Nature Center

Emerging Yellows and Hints of Orange

9/21/2023 red R 2:45-5:00 Gorgeous, breezy, sunny dayYellow and bright green dappled ceilingPersistent hollow knocking, creakingCreek only trickles now, much drier than usualTiny red velvety mite spotted from afar by the contrast against green mossy backgroundFallen leaves sprinkle trail (about 10-15% coverage)Cricket’s murmur: no cicadasOccasional leaf drops quietly, effortlesslyTiny bees and wasps thriving on goldenrod …

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Sunburst of Laetiporus

9/2/2023, red L, 9:45-11:30 By far not the only one with this idea on such a gorgeous Saturday morningTrees filled with rattlingSuch intricately complex spider web systemsWow – witnessed wasp capture spider from its own web!Animals have been crunching on all the newly dropped acorn, walnut and hickory nutsNewly graveled trail on the muddy sections …

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Harmonious, Vibrant Ecosystem

8/25/2023 red R, 9:30-11:45 Balmy, steamy, overcast morningAlready 92° at 9:30!Cicadas roaringFallen pink lilies chaotically cover the forest floorSlick, damp limestone stepsFoggy golden haze coats the creekStorms littered the trails with branches, sticks, acorns, leaves and even some newly fallen treesAlways impressive how nature cleans itself through its entire harmonious ecosystem – environment, weather, inhabitantsNew …

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Vibrant Plants

7/21/2023, red L, 2:45-5:15 Gentle breezes rustle leavesOccasional chorus of cicadas ramps upSun brightens leaves to yellow greenIridescent green bugs fly and hover on the trailWafting whiffs of mushroomLovely petrichor lifts from belowPrairie filled with every kind of grass black-eyed susans, bergamot and tiny daisies1000 varieties of new vibrant plantsInsects and grasshoppers buzz pastGorgeous dragonflies …

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Wild Bergamot Blooms

6/27/2023, red R, 9:30-11:30 Cool, fresh, misty morningCrickets confidently ringCompletely surrounded by greenRustles and scampers through lush, leafy forest floorNew mushrooms sprout from decadent and lively logsBirds chirp and call contentedlyGroup of wood thrushes chat vociferouslyQuiet calm of breeze brushing tree tops deep in the forestForest opens to prairie, filled with even greater chorus of …

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Vibration of Grasshopper

6/16/2023, red L, 2:10-4:10 Overcast windy daySend a freshly cracked woodMarsh pond coated in thick blanket of greenMelodic backdrop of chiming cricketsGreen brightens in the depths of the forestContinuous decomposition and regenerationCreaks, rustling, chirps and chimesDamp essences of mineral petrichorSoft gentle flow of creekPondering life path and directionOnly a tiny dusty thread remaining from last …

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Orange Metalic Backpack

6/9/2023, red R, 9:30-11:40 Summer camps officially in session with excited shouts from eager kidsGentle ring of crickets and busy bird chirpsGolden sun filters through gaps in illuminated green canopyFresh cedar earthen scentSteady knocks of woodpeckers beckonCreek is still, quietBirds call out joyous greetingsMore evidence of newly fallen treesAbsolutely astounding the amount of life existing …

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Murmur of Crickets

5/26/2023, red L, 9:00-11:10am Gorgeous bright crisp morningMerlin id is a game-changer – putting names to the many calls and faces(-like Eastern Towhee, and Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush and Scarlett Tanager)Gentle murmur of cricketsSoft rush of creek belowWoodpeckers of every register echo throughout the forestSun filters through green leaves and dapples the trailSweet …

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Wet Wood and Dripping Clay

5/15/2023, red R, 2:00-4:00 Cool and gray rainy spring dayIlluminated vibrant green canopyBirds screech and call to each otherCricket just emerging and beginning gentle chimesSoft squish of trail underfootStrong scent of wet wood and dripping clayCardinal’s crimson easily spotted amidst the greenNew shelf mushroom, big enough to sit uponFerns fully stretched open for the daySpiderweb-crisscrossed …

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May The Fourth Be With You

5/4/2023, red L, 10:10am-12:10pm Bright blue sky, vibrant new greenLuscious floral scentsBusy birds singing chatting collectingSoft purple flowers line the trailsComforting hush of water falling over Creek RockGorgeous little warbler with his right Orange Navy and black and his sweet song, hops and ruffles in the leavesLight Breeze Creeks treesGreen moss tinged orange by sporophytes …

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