Evening Romp

Ebon on the stage

In a down-stay on the soccer field

Ebon, my significant other, and I went out today for a nice walk and a little romp through the woods. I keep forgetting how many little hidden areas there are in the woods on campus, which led to us stumbling across a little stage that sits half-hidden by trees beside one of the sets of dormitories. I don't know why they decided to build a stage there. It's one of three outdoor stage-like areas that are on this campus.

The bugs were out in force and though I remembered my bug spray this time, I still ended up getting a few bites. Those darn mosquitoes just love me too much. It was a beautiful day, though. Only a bit warm and really not humid. It's usually extremely humid around here and after a week of frequent rains it seems that things have dried up for the time being. Ebon enjoyed himself. He's doing great right now, for those of you who are curious.

On a man-made sand mound that's in the woods

I'm a little disappointed that none of the pictures really came out very well today. Oh, well.

Male sago (Cycas revoluta) cone

We did come across a rather impressive sago palm near another of the dorm complexes. A reproductive male sage is not a common sight around here. It seems that most of the sagos you will see near where I live are either immature or female, and female sago cones are far less conspicuous. Males, on the other hand, can produce multiple large cones beginning at the age of about fifteen years. Cycad species are notoriously slow-maturing plants and the need for a long time before reproduction is common. The sago we saw only had one cone, but it was nearly two feet long! These cones will release a sweetish smell when mature, but I couldn't smell anything so I don't think it's fully matured yet. And yes, I am crazy enough to sniff a sago palm in public.