Summer Ends in Otter Creek Valley

With the first day of Autumn just three days away, I wanted to share some images from the past two weeks that capture the waning days of summer here in this valley just north of Lake Lure.

Milkweed is blooming everywhere. These thistle plants are thorny and uninviting until the pink appears.

Color is creeping into the woods all over the valley.

Unusual mushrooms suddenly appear in early September. I call this one Andy Warhol for obvious reasons.

This one reminds me of the dancing Chinese mushrooms in Disney’s Fantasia.

Otter Pond takes on many personalities as Summer subsides…

This week the low was 39 degrees in the valley, and the pond was framed by countless jet plane contrails.

Cold mornings bring clouds of steam rising from the pond.

Late afternoon sun makes for amazing reflections in the still surface.

Goldenrod and Ironweed fill the meadow along Otter Creek Road.

The Civil War farm beneath Dick’s Mountain is hidden by the Black Walnut trees.

Wolf Pen Mountain on the western rim of the valley bids farewell to the summer sun.

Tags: Blue Ridge Mountains, dick's mountain, North Carolina, Otter Creek Valley, Otter Pond, Rutherford County, Summer, Wolf Pen Mountain

• September 17, 2015
• Otter Creek Valley
• 2 Comments