Friday's Hunt v. 4.08

I had a lovely visit from my parents for the past 3 days, so I didn't get around to doing Friday's Hunt on Friday, as I prefer to do.  However, I'm still doing it before the deadline.  I have had a busy week and anticipate another busy one ahead, which has limited my ability to visit other blogs and to do my usual comments on other Friday's Hunt participant blogs.  I will try to catch up soon!

Today's prompts from Eden Hills are:  Starts with H, Simple and Green.

Starts with H
Marc found a shed snake skin on the pile of barn boards that he is using in his garage project.  I decided that the skin looks like a husk of a snake.  Husk usually only applies to the outer covering of fruits or seeds, but I am using a little poetic license and applying it to this outer snake covering! It is most likely from a garter snake - the only kind we usually see around here.

Simple
I think most of us could use a few more simple pleasures in life, and focus a little more on the things that really matter.  It is difficult for me not to get all wrapped up in my work and my other responsibilities and not take time to just be, and enjoy the moment.  This weekend I enjoyed many moments on my parents' visit - just experiencing the simple joy of their company.

We had a lovely walk in the local waterfowl park, and here is my mom smiling with delight as we went on a simple walk in the park with my parents' dog, Bella.  Bonus points - my mom is wearing a green sweater and Bella has a green collar!

Here's another simple delight - watching young ducklings (late in the season!) zooming around on the pond at high speed.  They looked like little motorboats - look at that wake!

Green
Although the leaves are just starting to turn colour around here, there is plenty of green still visible. On our walk in the park, I took this photograph of a sleeping duck surrounded by a whole cast of different shades of green, including the greens reflected in the water.

Finally, here is the pale green seedpod of the wild cucumber vine (Echinocystis lobata).

Wild Cucumber

I recently encountered a new plant that I may have seen before, but I don't remember doing so, and if I did, I don't think I ever knew what it was.  At first, I thought it might be some kind of hops - based on the leaf shape.

A closer look revealed curling tendrils and tiny white flowers that were somewhat fragrant.  I knew it wasn't hops after I looked more closely, but I certainly didn't recognize it.

The plant was climbing up some alder bushes along the sides of my walking path at the waterfowl park, pictured below.  I love those beautiful green pathways - they are so peaceful to walk on and I enjoy discovering all the new wildlife there - plant, animal and bird! I figured it was probably a native plant to the area, and decided to try to find it in my field guide.

Sure enough, I was able to identify it as the wild cucumber, Echinocystis lobata, also called prickly cucumber or balsam apple.  It's an annual plant here in Canada and and in late August or early September, it forms prickly cucumber-like fruits, which are really a type of berry.  I was at a different park yesterday and saw one with the fruit on it, so I was able to take this picture.  What an odd-looking little fruit!

Apparently the roots were historically used in teas for stomach or kidney problems, and even love potions!  No, I'm not planning on trying that!  The little "cucumber" is more like a fleshy seed pod with hollow middle tubes that contain the seeds.  It will eventually dry up and the seeds fall out the bottom of the pod.  They're not edible, and not related to the garden cucumber plant either.  Still, they are interesting!