Saturday, February 26, 2011

Fort Yargo State Park: Won’t Be Long Now… (Part 2)

The Monster Mile Bypass emerges from the woods at the south end of the dam. I walked along the dam to see how deep the water was. At ‘full pool’ the water is about 24 feet deep.

It’s now just below 22 feet. Another 2 feet or so to go. But compare this with…

The depth on November 14th, 2010. The water was about 14 feet deep then.

I walked back along the dam to continue on the trail along the lake shore. This is the shoreline immediately north of the dam on the west side.

A Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) leaf. This is a good time to spot Cranefly Orchid plants. The leaves will die before the orchids bloom in July.

This snag is north of the trail (segment 3) just east of the footbridge. I’m fascinated by the perfectly circular hole in the snag. I didn’t see any bird activity but I’ll be keeping tabs on it.

The shoreline looking south just after I dropped down onto the beach. The beach is quite narrow now. It won’t be long before it won’t be possible to walk along it.

A Hazel Alder (Alnus serrulata) in bloom. The male catkins along this beach were in full bloom. I didn’t realize how much pollen they produced until…

I held a catkin that was blowing in the wind in order to photograph it. My fingers were covered with pollen.

The female flower of the Hazel Alder.

Some driftwood lying on the beach. It’s reminiscent of a shark fin. I’d seen these previously still attached to dead tree trunks in Harbin’s Park in Gwinnett County.

Next, finishing the hike.

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Related posts:

- Fort Yargo State Park: Won’t Be Long Now… (Part 1)

- Fort Yargo State Park: Déjà Vu

- Fort Yargo State Park: A Cold, Sunny Day

- Fort Yargo State Park: Shades Of Brown And Green. Part 1

- Fort Yargo State Park: Shades Of Brown And Green. Part 2

- Snow: Fort Yargo State Park

- Boat Launch To The Picnic Area: ‘Low Tide’

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