Wildflower meadow in southern Illinois.

Soft and quiet moment on the trail.

Color in the forest. Flowers, ferns, trees, and moss. Finding peace.

The deer in Shawnee National Forest seem unusually calm and unafraid or horses and riders this year. This one stood right beside the trail and watched me approach, sprinting off at the last moment.

Natural amphitheater. Imagine what the two main characters are saying to each other, or maybe singing if it is an opera. The chorus of small trees behind them is giving a good backup performance. And the spectator trees have left plenty of room for you to claim a rocky perch and join the fun.

She doesn't see it yet. Oh! There's a deer beside the trail.

Jackson Hole, Shawnee National Forest. Top to bottom wild beauty.

Jewels of the forest floor.

5 inches of rain a few days ago filled all the creeks in Shawnee National Forest.

Forest "flowers" of July. These mushrooms were everywhere yesterday.

Joy. Arrived at horse camp yesterday. Short early morning ride today then help finish a few inside details on the cabin to make it move in ready by the end of the week. Oh, and the not so fun part of doing a deep clean the RV to get it ready to sell.

Clover diversity. Isn't nature beautiful and wise.

Yesterday was a mushroomy kind of day.

Lichen and turkey tails mixing it up on a shady log.

Velvet dreams.

Half red rose.

Ripples of life. Small fish in a very small creek.

Garlic gone wild.

Cooling off in the creek.

Wildflowers of southern Indiana in July.

Neighbors sharing the shade.

Family reunion time again.

A friendly little mushroom for July.

Horses in fog. Hot, humid, but the grass is good.

A creek runs through it.

Nothing better on a hot summer day than a cool(ish) walk in the woods.

Last day lily for the last day of June.

Fascinating form. Deadly beauty. Unfortunately poor site selection.

A red-tailed hawk glides through blue sky above its nest. Got to watch a bit of bird drama a couple of weeks ago. Angry hawk shrieked and swooped to chase a bald eagle out of the tree next to its nest. Eagle flew down to the pasture below before being escorted back in the direction of its own nest.

Woods have magic. Inspiration to so many authors and artists. Middle Earth, Hundred Acre Woods, Walden.

First harvest of the year. Lovely and tasty cucumbers.

This now somewhat scraggly looking mushroom growth has become a waypoint on a trail in the woods behind a pasture at home. Georgie provided an ear for reference.

Invisible bunny stayed so still until I was close, then continued rather unhurriedly on their way. Guess I don't look like much of a threat.

Borage blooms in the garden.

Native trumpet creeper adding color to an overgrown fence in Indiana in June.

Rejuvenated by rain. Mushroom facelift.

Cucumber crop is off to a good start.

New things to come. First time planting borage and blooms are just about ready to pop open.

Delightful even in decay. Last week's bright white new growth now shows depth and character, textured and tan. May we all age so gracefully.

Pretty and petite, a mini rose grows strong after having to start over from the roots after a hard winter. Stay resilient.

Shiny green (?) on Mullein blossom just starting to pop.

Butterflies enjoying a treat beside a sunny section of trail yesterday.

June exuberance!

Home trail through the woods.

June blooms light up the shade garden.

Morning mushrooms looking like pancakes served up on leaves with sprigs of June greenery for garnish.

Best friends.

Layers of June.

Dragonfly summer.

Mushroom frills. Exuberant nature decorates her woods with flair.