Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography
This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
Click image to enlarge.
Photo Credit: Copyright ©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: The Garden; The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome back to the Which Way Challenge (previously hosted by Cee Neuner). This week our theme is Which Way Challenge CWWC 2026: Any Which Way with Autumn Leaves [10.02.2026-10.09.2026]. It will run for two (2) weeks. Your Which Ways can be Outdoors, Paved or Unpaved, Dirt Trails or any natural surface as long as they are in the displaying Autumn Leaves 🍂.
Mine are from 2021 and 2022 as the leaves in our area have not as yet displayed their Autumn colours. These were taken at the Fort Mill Access to the Catawba River and the Fort Mill Dam. Feel free to link to Dawn’s Festival of Leaves or other appropriate links.
Here are my entries …
Click on images to enlarge.
Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us.
For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.
Suzette’s For Deb’s CWWC26 Any Which Way in the Evening
Dawn’s Which Way: Sunset Reflecting in the Rain
Marilyn’s Nighttime Wakens
Also linking with the following Photo Challenges led by fellow bloggers …
Cosmic Photo Challenge (#CosPhoChal)-Autumn Walk
Dawn’s Festival of Leaves
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2026-Week 39
Photo Credit: Copyright ©️2021-2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Location: Fort Mill Catawba River Access; Fort Mill Dam, Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Happy Adventures. Enjoy Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
** Note: Next Week we will continue with the theme of —CWWC 2026: Any Which Way with Autumn Leaves [10.09.2026].
Brian from Bushboys World hosts a monthly challenge called Last On the Card. His rules are simple to follow if you’re interested in participating.
Here are The rules:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th or whenever your last photo was taken.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard
Here are my contributions …
From my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:
From my Canon EOS T7 (2000D):
Click on each image to enlarge.
#Brian’s Last on the Card-2026 September 30
God Bless. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
XingfuMama hosts the weekly challenge Whatsoever Is Lovely. The challenge is simple. Just reflect back over your week and see what is lovely, whether a thing or a moment, share in a post what is precious and lovely to you.
This week I am continuing with Whatsoever is Lovely to me; Beautiful Flowers & Butterflies #5. These images were taken on Coleman’s & my recent visit to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. The first area we visited was the Butterfly Bungalow. We had not previously visited the Butterfly Bungalowsince the times we’ve visited Daniel Stowe Conservancy before were in the Springtime.
For this post I am focusing on the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), one of the many varieties of butterflies maintained within the Butterfly Bungalow at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.
The Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) is a one of the most fascinating butterflies in eastern North America due to its specialized lifecycle, unique hosting plants, and their use of mimicry to survive.
The Papilio troilus, aka the Spicebush Swallowtail, or Green-clouded butterfly, is a common black Swallowtail butterfly only found in the Eastern United States and Southern Ontario, however, it can sometimes be seen in the American plains states, Cuba, Manitoba, and Colorado. .
It is normally found in deciduous woods, or woody swamps. There they can be seen flying low and fast through shaded areas.
The Papilio troilus has two (2) subspecies, Papilio troilus troilus and Papilio troilus ilioneus. The Papilio troilus troilus is the one seen in this area and pictured in these images. Papilio troilus ilioneus is confined to the Southeastern coastal United States, mainly throughout Florida, along the coast of Georgia, and in places in Texas.
The primary host plants for the Spicebush Swallowtail are most commonly the Spicebush ((Lindera benzoin) or White Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Despite their preference to primarily feed Lauraceae plants, they do feed on Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), especially here in the Butterfly Bungalow. Anise Hyssop is widely known as one of the ultimate “pollinator magnets” that is typically added to gardens.
The Spicebush Swallowtail love the Anise Hyssop for its perfect landing pads. The dense, structural spikes are composed of hundreds of tiny, nectar-rich tubular flowers. The Spicebush Swallowtail can easily grasp the stalks with their legs while their long proboscis probes from bloom to bloom. They also love the Anise Hyssop for its continuous energy. Anise Hyssop has an exceptionally long blooming window,The plant typically produces fresh flowers from June through September.
This blooming season of the Anise Hyssop provides a vital, reliable energy source for late-summer generations of butterflies preparing to reproduce or move through woodland edges.
Click on images to enlarge.
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2026 Week #38
Terri’s The Flower Hour-2026.09.28
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.
Location: Butterfly Bungalow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Bely, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a lovely weekend filled with love, joy, and laughter. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Following along with Terri’s Autumn Floral theme, I took a Look Back into my archives for Autumnal Florals (not just Autumn colours, but taken in Autumn) taken in early Autumn. My selections were all taken at various times and locations during the month of October. I know it’s not October yet, however, it soon will be in only a few more days.
Taken October 3, 2023 …
… at The Garden in The Farm at The Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Taken October 6, 2025 …
… by the Bridge at Goat Island Park and Greenway in Cramerton, North Carolina.
Taken October 22, 2024 …
… near Lake Haigler along the Haigler Loop Trail at the Anne Springs Close Greenway’s Lake Haigler Entrance in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Taken October 27, 2023 …
… by the Gibson House at the Stables Entrance of the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
That’s all for now y’all.
Click on images to enlarge.
