Another Picnic! - Part 2

And what would a trip to the park be without enjoying, well, nature?  After lunch--and assorted beverages--we enjoyed sauntering around and looking at the butterflies...

This gentleman enjoyed flexing his wings for the camera.

...and the flowers:

I am not sure what type this is...  Quite lovely, though, if you ask me.

We were also very fortunate to attend the park's program, "Creatures of the Night."  Most of the program dealt with bats and raccoons and squirrels (did you know that there are a lot of flying squirrels in these parts?  Nope, me neither).  Yet, at the end, the naturalist pulled out the star of the show: a 10-year-old Screech Owl.

Love!

Mr. Screech Owl injured his wing 6 years ago, and despite numerous attempts to rehabilitate him and send him back into the wild, still doesn't fly fast enough to survive on his own.  (When it came time to release him, he just wouldn't leave.)  And so, he lives at the nature center.  He woke up from his nap and deigned to let us watch him.

I love owls.  I really do.  Ever since I read The Guardians of Ga'hoole (around the same time that I went to an owl-prowl where the naturalist called to, and had a conversation with, Barred Owls), I've been hooked.  They are intelligent and fierce--and just so darned cute.

Here is another look at Mr. Screech Owl (a bit fuzzy, because I was sitting far away):

After the owl show, we decided that it was time to go home and make dinner.  All in all, it was a lovely trip to the park.

I realize that, for all of my grousing, I really am blessed.