A Secret Stretch of Water

On Monday I went out for a drive around the area exploring some new lanes and revisiting old roads. I was looking for new cycle routes and paddling areas as well as anything else that might catch my eye.

There was a pair of these wonderful bull heads on a gateway to a cattle farm. They must have been custom made, I've never seen steer guarding an entryway before.

An interesting way to decorate a grain silo.
I came across a small park I'd not visited before and drove in to investigate. I was delighted to see there was a lake large enough to kayak on and although this was a holiday the place was pretty much deserted except for a couple of small fishing boats and a family fishing from the water's edge.

Canoes and paddleboats were available for rent but none were being used. I walked around some of the lake's edge noting the water level had dropped quite a bit. I realized after about 20 minutes that I'd likely be a veritable feast for chiggers. I'm a little paranoid now after my last kayaking trip about these god awful critters. I'll probably be covered in bites a couple of days from now...

I managed to spot this tiny frog hopping on the beach. Not even an inch long and he blended perfectly on the muddy bank. He very kindly let me get very close so I could photograph him. I turned off the shutter sound so I didn't alarm him.
After walking around some of the lake I noticed there was also a meadow trail so I strolled through there too, enjoying the beautiful blue corn flowers which I've come to regard as my favorite summer flowers. I used my macro lens to capture their loveliness.

I kept this image out of focus and love the blurred effect, almost like a water color painting. I had a moment of panic as changing to my Canon camera I realized that I'd dropped the tiny macro lens for my phone. I spent some time crouching down hunting in the grass for a shiny object and was very relieved to eventually find it again.

The meadows were alive with butterflies and grasshoppers. I saw this Swallow Tail earlier down on the beach chowing down on a dead fish.

Two Clouded Sulphur butterflies mating.

There were many of these striking black and white moths fluttering among the grasses. I spent nearly 30 minutes trying to identify them on Google to no avail so if anyone can help, please let me know.
I'd spent a couple of hours enjoying this park, surprised that so few people were enjoying it with me, but actually pleased it was obviously a hidden gem, not commercialized or overused like some of the bigger parks.I'll likely be back at a later date with the boat and a good book.