Photos of the Day: A Brief Respite at Cloudy North Mountain

This butterfly was having a dandy time in a field of fresh flowers.

Looking out from the rocks.

Whether it's cloudy or bright, North Mountain in the heart of lovely Rockbridge County provides some of the best scenery and nature of any of the hikes around.

It's a relatively easy series of three or four hikes--none really testing, none long--on a ridge that gives you views of both sides of the mountain.

Here is some of what my photo buddy Anne Sampson and I discovered on today's jaunt in the woods.

This purple lichen was on one of the rocks, looking like a cave painting.

Pine cones at the crest of the ridge.

An early sign of fall.

Anne climbs a steep rock ...

... to see what's on the other side. This.

Queen Anne's lace, I think.

Anne discovered these guys. I would have stepped on them.

This is what we came for.