Here are a few more pictures from the genealogy trip that Ward and I took to Reading, PA.
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| About halfway home we stopped at the Conowingo Dam. The large hydroelectric dam on the Lower Susquehanna River is the largest in the state of Maryland. |
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| The dam's visitor center was guarded by this large eagle carved by a chainsaw. |
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| And it was flanked by beautiful flowers. |
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But the real interest of the group was seeing
how the dam worked--at least for Ward anyway. |
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This sign puzzled me at first because I wasn't sure what vultures would want with cars. A bit of research said that they can peck at the rubber from the sunroof and windshield wipers.
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| And speaking of things that can do damage, I saw my first spotted lanternfly on this trip. This is the fly with the wings closed. |
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And this is the fly with the wings open. The lanternfly is native to China and was first found in the US in 2014 in Berks County, PA, which happens to be where Reading is. The fly can lay its eggs on anything, alive or not, which is one reason it is spreading quickly.
And why should we be concerned with the lantern fly? Because it already doing a lot of damage to fruit crops. and adapting quickly to many more plant species. |
Well, that's it for this trip. Time to get ready for next weekend's family reunion.
Until next time...
I'm always amazed at how intricate carvings made with chainsaws can be. I would think it would be hard enough to hand carve something, much less use a tool with so much power.
ReplyDeleteWard would like visiting here in Michigan: https://www.famoussoolocks.com/ This is located very close to where my son is going to college. He did the locks tour last week during the getting-settled week prior to classes starting. The rest of us haven't yet done the tour but we've watched the freighters come and go through the locks from the observation tower.
I had no idea that vultures were attracted to rubber. Sounds like my cat. We've always had to hide anything rubber from him to keep him from eating it (rubber bands, those rubber bracelets that are popular to hand out to kids, etc.).
Yes, Ward would enjoy the Famous Locks tour. We toured locks on the Erie Canal when we were in New York a few years ago and it was very interesting. You'll have plenty of chances to visit your son and do the lock tour in the future. But if it's like when my kids when to school, they told us not to visit for at least the first 6 weeks to give the kids time to adjust to their new life. That was no problem for my sons, but I missed them.
DeleteI am fascinated by chainsaw carving. I have seen several demonstrations and I am amazed every time. It turns out that there many bald eagles living around the dam, thus the eagle out front. It was in the distance, but we saw an eagle while we were there.
I love how you always find places to visit and things to see en route as well. Makes the drive more interesting that way! I had no idea that vultures could damage cars! And thank you for showing the lantern fly - I didn't know about them before this. The landscaping at the visitors' center is very pretty! I especially liked the dry creek with the stones - that is what I am hoping to do in my side yard, once I get the weeds under control. For now, the dry creek is all cardboard!
ReplyDeleteI don't like to sit for long periods, so if we have time, I like to stop along the way at interesting places. Granted, sometimes it's no more than at a gas station for gas and a snack. :)
DeleteThe dry creek beds were done very well here. I didn't show it, but they had a very nice waterfall feature in the back, also.
The picture of the dead spotted lanternfly is great! I work at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and I'm wondering if I could use that image in spotted lanternfly outreach materials.
ReplyDeleteThanks!