30 Minutes on Stockade Creek
Charles Allen Haynes
July 29, 2022
Just had enough of air-conditioned comfort. I got the Canon and 100-400 out and decided to spend some time down United Avenue, around the bend at Stockade Creek. It was raining when I left the house and the temperature was 94 degrees F, ridiculous. I parked on Walker Street and walked into the tiny preserve, down the concrete path carrying an inch of water draining from the nearby street. The walk was rather like a sauna, and I discovered right away that the lens, coming from an air-conditioned room into the steamy creekside was totally fogged over. From experience I knew it would take several minutes to equilibrate. Of course I immediately saw a Hackberry Emperor male and resigned myself to only see it. But, I took out my trusty iPhone and started an approach. The little rascal let me get within eighteen inches. After I pocketed my phone he flew around my head a couple of time and then off up the creek.
I walked down toward United Avenue and didn’t really see much. It’s a bit early in the season and it had just rained. I did see a Green Tree Frog, two actually. Looked like they were in their element, humid and hot. I went back toward the car. The heat and humidity were an overwhelming pair. Briefly saw a dragonfly in the oblique light… came back home. Total trip was about 30 minutes and, although I was hot and exhausted it was worth it… a little hit of the real world.
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My dad, Charles Henderson Haynes, would have been 111 years of age today. This love of nature came from that well.
Asterocampa celtis
Hyla cinerea