Terri’s The Flower Hour #49-Autumn Colors
Also posting in remembrance of …
Bren’s Floral Friday
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit: Copyright ©️2023-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Admire the Flowers and the beauty found in nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit: Copyright ©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D)
Location: Unity Community; Gastonia, North Carolina
God Bless. Have a lovely weekend filled with love, joy, and laughter. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Dale, the host of the Cosmic Photo Challenge, has challenged us to post a few images of Fruits, Nuts, and Seeds for this week’s challenge. Some Fruits are edible for birds, but bitter or not recommended for humans. Seeds may be in seed pods and reproduce as flowers, while others may still be in fruit and if planted with produce more fruit. Nuts are not just for humans to eat, squirrels and other animals enjoy them as well. Coleman likes to gather nuts and seed pods when we hike along various trails.
Here are my contributions …
Click on each image to enlarge.
Cosmic Photo Challenge (#CosPhoChal)-Fruits, Nuts, and Seeds
Photo Credit:©️2017-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Be observant of all creatures large and small that call our Earth home. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
XingfuMama hosts the weekly challenge Whatsoever Is Lovely. The challenge is simple. Just reflect back over your week and see what is lovely, whether a thing or a moment, share in a post what is precious and lovely to you.
This week I am continuing with Whatsoever is Lovely to me; Beautiful Flowers & Butterflies #4. These images were taken on Coleman’s & my recent visit to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. The first area we visited was the Butterfly Bungalow. We had not previously visited the Butterfly Bungalowsince the times we’ve visited Daniel Stowe Conservancy before were in the Springtime.
For this post I am focusing on the Dryas iulia, Aka Julia Longwing butterfly, Julia heliconian, the flame, or flambeau.
Dryas iulia is often misspelled incorrectly as julia. It is the only representative in the genus Dryas. It is a species of brush-footed butterfly, native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida. In the summertime it can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. They are considered rare immigrants or temporary strays in both North and South Carolina. That doesn’t mean they won’t be spotted though. During the warm summer months, individual adults occasionally migrate or drift northwards from their permanent breeding grounds in southern Florida and southern Texas.
The Julia Longwing butterfly was are known for their striking bright orange wings. They can have black markings, and their have notably long and narrow forewings which gives them that “Longwing” moniker.
The Julia heliconian butterflies are extremely fast and erratic fliers; they were quite a challenge to capture with my camera. Their fast movements prevented me from being able to catch all of them clearly, however, I still did managed to catch a few good shots with my Canon.
Besides being very fast fliers, they frequent clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. They feed on the nectar of flowers, like lantanas (Lantana) and shepherd’s-needle. They drink the tears of caiman, the eye of which the butterfly irritates to produce tears.
The Dryas iulia butterfly species is real popular in butterfly houses similar to the Butterfly Bungalow at the Daniel Stowe Conservancy. Their popularity is due to its longevity and its activity throughout the day. They were intensely fascinating to watch them zipping to and fro, hither and yonder faster than your (at least mine) eyes could follow them.
These pictured here are maintained in the controlled environment of the Butterfly Bungalow inside the Gardens of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. The Dryas iulia are a featured seasonal resident of the Butterfly Bungalow at Daniel Stowe Conservancy. Since these butterflies thrive in tropical environments, the Garden imports them chrysalides as part of their summer pollinator exhibition. The warm, humid greenhouse enclosure provides an ideal environment for them to fly alongside other native and tropical species like the Zebra Longwing and Malachite.
Click on images to enlarge.
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2026 Week #38
Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge-Orange
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.
Location: Butterfly Bungalow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Bely, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a lovely weekend filled with love, joy, and laughter. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Early evening clouds rolling in … Storms are a coming. Look out … Time to be getting indoors.
Photo Credit: ©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Location: Unity Community; Gastonia North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy your weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week Terri, our host for The Flower Hour is focusing on Floral ABC’s concentrating on STUV. Let’s have some fun. Here are my STUV Florals for this week’s challenge. It wasn’t too hard to locate flowers beginning with S and T, but U was extremely difficult, henceforth, I didn’t find any amongst my photo files. V was hard to locate any type of flowers other than Violets.
Here’s looking at the S’s …
• Salvia farinacea
How about a look at the T’s …
Sorry, No U’s to be seen.
Skipping to V’s …
Click on images to enlarge.
Terri’s The Flower Hour #48 – Floral ABC’s-STUV
Also posting in remembrance of …
Bren’s Floral Friday
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
God Bless. Admire the Flowers and the beauty found in nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Where, What,
When We Shop
Dan with No Facilities, the host ofCee’s Fun Foto Challenge is continuing with the theme of Where/What/When we do various things. This week’s focus is on Where/What/When We Shop. This new series will continue for approximately three (3) more weeks. We are currently in the third week of the Where/What/When CFFC series. This theme was inspired by Dawn M. Miller.
I have gathered a few images of Where/What/When I’ve Shopped over the years. Most of my shopping these days are done online via Amazon, Walmart, and Harlequin. I do still get out for groceries and other necessary or essential various sundries.
Here are my contributions …
Click on images to enlarge.
Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge-Where/What/When We Shop
Photo Credit: Copyright ©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Note: Outside the General Store in Ohio, the man on the left is my maternal grandfather. Coleman is outside the door of The Trailhead Store. Outside the Deep Gap Cash Store are my Great Aunt Sophrona (called Aunt Sophie, she’s my grandfather’s sister) and her husband (my great uncle.
