This weekend we decided to start hiking on another section of the Ice Age Trail. We mapped out a section of the Holy Hill Segment and checked the weather. We were expecting rain by two, but we thought we could finish the hike before the storm hit. Off we went, and am I glad we did. As we walked, I thought about all the school age children that had to home school on computers last year. I’ve taken computer classes, and they can be very boring. There was so much to see and learn on just this three mile hike, I wondered how beneficial it would be for kids to actually get out there and see the country. There are so many steps that offer great learning experiences; planning around the weather, packing a lunch or snacks, mapping the route, drawing pictures of various birds or insects seen along the way. The clouds opened up about 1:30, a half an hour before we got back to the car. It was a gently rain and the forest canopy kept us dry. I hope you enjoy my pictures and are able to plan an outing soon.
Do you recognize the May Apple, camomille, and clover? How about the Milkweed blossoms and wild daisy? How about the Bittersweet or Honeysuckle berries? I’ll bet you can find the Eight Spotted Forester moth. I can’t tell you how long I chased the beautiful orange Meadow Fritillary before I was able to get a good picture. I don’t know if you can see how pretty it is on the purple clover flower. Do you see the swelling in the tarragon stem? If you had a pocket knife, you could cut that open and find a nice fat larvae for your fishing hook.
My favorite pictures are of the forest floor covered with maple tree seedlings. We have been devastated with the loss of our ash trees from the emerald ash borer. It is good to see the trees being replaced naturally with an army of maple. My husband is standing next to a lovely pine heavy with green pine cones loaded with seeds waiting to do their job. Perhaps you can see the red flags marking new oak trees planted and nurtured along the edge of the meadow.
My husband had fun with his new binoculars. He even found an Eastern Toehee!
The following pictures were taken of information tags seen along the way. What a great way to learn about the trees in our native forest.
Wow what a great story!! Filled with all your colorful comments about the environment and nature.
Very interesting a joy to read.
A scavenger hunt to find all the things you mentioned.