Monday, July 26, 2010

Trees

This post was submitted to: Festival of the Trees #50: Through a Child's Eyes. This months edition is being hosted by Roberta at Growing with Science Blog. Click on this link to read more posts about trees.

Every week, since the beginning of the year, I’ve been walking a couple of routes in Fort Yargo State Park in Barrow County, Georgia, to photograph all the wildflowers I could find. One of these routes connects the Fishing Area to the main picnic area. I photographed points on the trail coming and going in the Winter when trees were leafless.

This year, it seems as if it’s been in the 90s (F) forever - for close to three months now. After a colder-than-normal Winter, this long, hot Spring and Summer hasn’t been a lot of fun. I’ve really appreciated the shade the trees have provided during these walks. It’s all too easy to take them for granted but they are beautiful.


A small bridge crosses a gully just south of the Fishing Area.

Just north of the cliff. A slip-rail fence, starting at the right-hand side of the photo, protects against falls and gives me something to lean on when I’m looking for wildflowers or fish in the water below. The Bank Swallow nesting hole is hidden behind a tree.

Looking back along the slip-rail fence. The woods are fairly thick here. It's a great area for shade-tolerant wildflowers. I keep being surprised at how many different wildflowers grow here.

A little further along the trail. It’s not an illusion. The bridge decking has developed a bit of a list to the right. I have to take it carefully and hold onto the rail in the middle. Hope it doesn’t collapse; this is a major connection between the Fishing Area and the picnic area – and for the disc golf course that meanders through the woods above.

The woods are a little more open here. A totally different set of wildflowers that like partial to full sun.

The woods thicken again. Mostly muscadines in the more open areas.

Then into a thick pine forest.

Then time to turn around again and enjoy them again all the way back to the car.

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2 comments:

Amber Coakley said...

Hi Joan, it looks like you have a lovely trail in the woods. I especially like the bridge - looks like a great place to sit and watch wildlife.

JSK said...

Yes Amber. It's a great trail. I'm starting to think about the idea of picking a couple of spots to sit and wait... after I finish my year of hunting the elusive wildflowers. There are several places where the birds tease me each week. But they hide in the bushes or fly away. The only solution is to sit and wait.