Beth from Wandering Dawgs is this week’s host for the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge. She is asking us to select our favourite Bridges to share. She states that they “ any kind of bridge: natural bridges, foot bridges, swinging bridges, highway bridges, stone bridges, railroad bridges, or any other kind of bridge you can think of.” I’ve gathered a selection of Highway Bridges, Foot Bridges, Trestles, and a Swinging Bridge that I hope y’all will enjoy.
Swinging Bridge at Anne Springs Close Greenway can be trip to cross or fun depending on your outlook.
Foot Bridges often constructed to accommodate crossing a creek or river to be easier and more accessible for animals, and humans. Coleman and I hike over these types of Bridges quite frequently.
Trestle Bridges are made of many short spans supported by close frames. The purpose is usually to transport trains/train lines across a deep valley (like rivers and lakes) or ravines.
Other Trestles over the Catawba River …
Trestle Bridge over the Mississippi River …
Highway/Road Bridges are designed to a road and its traffic over an obstacle such as a river, a valley, or even another road. First, we’ll look at a Road Bridge that crosses over a creek and a trail. The trail is the Blue Star Trail, part of which runs parallel to Steele Creek and under a Road Bridge. The Blue Star Trail in one of 25 unique trails which allows hikers, bikers, and equestrian riders to explore over 40 miles within the Anne Springs Close Greenway.
Now on to California Highway Bridges …
In the San Francisco-Oakland Area …
And last, but not least, the amazing San Diego-Coronado Bridge which connects San Diego with the city of Coronado. Construction on the Bridge began in February of 1967 after years of debate over the need and logistics of a bridge being built to cross the bay. The Navy feared a bridge could collapse due to an attack or an earthquake thus trapping navy ships stationed at Naval Base San Diego. The Navy finally, in 1964, agreed to support a Bridge if there was a minimum of 200 feet (61 Meters) of 660 feet in the main span for sufficient clearance for the Navy ships operating out of Naval Base San Diego to pass underneath it. [Side Note: Before the Bridge was constructed the only way to Coronado from San Diego or vice-versa was by Ferry.]
The Bridge itself is 11,179-foot-long (3,407 m or 2.1 mi) and ascends from Coronado at a 4.67 percent grade before curving 80 degrees toward San Diego. The Bridge was finally completed and opened to the public on August 3, 1969. It opened during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of San Diego. When it opened, a toll of 60¢ was charged in each direction. The toll charges were supposed to end when the bond was paid, but continued until 2002. This Bridge has five lanes, two eastbound, two westbound, and a reversible middle lane which could switch to correspond with traffic needs.
An interesting fact: Before its official opening to vehicular traffic on August 3, 1969, the Coronado Bridge had a special “Bridge Walk” on August 2, 1969. Thousands of people, including many bicyclists, participated in this dedication event, getting a unique chance to experience the bridge on foot and by bike before cars were allowed on it. I had many friends that road their bicycles across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge on that special day celebrating the bridge’s completion and opening.
Beth’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge-Bridges
To find out more about the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, please click here.
Click on each image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters ©️2019-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Be Happy. Be Cool. Be a Blessing to those around you. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brahman cattle originally came from India and are a hybrid of four different Indian cattle breeds. They are well-suited for the hot climates like we’ve been experiencing this summer.
We saw this one and others like it at The Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, North Carolina. Their loose skin, short, sleek hair, and ability to sweat efficiently are the reasons they adapt so well to our hot and humid summer climates. Their distinctive hump on their shoulders is the key feature which helps store fat. They are known to be gentle temperament creatures.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location; The Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a wonderful adventurous week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on images to enlarge.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Animals (2026.09.06)
Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a relaxing pleasant funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brian from Bushboys World hosts a monthly challenge called Last On the Card. His rules are simple to follow if you’re interested in participating.
Here are The rules:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th or whenever your last photo was taken.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard
Here are my contributions …
From my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:
From my Canon EOS T7 (2000D):
Click on each image to enlarge.
#Brian’s Last on the Card-2026 August 31
God Bless. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
I do not visit the beach as often as I did in my youth, however, I do have memories of being at the beach with family and friends over the years.
Going back in time to see A vintage family day with my Aunt and Uncle at Springmaid Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
In 2010, My “children” and I ventured down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to celebrate my daughter’s high school graduation.
Moving forward in time to 2017, we (my eldest son and I) take a drive to North Topsail Beach from Jacksonville, North Carolina for a relaxing stroll along the waterfront.
Let’s take a sidetrack from the East Coast Carolina beaches to visit west coast beaches in San Diego County, California.
Now back to the East coast and our adventures at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Well, that’s all folks. Till next time have a splendid week filled with love, happiness, and laughter. God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on images to enlarge.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-White (2026.08.30)
Photo Credit: ©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a relaxing pleasant funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
As we rode the Safari Wagon at the Lazy 5 Ranch many of the animals which reside on the property roam freely and tend to follow the Wagons as they bring visitors along the dirt road. It seems like all the animals know that the Safari Wagons have feed buckets aboard for the guests to feed them.
