The Three Mile Slog

I went out today and did 3 miles to make it 60 for the month. I was still tired from runs earlier in the week and couldn't run a quicker pace as I like to do with this short a distance. The heat and humidity were there but at least it wasn't scorching hot. I did 29:29 time at a 9:50 per mile pace. Nurse Shannon drove by in her huge truck and gave me a smile of encouragement.

toadshade

The Goldenrod Horse Nettle 6

Meadow-beauty and Lake
Originally uploaded by toadshade

The blessed rain came today and cooled things down enough for me to get in a 6 mile run around Sunview Lake. It gave so much in the way of flora yesterday that I had to do it again today. The Goldrenrods and Horse Nettle were beginning to come into their own but the pleasant surprise of the day was a first timer for me - a Round-leaved Boneset (Eupatorium rotundifolium). The Eupatoriums become plentiful as the summer rolls on and are very dominant into fall. I've seen regular Boneset in the mountains along with Joe Pye Weed or Queen of the Meadow. The purple Mistflower seems to grow around the Midlands more than their mountain counterparts. The run was slowly, relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable. I ran the 6 in 1:01:56 at 10:26 per mile.

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The Cute Rabbit Wildflowers Galore 8 Miler

Rabbit
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I decided to go for 8 miles since, even though it was hot, it was cloudy and not too bad out there. This cute rabbit posed for me about 3 miles in, obviously stunned immobile by my athletic prowess. I made decent time for such a hot day at 1:21:41 at 10:13 per mile. But the main attraction, besides the star struck rabbit, was the new growth of summer wildflowers I found in the Ulmer Road, Sunview Lake area. Saw my first Goldenrods and Asters of the summer, along with Fern-leaf False Foxglove, the highly poisonous Water Hemlock (same family of Hemlocks that killed Socrates), Sericea, Pokeweed, Maypops, Smooth Meadow-beauty, Trumpet Vine, Horse Nettle, Hairy Skullcap and Coreopsis; plus a couple of Burley Cudges I'm too tired to put on Flickr tonight. It was a great run and great to see the wheels of Nature turning with new delights.

toadshade

Spiders and Spanish Moss and Butterfly Peas

Spanish Moss and Sunlight
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ann-Marie and I went down to Poinsett State Park across the Wateree River in Sumter County. This is near where the Wateree and Congaree meet and you have the convergence of two great swamps. This used to be a common habitat for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and teams still comb the area every couple of years. Last sighting was in the 1950s. It's a unique area in that it combines lowland flora (Spanish Moss) with a hilly piedmont type environment. We hiked two trails, the Coquina Trail that goes around the lake and the Scout Trail that goes on a much broader path to a camping area about a mile in. Part of this is on the Palmetto Trail and it has campsites for backpackers. Our total hike was about 4.3 miles. The weather was hot, humid and in the nineties.

The main characteristic of this trail, besides the Moss and Sweetgums, was the abundance of spiders. They were mostly Spiny Orb Weavers but there were quite a few of the larger Garden Spiders (with the white writing in the web) and the even larger, rectangular backed Golden Silk Spiders. Webs were crossing the path every few feet on the Coquina Trail. Ann-Marie had to lead the way with her cane clearing a path. This was reminiscent of the 40 Acre Rock Trail we did last month. It was mostly Spiny Orb Weavers on that one. Wildflowers we found on this trail were Butterfly Peas (a lot), Elephant's Foot, Flowering Spurge, Yellow False Indigo, and what I think is a Wild Hydrangea (it's a Burley Cudge at present under review). On the Scout Trail we saw a lot more of the Butterfly Peas and some new ones like Tread-softly (Spurge Nettle) and Black-eyed Susans. We took a break at the lake after we finished the Coquina Trail. Ann-Marie did a thorough and enjoyable show-and-tell on her new knife - a Spyderco. Quite fitting for the day.

On the bird side we saw or heard Acadian Flycatchers, Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, Red-eyed Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Great Egret, Northern Mockingbird, Tufted Titmice, Wood Peewee, Great-crested Flycatchers and a Summer Tanager.

