able to feed a chickadee but we'd had a very enjoyable time together anyway. Let's do it again soon!