This Black Llama sure made its presence known to us (my family). The Black Llama was trying every possible means to get my daughter’s attention to be able to be handed feed from her feed bucket.
The Llama was first domesticated by the Indians of Peru around 4,000 years ago. The Llama is known for its surefooted travels in high mountain areas. It’s docile by nature, but can also be stubborn. When upset, a Llama may spit a foul smelling liquid.
Let me assure you that at The Lazy 5 Ranch if they want feed, they are more than likely to receive it. Llamas are used as pack animals and can carry loads up to 130 pounds for up to 10-20 miles a day over rugged slopes in high altitudes, but they are not ridden. When weary or overloaded Llamas just lie down and refuse to move. The Llama is often referred to as the “South American Camel.” Its long, coarse wool is used in the weaving of textiles.
Llamas are herbivores with a three-chambered stomach for digesting fibrous plants. They primarily graze on grasses and plants. Llamas are also very social animals, preferring to live in herds, and are known for being quite gentle and intelligent. You might hear their soft humming, which they use to communicate a range of emotions – from contentment to concern – they also have unique warning calls, like a high-pitched alarm, if they sense danger.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location; Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a wonderful adventurous week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This Aoudad resides at the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, North Carolina. The habitat range for Aoudad’s is northern Algeria to central Mauritania, east to west Egypt & west Sudan. Their height averages around 30-40 inches with the Males weighing approximately 220-308 pounds and females weighing much less at about 88-121 pounds. They have a lifespan of around 20 years in captivity.
Aoudads are expert climbers and are often seen running at “top gun” speeds up very steep slopes. You probably won’t see them near the creek or pond at the Lazy 5 Ranch, but you might just see them on a stump, fallen tree, or running up a steep rocky slope. Aoudad’s can survive up to five (5) days without access to fresh water. Hey are herds animals so when see one most likely more are not too far away.
Aoudad are often referred to as sheep, but they are more closely related to goats. Unlike the young of sheep which are called lambs, the Aoudad and young are called kids.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location; Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a wonderful adventurous week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Last week I said I would share where we went via the transit system and what we saw along the trails. To visit last week’s post as Coleman and I traveled on the transit network for our Which Way click here.
Now to let you know where we traveled to on the Gastonia Transit system (aka the bus) to go hiking. Our destination to the Warlick Family YMCA here in Gastonia for a bit of hiking and communing with nature. Here are a few images showing the trails we hiked and what we saw along the way.
Click on each image to enlarge.
Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us.
For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.
Cath’s Which Way… {Watch Your Step}
Suzette’s Pathways For Deb’s Any Which Way CWWC Your Choice Wk-2
Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)
Next week’s theme: Next: CWWC 2026: Any Which Way with Outdoor Steps or Stairs. [08.14.2026]
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have an adventurous weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
According to Google, a Hummock is a small, low rounded hill, knoll, or a raised mound of earth. Today, I am sharing two different types of Hummock’s from my archives.
The first is a Burial Mound located at The Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Many stone age peoples around the world buried their dead in mounds of earth or stone. This single-chambered tomb replicates mounds from the British Isles roughly 5,000 years ago. The interior chamber measures just over 7 ft. long and could fit either one individual or the cremated remains of an entire family or clan. It took over 16,000 pounds of earth to build this mound by hand.
The second is a small hill my ancestors was gathered and sat upon enjoying the afternoon and each other’s company.
Click on images to enlarge.
Ragtag Daily Prompt:Wednesday-Hummock
God Bless. Have a terrific week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a lovely weekend filled with love, joy, and laughter. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
We had a really fantastic time the other week when the family visited the Lazy 5 Ranch. With over 700 exotic animals there were plenty to capture. I in no way captured them all with my camera (not that I didn’t try), but there were too many to adequately capture while riding on the guided Wagon Safari ride.
With this week’s Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge colour theme being Brown, I decided I would combine it with the Monday Portrait challenge and show y’all one of the many Brown exotic animals which reside at the Lazy 5 Ranch. Which exotic animal is featured here today? … The exotic animals featured in this post are Nilgai.
The Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), also called Blueback, is the largest antelope in its native land of India. The name Nilgai comes from the Hindustani word nil, which means blue referring to the slate blue (blue-gray coloration of the adult male Nilgai and the Persian word gaw, which means cow. The females and juveniles are orange to a tawny Brown in their coloration. These shown here are female Nilgai.
It is a large horse-like antelope with sloping back which is found in grasslands and scrublands. Nilgai are herbivores that primarily eat grass, but also browse on leaves and fruits.
They are known for their shy nature and keen senses. Hindus regard the Nilgai as a close relative of the sacred cow. In an era of endangered species, an animal that is protected by religious is considered lucky.
Nilgai cows and calves tend to live in small herds while males live alone except during rut (their mating season). All males have short smooth horns and occasionally females grow horns. Females commonly give birth to two (2) offspring. When being chased a Nilgai can run up to twenty-nine (29) miles per hour (mph).
Click on images to enlarge.
Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge-Brown
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura IV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville , North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Cool. Stay Hydrated. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Swamp Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is also referred to as Asian Water Buffalo. It is the second largest member of the bovid family. It has great strength and high fat milk content which has led to its domestication throughout the world. These buffalo spend most of the day submerged, sometimes up to their nostrils, in the water of rivers or swamps. Did you know there is a reason for this? It serves two (2) major purposes.
