Sunflowers 1

The sunflowers at a nearby farm in St. Marys County were very colorful this year.   More to come!

 

                                                    Red Backlit

Lost!

Sunset with Magenta Filter

Two Visits to Newtowne Neck State Park

We visited Newtowne Neck State Park in St. Mary's County twice to enjoy the beach at the end of Newtowne Neck Road in the perfect weather.  First we stayed to the West and then returned to see the Eastern side of the beach.  There are quite a few coves created by rock jetties.  Beautiful!  We didn't exactly have to  fight off the crowds in September.  I've heard it is quite crowded in the summer.

Osprey

Kayak Launch area

Sunbather

Manor House

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

 

Crepe Myrtles In St. Marys County

I assigned myself a project to photograph the beautiful Crepe Myrtle (or crape myrtle) trees in the County.  They can be planted in late fall to early spring, because they bloom in summer.  Recently they may be attacked by an Asian pest called Bark Scale that slows the growth of the tree (but probably won't kill it), due to a substance called Honeydew.   The substance gets on the leaves and bark and can be scrubbed off with 1 Tablespoon of soap to a quart of water or use horticultural oil instead.  You can also trim the branches and burn them.

I still found the trees to be fairly beautiful, especially compared to 2022.

I particularly like the pink ones (light or hot pink), but I did find some white and lavender flowers as well.  In the County, they are found near buildings, in parking lots, roadways and on lawns.