Ann-Marie and I hiked hard especially on the Scout Trail which wasn't impeded by arachnid activity (for the most part). It was a great day.

toadshade

The Camphorweed Sicklepod 5

Camphorweed
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I found this beautiful Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) visited by several Checkered Skippers during my jog today on Dickcissel Road. The road is till closed off to traffic and I saw some Sicklepod (leaves only) growing along with some wildflowers that looked like some kind of Morning Glory that I've photographed for this blog previously. The run was decent, hot but with moderate humidity and I make fair time of 49:44 at 9:55 per mile. When you crush the leaves of this wildflower they smell like camphor - hence the name.

toadshade

The Crepe Myrtle 4

Crepe Myrtle
Originally uploaded by toadshade

This tree is indicative of the south in summer and grows everywhere. I took a short quick run around the neighborhood and finished in 37:18 at 9:20 per mile. Hot summer has set in and I'm taking on more calories by eating breakfast. This is really beginning to show in my stamina out on the course. I'm still not jogging enough to where I'm tight but I'm not whipped at the end of a run either!

toadshade

Two Girls, a Guy, and a Wood Peewee

Ann-Marie, Viv and I went out on a 3 Mile hike on the Stewardship Trail at Harbison State Forest at about 3 today. It was about 90 but with low humidity and some decent breezes blowing through. As Viv pointed out it was mainly a Loblolly, Longleaf Pine, Oak-Sweetgum Forest with some good ground covers of Partridgeberry along the way. Not much in bloom since the leaves had set in but there were patches of Bitterweed in the sunlit clearings. I snapped a picture of a Fiery Skipper on one of them. Ann-Marie provided more info about knives and guns while Viv used her extensive DNR knowledge about streams to evaluate the streams in the area. These two set a fast get-in-shape pace that didn't allow time for me loli-gagging about with my iPhone. The trail was mostly level for the first 2/3 but did have a few uphills in the last third that got your attention. Heard some birds I couldn't identify but we did hear a Wood Peewee in the first third of the walk and our best Wood Peewee imitation in response.

As we finished Ann-Marie and Viv were making plans for the next walk which will be a little longer and a little tougher. It's fun to walk with people really concerned about getting in shape and don't mine challenging themselves. We all reconnoitered at Pantera and I let Viv and Ann-Marie identify their first wildflower since they both purchased copies of Porcher's Wildflowers of South Carolina. They IDed Bitterweed almost immediately. It was a great time and we will continue in Harbison Forest for the next few walks.

toadshade

The South Park Sultry 7

It was a sultry 88 today and I had to take it slow out there. I ran it in 1:11:31 at 10:13 per mile. My style is still not as tight as I would like but, more importantly, I tend to get stronger in the 2nd half of the run and that's great news in this soggy, hot and humid time of the year. Got chased by one of my old psycho dog buddies. The kids that keep letting him out to get run over finally contained him. As least he gave a short break in the heat.

toadshade

The South Park 4

Partridge Pea
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I was going longer but felt super tired at the beginning of the run so decided to make SE Park a 4 miler. It was 86 and humid and I trudged my way through the first couple of miles which took me to SE Park. On the way back I started feeling a lot better and picked up the pace considerably for a decent time of 37:06 at 9:17 per mile. Stopped in a field to check out the wildflowers and found some Partridge Pea already growing. I usually expect them later in the summer. The blossom was there but not open so I decided to get a shot of the beautiful leaves of this plant.

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Another St John's Wort at Peachtree Rock

Sandhills St John's Wort
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Went out with Ann-Marie to hike Peachtree Rock and was greeted to another unusual St John's Wort. This one is Sandhills St John's Wort (Hypericum lloydii) and there was plenty of it. Must not have been to rock this time of summer since it's hard to miss these huge clumps of bright yellow flowers with the protruding stamens. It was a great day for a hike - not to hot and not too long. Other plants that made the day list were Asiatic Day Flower actually blooming on the rock. There was some Sweet Pepperbush blooming nearby and plenty of Maple Leaf Viburnum. The birds were typical of this time of the year. Red-eyed Vireo, Towhee, Mockingbird, Carolina Wrens, Cardinals and the various Titmice and Chickadees. I had fun at the waterdrip, or fall, taking a quick head bath before eating my Bear Claw. Ann-Marie posed with her new friend, an Ebony Jewelwing, and there was another Damselfly out there called an Atlantic Bluet. Saw many interesting rock formations in this Fall-Line Sandhills environment and plenty of Mountain Laurel that was way past blooming. Saw many different types of Blueberry out there with Sparklebury and what may be a Wild Buckwheat. The walk was only about 1.70 miles but it was a lot of fun. Ann-Marie picked some Sassafras Leaves to make some tea.