Water Buffalo eat grass, herbs shrubs, tree bark and other available greens. They are exclusively herbivores. At the Lazy 5 Ranch, as well as similar facilities, the Swamp Water Buffalos are fed free-choice, low-protein, high-fiber forage. They also rely heavily on coastal Bermuda grass, orchard grass, or Timothy hay. They provide freshly cut pasture grasses, sorghum, or maize fodder to simulate natural grazing. One other thing they do to guarantee they receive complete nutrition, the supplement the roughage with scientifically formulated pellets from exotic animal feed manufacturers like Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition or Zeigler Feed Manufacturing.
The visitors to the Ranch who desire to feed their swamp exotic animals during their tour are given buckets of compressed fiber pellets. The Swamp Buffalos love treats and will come up to the Wagons during a Safari tour to beg for handouts from the “treat” buckets. That is exactly what this particular Swamp Water Buffalo is doing, begging my daughter for treats from the feed bucket near her.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to enjoy nature. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brian from Bushboys World hosts a monthly challenge called Last On the Card. His rules are simple to follow if you’re interested in participating.
Here are The rules:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th or whenever your last photo was taken.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard
Here are my contributions …
From my Canon EOS T7 (2000D):
From my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:
Click on each image to enlarge.
#Brian’s Last on the Card-2026 July 31
God Bless. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to enjoy the flowers. Get Outdoors and commune with nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Butterfly Bungalow at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. Not what you’d typically thing of when you think of Bungalow, however, it works great for the many Butterflies maintained within its enclosure as well as the flowers that nourish them.
Click on images to enlarge.
Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP): Saturday-Bungalow
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Butterfly Bungalow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Daniel Stowe Conservancy; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a terrific week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman and I found the Wagon Ride at the Lazy 5 Ranch to be very interesting and I’d say educational. Coleman enjoyed seeing the many different types of exotic animals including the Red Sindhi cow which followed the Wagon for quite a ways as if it wanted to have an exciting adventure as well.
Red Sindhi belong to the heat-tolerant Bos indicus (Zebu) lineage. It is a specialized dairy breed originating from Pakistan.
The Red Sindhi yield substantial volumes of milk (averaging 4.5%-5% fat) even under extreme heat and stress (like we’ve been experiencing) and low quality forage. At the Ranch they are well fed and maintained.
The Red Sindhi are compact, smaller and rounder in comparison to the Red Brahma. The hump is well developed in bulls, but much smaller in cows.
Its colouring is a Deep Red, ranging from yellowish-brown to dark brown; males are typically darker than females especially on the head, feet, and tail.
These images were all taken while looking out the back of the Wagon; noticing the Red Sindhi and other animals following behind and eventually alongside the Wagon. They really were delighted when the Wagon stopped off and on during the Safari ride. They knew whenever the Wagon stopped they could get feed from the Lazy 5 Ranch guests.
Click on each image to enlarge.
Debbie’s Six Word Saturday-2026.08.01
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; 15100 Mooresville Road; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a funtastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
While traveling on the wagon Ride around the Lazy 5 Ranch we spotted Vietnamese Pot-bellied pigs in groups of three. Imagine that, how nice of them to group themselves as trios for my photographic adventures.
The Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) at the Lazy 5 Ranch were originally from the jungles of China and Vietnam. They were introduced into the United States as pets around 1985. Their backbone is bent like a saddle, which causes the abdomen to nearly drag on the ground. It is due to this effect why they received the pot-bellied name. At birth piglets normally weigh approximately one (1) pound (lb). They grow to a height of 10-12 inches (in) and a weight of about 125 pounds (lbs).
Pot-Bellied Pigs are intelligent and can be taught to do simple tricks and to walk around on a leash. However, at the Lazy 5 Ranch they are free to roam around the pastures, pathways and around the many, many other exotic animals at the ranch. At the Ranch they are not taught any tricks, they do enjoy the feed. While on the Wagon ride you are allowed to feed the animals roaming about, some even approach alongside the Wagon begging for handouts (they know the visitors have feed buckets which they’ll gladly make disappear).
Click on each image to enlarge.
Carol’s Thursday Trios-2026.08.01
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Walk/Hike. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
XingfuMama hosts the weekly challenge Whatsoever Is Lovely. The challenge is simple. Just reflect back over your week and see what is lovely, whether a thing or a moment, share in a post what is precious and lovely to you.
This week I am continuing with Whatsoever is Lovely to me; Beautiful Flowers & Butterflies #3. These images were taken on Coleman’s & my recent visit to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. The first area we visited was the Butterfly Bungalow. We had not previously visited the Butterfly Bungalowsince the times we’ve visited Daniel Stowe Conservancy before were in the Springtime.
For this post I am focusing on the Giant Swallowtail (Polygonia comma). The Giant Swallowtail is the largest butterfly located in North America. It is known for its black wings with striking yellow stripes and its large wingspan. The Giant Swallowtails can have a massive wingspan of up to six (6) inches long.
Interestingly, their abdomen and outer wings are a light yellow shade with red and blue markings along the bottom of their wings while they have black and yellow stripes directly above their heads.
