Iberville Shale

These remind me of icebergs.

Iberville shale

The flat, dark gray stones streaked with unmistakable white lines on the shores of Lake Champlain are Iberville shale – a name that comes from the Quebec town where the shale was discovered by Western geologists. It’s a thinly layered, sedimentary rock that was formed from marine silt deposited roughly 500 to 440 million years ago. Iberville Shale was created during the Ordovician period, when almost all of the earth north of the tropics was ocean. The silt deposited deep in these ocean waters became shale as it hardened and compacted over time. It’s younger than most other sedimentary rocks in the Champlain Valley, which date back 600-500 million years. The tell-tale white stripes are veins of mineral calcite formed by powerful compressing forces that drove calcium carbonate in the water to coalesce into mineral calcite.

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Indian Pipe Plant

Indian Pipe Plant, Ghost pipe, Ghost Plant, Corpse Plant, Dutchman's Pipe, Monotropa Uniflora

This unusual plant has no chlorophyll, so is not green. It therefore cannot make its own food, and is a parasite having a relationship with a fungus and a tree. It takes nutrients from both and so is found under American beech and pines along with types of mushrooms which include the Russula and Lactarius mushrooms. 

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Disclaimer

My blog is meant to inform and I strive to be totally accurate. It is solely up to the reader to ensure proper plant identification. Some wild plants are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.

Giving Thanks

We may come with different beliefs and backgrounds but our hearts all desire the same things - peace, love, security, connection, & joy. This is where we need to place our attention. Thank you for sharing kindness, caring, and compassion, and may we all cherish and protect the natural world.

 

Canada Anemone

Canada Anemone

Anemone canadensis is also known as windflower, meadow anemone, round-leaf thimbleweed. Tribal people used the roots and leaves of this plant medicinally. It’s a common sight in moist meadows or along streambanks. This wildflower can cause skin irritation, so wear gloves and long pants/long sleeves while pruning. It is toxic to humans in large doses.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Disclaimer

My blog is meant to inform and I strive to be totally accurate. It is solely up to the reader to ensure proper plant identification. Some wild plants are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.

Nuthatch Parenting

Nuthatch Feeding It's Children

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

The Old Round Church In Richmond, Vermont

The Old Round Church In Richmond

The Old Round Church In Richmond, Vermont With Fall Afternoon Shadows

The Old Round Church, was built in 1812-13 under the direction of local craftsman William Rhodes to be the Town Meeting Hall and place of worship for members of five Protestant denominations. Significant for its rare design and well-preserved detail, it is perhaps the sole surviving example of an early 19th-century 16-sided wooden meetinghouse. Today it is open to the public during the summer and fall foliage seasons (10-4 daily) and is a venue for weddings and community programs.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

On The Rocks Or Ode To An Inchworm

On The Rocks or Ode To An Inchworm

As I sprawl in the sun on these rocks,

that echo the coolness of the icy water around them.

Like a lizard absorbing the heat,

Lazily watching a glowing green inchworm

traveling across this stoney surface,

Inching it's way around and over crisp autumn leaves,

Strewn in it's path. 

Like a tightrope walker balancing 

on the razors edge of a leaf.

Onward to the next surface,

Climbing the mossy slope,

to then dangle off the ledge.

Then turning and moving on,

To where?

I'm not sure that even the inchworm knows.

Perhaps the journey is fascinating,

Regardless of the destination.

Travel well

While I bask in the beauty of this sunny afternoon.

Lulled by the sound of water flowing by

On this lovely mountain stream.

As colorful leaves rain slowly down around me,

All I can think is, 

Can I live here?

Because I never want to leave.

By Elise T. Marks © 10-5-2023

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.