toadshade

A New Wildflower at SE Park

Long-leaf Houstonia
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I decided to hike Southeast Park today to test out my new GPS on my iPhone. Found this fairly uncommon Houstonia longifolia growing near the big fields where the Bluebirds sing. It's good to keep finding stuff. I was paying a lot of attention to my iPhone so I may have missed something. Found some beautiful, accessible (not right next to water) Meadow Beauties and got some good shots. I heard a lot of Kingbirds, saw and heard a Great-crested Flycatcher and saw numerous Robins, Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers. Hear some Towhees and Red-winged Blackbirds. I took the longest route I could around the place and came up with a total walk of 1.80 miles. A couple of those and you got a good afternoon workout. The flora and fauna just make it better.

toadshade

The Bitterweed Hackberry 5

Bitterweed
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Actually I took this picture a couple of weeks ago but this Bitterweed is still blooming. I really didn't have an interesting photo for this run so I decided to give this Bitterweed it's day in the sun (so to speak). I may have called this Sneezeweed in an earlier post but according to Richard Porcher's Wildflowers of SC, Sneezeweed doesn't have these leaf clusters. It is Cherokee Medicine Plant of the West used in a concoction to treat diabetes. Taken straight it may be poisonous to humans and a danger to livestock. Pretty common throughout summer. An Indigo Bunting and a Blue Grosbeak were in their usual Hackberry Tree singing away.

Had a decent run, not too hot at 76 degrees, for a time of 48:43 at 9:44 per mile.

toadshade

The Wet Petunia 3

Wet petunia
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Had to run off some stress when I got home this afternoon. Had a huge thunderstorm that cooled the world down by 12 degrees. It was good to work up some sweat and let the stress of the day work itself out through my muscles and lungs. Dealing with sick addicted can drain your emotional energy. I ran my neighborhood 3 mile Trinity run and enjoyed the wet earth and the glistening flowers. Had a decent time of 28:14 at 9:24 per mile. Felt a lot better. Took this picture of my beautiful Petunias.

toadshade

The Sop-Mop Southeast Park Seven

South East Park
Originally uploaded by toadshade

This was the inaugural run of this jog which combines South East Tennis Park with my Dickcissel Field run for total of seven miles. It was 90, still and humid and I was dripping with sweat 2 miles into the run. I took it slow and easy, took on a lot of water and had a decent time of it, in spite of the humid conditions. South East Park yielded a few birds - Eastern Kingbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. Dickcissel Field provided me with a good glimpse of an Indigo Bunting before he flew into the cornfield. Again, a few Widow Darner dragonflies and quite a few of the various Sulphur butterflies along with a few Buckeyes. Really need to pick up a few short daily runs to go with these longer ones if I'm gonna get in shape for a backpacking adventure or a marathon.

toadshade

Southeast Park Revisited

As promised, I revisited this park to get an idea of what they were adding. I saw yesterday that they had a Wildflower Walk and trail that I only saw a part of, and reported the Heliotrope and Coreopsis. Today I explored the whole trail and it appears that the wildflower trail crosses the causeway and goes through a field where (I'm pretty sure) they have put out various Gaillardiae and Lance-leaf Coreopsis. They have also put out some real showy Hibiscus that really don't seem to fit the natural area. So in my wildflower database I'm only including flora that are endemic to the Lower Richland area. That would be the Gaillardia Pulchella (Firewheels), Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Maryland Meadow-Beauty, and Daisy Fleabane. It's to their credit that they are putting out different trails and distances since many people use this relatively small area for exercise. I may even start to include in my jogging routes. It's a decent birding area, especially in the fall and winter with the Field Sparrows. I birded the area and will include my eBird report below.