These Giant Swallowtails (Polygonia comma) are also referred to as Eastern Comma. They can typically be seen in shaded areas or near bodies of water. The Eastern Comma feed on sap, rotting fruit, dung, salt and minerals. They are a confident , aggressive, and social butterfly.
These Giant Swallowtails are feasting on Pycnanthemum incanum, aka Hoary Mountain Mint. The Mountain Mint is a hardy, aromatic perennial in the mint family which is native to eastern North America. It is known for its silvery-white foliage with clusters of small white to lavender flowers that bloom during the summertime. It is an excellent magnifier pollinators like bees, butterflies, and wasps. (I prefer watching the butterflies to bees or wasps.)
These pictured here are maintained in the controlled environment of the Butterfly Bungalow inside the Gardens of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina.
Click on images to enlarge.
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2026 Week 29
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.
Location: Butterfly Bungalow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Bely, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a lovely weekend filled with love, joy, and laughter. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Sarah from Travel with Me is the host for this week’s themed Monochrome Madness challenge. She has chosen a theme of Numbers (not quantity, but actual numbers) we see all around us in the places we wander around and through in our daily lives.
Here are my entries …
Click on each image to enlarge.
Sarah’s Monochrome Madness-Numbers
Photo Credit:©️2021-2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Have a funtastic week ahead. May your week be filled with love, laughter, and happiness. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … gfpacificbee … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Cool. Have a Fun Adventure. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on image to enlarge.
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to enjoy nature. Admire the beautiful flowers and plants. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Greater Rhea at the Lazy 5 Ranch roam freely amongst the many various Exotic animals within the pathways as well as in the grassy areas. Sometimes you can spot one by itself while at other times they’ll be in pairs, near Elands, or even alongside the Wagons that carry visitors around the Ranch.
Here are a few Greater Rheas we saw during our Adventure …
The Rhea (Rhea americana) is the third largest flightless bird in the world. They are smaller than African Ostriches and have three toes instead of two. The single male bird builds the nest for all the females in his harem to lay their eggs. A single male may incubate up to 50 eggs while in solitude. [Hey, guys how would you like the responsibility to incubate the female’s eggs?] Rheas rapidly run on long legs and travel in family groups of approximately six (6) birds except during the mating season. The mating season is when flocks of about twenty-five (25) congregate. How fast do you think Rheas can run? [Answer noted near end of post.]
Click on images to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
Note: The Rheas can run up to forty (40) miles per hour (mph). Did you guess right? If not that’s okay, then you learned something new.
God Bless. Have a wonderful adventurous week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
For this Sunday I am combining Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Water with Terri’s Sunday Stills-#Animal of the Month and her Sunday Stills-Reflections. The #Animal of the Month for me is the Fallow Deer.
Coleman and I were able to observe Fallow Deer at the Lazy 5 Ranch home to over 600 Exotic Animals from more than 6 continents. The Lazy 5 Ranch could be compared to a small Safari Zoological Park. At the Lazy 5 Ranch you can either drive your own vehicle through on a Safari tour of the Ranch or opt to take a Wagon Ride (which we did). With the Wagon Ride, there is a driver guiding the horses pulling the Wagon giving al overall commentary of the Ranch, informing us about the various animals we were seeing, and as well as giving a bit of history on how the Ranch came to be in existence.
Here we spot a Fallow Deer in a pond of #Water where looking closely you can see the deer’s Reflections in the #Water.
Click on each image to enlarge.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Water
Terri’s Sunday Stills-#Animal of the Month
Terri’s Sunday Stills-Reflections
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere (#WWE)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Admire all of God’s creatures great and small. Enjoy nature’s beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter Attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to enjoy the flowers. Get Outdoors and commune with nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
I’m combining Debbie’s Six Word Saturday with XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat this week while continuing our Adventures at the Lazy 5 Ranch.
Before get into our adventures let me tell you that one of the reasons we went on our adventure was to give Coleman a special outing before his birthday (today’s his birthday). Coleman turned Seven (7). The first gallery of images show Coleman Pulling Up a Seat while waiting for the Wagon Ride.
This next gallery depicts Coleman feeding some of the Exotic Animals that came alongside the Wagon we were riding on during our Safari adventure around the Lazy 5 Ranch.
The last gallery illustrates Coleman feeding Giraffes during the Safari Wagon Ride plus showing a bit more of the Wagon.
Click on images to enlarge.
Debbie’s Six Word Saturday-2026.07.25
XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat #30-2026.07.25
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment; Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; 15100 Mooresville Road; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a funtastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week is a free week for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness; instead of following her lead on Profusion I am combining my Monochrome Madness post with the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge’s theme of Adventures. I’m sharing a few Black and White images of our Adventures at the Lazy 5 Ranch.
Here are my entries …
Click on each image to enlarge.
Leanne’s Monochrome Madness/2026.07.23 (Free Week)
Leya’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge (LAPC) #405 — Adventures
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment; Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a funtastic week ahead. May your week be filled with love, laughter, and happiness. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). I trust everyone has had a good week and able to spend some time to take a walk or hike in the vast outdoors. This week’s I’m allowing y’all to choose your own Which Ways for this week and next with the theme of CWWC: Any Which Way (Your Choice). The Which Way can be any path, sidewalk, trail, or road as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. As always signs are always welcome.
For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here.
When I began preparing this post after last week’s went live I had thought of sharing a hiking adventure Coleman and I had two years ago in 2024. However, best laid plans do change occasionally as did mine for this week.
We had an incident with Coleman this week (I won’t go into details, but prays are appreciated). This is a special week for Coleman so his mom chose to take us on a special adventure up in Mooresville, North Carolina to the Lazy 5 Ranch.
I am sharing a few images of our adventures here with y’all.
Arriving at Lazy 5 Ranch …
The Lazy 5 Ranch is approximately an hour’s drive north of us in the City of Mooresville, North Carolina. It is privately owned and operated by Henry Hampton. It receives no federal or state funding. Henry Hampton has been raising exotic animals for over 50 years. He started out with the exotic animals at his own home and allowed school groups to visit viewing the animals from the opposite side of the fence.
In May of 1993, Mr. Hampton’s dream became a reality and The Lazy 5 Ranch officially opened. It opened with just five (5) staff people and only two (2) operating wagons. We chose to have a Wagon Ride with the driver commenting on the animals we were seeing instructing everyone to remain seated as long as the Wagon was moving. We could move around or stand to take pictures when the wagon was stopped.
The Lazy 5 Ranch has grown tremendously since its beginning with over 600 animals from six (6) continents. The animals can be viewed everyday all year long by horse drawn wagon or from your own personal vehicle while traveling along a 3 1/2 mile safari ride. As you can see, I have only shared a fraction of what we saw on our adventure visiting the Ranch.
Click on each image to enlarge.
Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us.
For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.
Suzette’s For Deb’s CWWC Any Which Way Paved [in Black and White]
Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Roads And Bridges
Marina’s Fence
Cath’s Which Way… {Monochrome Roads}
Dan’s Ain’t No Cure — SoCS
Dawn’s Which Way: Train Track in the Weeds
Marilyn’s My Way Or The Highway?
Dawn’s Around the Bend in BnW
Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)
Next week we’ll continue with the theme of CWWC: Any Which Way (Your Choice) [07.31.2026].
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55/250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment; Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; 15100 Mooresville Road; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have an adventurous weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The whole family went on an adventurous outing on Monday (unusual for our family). Coleman’s mom and I discussed where we might could go Sunday evening and decided it would be an excellent idea for us all to go with her driving. Where did we decide to go?
We chose to go on a wagon ride at the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, North Carolina. Why did we decide to spend the day together and not just have Coleman and myself go somewhere together? This coming Saturday is Coleman’s birthday. He’ll be turning Seven (7) and we wanted to do something special for him when his mom and baby sister, Sophia, could join us.
Of course, I brought my camera along and not just my iPhone. An outing like this doesn’t happen often; I needed to capture the adventure so we could enjoy the memories.
Here is just one set of trios from our adventure …
As per the Lazy 5 Ranch’s Guidebook this beautiful set of Trios are Axis Deer (Cervus axis). The Axis Deer are also known as Chital Deer which means spotted in Hindustani. Interestingly, the Axis Deer retains its spots throughout its lifespan (approximately 22 years). They are available to be seen at the Lazy 5 Ranch year round.
Click on image to enlarge.
Carol’s Thursday Trios-2026.07.23
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Lazy 5 Ranch; 15100 Mooresville Road; Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Walk/Hike. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Note: I’ll be sharing more about our adventure at the Lazy 5 Ranch in future posts.
When you think of Castle Windows you probably think of ancient and/or historical castles, however, these windows are in a Castle Playground at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. The Castle Playground is a fairly new playground inside the botanical gardens for children to climb, explore, and basically have an all out Funtime while at the Stowe.
On the day Coleman and I were at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden it was extremely hot and humid and we only saw one other child at the playground. Being so hot Coleman only had a short time to play before we moved on to the Tunnel Fountain for him to enjoy some water time.
The gallery of images above show the Castle Windows. The ones gallery below shows what Coleman is looking out the Window at and holding. For an active boy he was skeptical and yet excited to swing out the Window and repel down to the ground.
Click on images to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Castle Playground; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Cool. Have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Monarch Butterflies are one of the most familiar and recognized species of butterflies of North America butterflies. The Danaus plexippus, which are widely known as Butterflies Monarch or Monarch Butterfly, are famous for their 3,000 mile annual migration.
North and South Carolina serve as a crucial geographical corridor for the Eastern migratory population. Monarchs are a welcome sight in the Carolinas and a sign of seasonal change. The Monarchs pass through the Carolinas twice a year. Once in the Spring and again in the Fall.
When we see them arriving in the beginning of Spring (late March and April) they are migrating northward. The first generation Monarchs stop to lay eggs on emerging native milkweed. The second generation continues the migration journey all the way into Canada. In the Fall (Autumn)the “Methuselah generation” (aka the “super generation”), the Monarchs born at the end of summer, fly southward towards Mexico from September through mid-October.
This Monarch and ones shown in other posts are maintained in a controlled environment in the Butterfly Bungalow at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. To see more Monarch Butterflies check out my Whatsoever is Lovely post by clicking here.
Click on image to enlarge.
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Butterfly Bungalow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to enjoy nature. Admire the beautiful flowers and plants. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
XingfuMama hosts the weekly challenge Whatsoever Is Lovely. The challenge is simple. Just reflect back over your week and see what is lovely, whether a thing or a moment, share in a post what is precious and lovely to you.