Location: Southeast Park

Observation date: 7/4/09

Number of species: 12

Turkey Vulture 1

Mississippi Kite 4

Red-tailed Hawk 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker 1

Eastern Kingbird 1

Blue Jay 1

Carolina Chickadee 1

Tufted Titmouse 2

Carolina Wren 1

Northern Mockingbird 1

Eastern Towhee 1

Red-winged Blackbird 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

toadshade

The Meadow-Beauty 10 Mile Liberation Run

Maryland Meadow-Beauty
Originally uploaded by toadshade

In the spirit of the holiday I decided to liberate myself from good sense, caution, and the fact that I'm 58 years old and haven't run over 6 miles in a couple of months, and try a 10 miler. The logic I used to back up this wild surge of emotionalism was that - even though it's hot (88 degrees), the humidity was low (32) and there was a light wind. Therefore I should finish ok. Well I don't know about ok, but I did finish with a couple of walking breaks in the 10th mile. The heat was enough to zap the water from my body and my legs were pretty sore in the last 2 miles. It wasn't pretty by a long shot but I did finish. My time was 1:48:26 at 10:51 per mile.

I was somewhat inspired and energized by the natural world. The Maryland Meadow-Beauty pictured is one of the most common and beautiful of the summer wildflowers. It's usually seen about this time and later beside ponds and lakes. Another summer wildflower that blooms next to roadsides and in ditches was Smartweed (Polygonum sp). I haven't noticed these two species blooming this early before; but I wasn't keeping a blog before either. One of my points (or maybe the only one) in me writing this blog was to show how varied the natural world is; even on the 'same old jogging routes.'

As far as the birding world, I saw and heard my trusty Blue Grosbeak at the start of Dickcissel Field with a few House Finches in the Black Cherry trees. I'm no expert on Dragonflies but I did see quite a few Widow Darners and Banded Pennants flitting all along the dirt road.

I'm pretty excited about getting this 10 miler today. It's sometimes hard for me to get long runs in the summer. Mainly because I'm too lazy to get up early and beat the heat. But since I've been eating breakfast and waiting til 6 pm to run, I've experienced better, stronger runs. The next 10 miler won't be quite as crazy but just as liberating.

The wheel turns.

toadshade

Southeast Park Summer Wildflowers

Coneflower
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Decided to check out this local park about a mile from the house. I like to go there in Winter and Fall to catch the Field Sparrows and Phoebes. It's about a half mile walk around a manmade pond with a few swampy areas that attract the sparrows. It's mainly a tennis park but does provide a glimpse of nature very close to home when I don't have time to do anything else. This Black-eyed Susan pictured was planted by the park service and I included it because it caught the rays of the setting sun quite nicely. The trees have leafed out so there was very little in the way of blooming wildflowers. What I did find was Coreopsis major and heliotropium amplexicaule, which most people around mistake for Verbena (at least according to Porcher and the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas). These were growing on the edge of a small field near the park entrance. There were some Daisy Fleabane also and I saw some small Sassafras trees just coming up.

Even though it's small, the park does offer several different environments. It has plenty of Red Oaks, Sweetgum, and Hickory along with the Live Oaks. The pond is basically still water and doesn't attract many birds even though I've seen a Lesser Scaup there once and Green Herons seem to showing up more frequently. It's always good for a Pie-billed Grebe or two. Red-winged Blackbirds are there along with Orchard Orioles in Summer. Was only there for a minute and IDed 2 Eastern Bluebirds and a Mississippi Kite. Have a birding program for my iPhone that matched up perfectly with the sounds of the Bluebirds. Was easy to look up also. May visit this park for an update in a few days since I didn't get the chance to check out the fields and Live Oaks on the other side of the pond. A pretty good 24 minute stop over on the way to a meeting.

Happy 4th Everyone!

toadshade

The Postal Bear 3

Postal Bear
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I took a quick 3 mile tempo run late this afternoon. Even though the temperature was 98, there was a good strong wind and low humidity. Had a great time of 27:27 which is 9:09 per mile. Came across this postal bear who seemed astonished at my blinding speed on this hot day. If the humidity stays down I should have a few good running days for the 4th of July holidays. Have a few functions to attend over the weekend but hope to get some nature walks and wildflower study in. All my hiking buddies are out of town visiting friends. Could go up to Table Rock.

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