This week I am continuing with Whatsoever is Lovely to me; Beautiful Flowers & Butterflies #2. These images were taken on Coleman’s & my recent visit to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. The first area we visited was the Butterfly Bungalow. We had not previously visited the Butterfly Bungalow since the times we’ve visited Daniel Stowe Conservancy before were in the Springtime.
The best time of the year to visit the Butterfly Bungalow is during the Summer. Why do you think Summer is the best time to visit. Let me tell you. It is the best and only season to visit the Butterfly Bungalow due to the fact that it is a seasonal attraction that only operates from late May through early September, the warmest months of the year.
For this post I am focusing on the Monarch Butterfly. The Monarch Butterflies eagerly feast on Buddleja davidii (Butterfly Bush) because it functions as an elite nectar source. The nectar of Buddleja davidii is rich in sucrose, glucose, and fructose which offers a dense spike of immediate energy. The blooms of Buddleja davidii emit a powerful sweet, honey-like aroma that attracts Monarchs from a distance.
Below are Monarch Butterfly photos I took on our visit …
These pictured here are maintained in the controlled environment of the Butterfly Bungalow inside the Gardens of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina.
Click on images to enlarge.
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2026 Week 28
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.
Location: Butterfly Bungalow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Bely, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a lovely weekend filled with love, joy, and laughter. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This fountain at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden looks so refreshing! It is located near the entrance to the Lost Hollow: The Kimbrell Family Children’s Garden. Coleman is having fun playing nearby.
The fountain spray is a powerful, tall column of white, frothy water shooting dramatically upwards. It crests at a significant height before cascading back down, creating a lively splash and ripples in the water below. have loved playing nearby.
Click on images to enlarge.
Debbie’s Six Word Saturday-2026.07.18
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere (WWE)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment
Location: Fountain near Lost Hollow; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Cool. Stay Hydrated. Spread joy and happiness all around. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome! This week I’m continuing with sharing various benches and chairs at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina. It is still extremely hot and humid here in our region of North Carolina. Here are a few more benches and chairs that are scattered here and there around the Gardens.
Here are my entries for this week …
Click on images to enlarge.
XingfuMama’s Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2026-Week 29
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Cool. Stay Adventurous. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). I trust everyone has had a good week and able to spend some time to take a walk or hike in the vast outdoors. This week’s theme is Any Which Way in Black and White On Asphalt Roads or Paved Pathways. In choosing the Black and White theme for this week’s Which Way Challenge I am honouring the memory of Cee’s Black and White Challenge. The Which Way can be any paved pathway, sidewalk, paved trail, or paved road as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. As always signs are always welcome.
For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here.
Here are my entries …
Click on each image to enlarge.
Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us.
For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.
Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Into The Black
Suzette’s For Deb’s CWWC Any Which Way With The Colors Black or Brown
Marina’s Sidewalk with Black
Dan’s Nothing Special Saturday — SoCS
Cath’s Which Way… {Black Angus Cows}
Marilyn’s Brown & Black inThe Which Way
Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)
Cee’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment; Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Daniel Stowe Conservancy; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Walk/Hike. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
*** Note: Next Week we will be exploring and sharing the theme of CWWC: Any Which Way (Your Choice) [07.24.2026]
While these may look like real, they are not. These “Cattleya Orchid” are glass blown orchids created by master glassblower Jason Gamrath. He specifically tailored this highly intricate large scale Cattleya Orchid glass statue for Daniel Stowe Conservancy (formerly known as Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden). His Cattleya sculpture was designed to display all progressive phases of the flower’s life. This statue was originally apart of a Grandiflora Exhibition. Jason created the Cattleya Orchid glass statue by using highly intense, collaborative modelling and glass-blowing process.
Even though Jason calls the sculpture “Cattleya Orchid” according to the Daniel Stowe Conservancy website call these flowers Glass Daffodils. However, in its description it calls the statue an orchid piece stating that Jason’s purpose was to allow people to “observe with the same eyes through which ‘he’ humbly and graciously experiences our natural world” (Quote by Jason Gamrath).
Click on each image to enlarge.
Carol’s Thursday Trios-2026.07.17
Also posting in Remembrance of:
Bren’s Floral Friday
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: William H. Williamson, III Orchid Conservatory; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Walk/Hike. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Last week I shared the entrance Doors to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; this week I sharing Doors within the Gardens.
Click on images to enlarge.
Dan’s Thursday Doors-2026.07.16
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a funtastic rest of your week and weekend ahead. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with w. I appreciate y’all very much.
Good Day everyone! This week Terri with Second Wind Leisure Perspectives has given us the prompt of Groups of Three (3) or More. I have selected Groups of Three or More in The Gardens at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Having selected floral Groups of Three (3) or More I am linking this post with Terri’s The #Flower Hour.
Click on rack image to enlarge.
Terri’s Sunday Stills-Groups of 3 or More
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm and Altura UV Filter Attachment.
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Admire the beautiful Flowers. Enjoy Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Succulents in the Garden at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina.
Click on each image to enlarge.
Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)
Photo Credit:©️2026 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to enjoy nature. Admire the beautiful flowers and plants. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
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