Blazing Colors around the Fishing Pond

One of my favorite pictures, this one speaks for itself. The bridge, the sky, the autumn leaves, all shout with their blazing colors. (Compare this to the July, 2009, shot of the same scene.)

The air was crisp, the squirrels and squirrel-cousins were busy with the nut harvest, and the spiders' webs seemed to be across every path!

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Top of the Hill in Fall

Taken at the entrance to the "cemetary," the three trees in the background stand guarding the peaceful surroundings of the few who are buired here. "Peace" is the operative word here.
This picture was from one of many I had taken in October, but never had time to post. I'm surprised I even made it to Ballard's to walk, my time from August to January is always so busy that sometimes I have to tell myself to breath. This year more than ever.

September is here!

While I was able to take to the trails in August, and even snapped a few pictures, the blog took a back seat to “back-to-school” activities. When possible, I will try to add small posts to share those photos.

I also had to deal with major computer issues over the last three months, a real time-waster.

The blue beauty on this page was caught in the bright sunlight fluttering about on the far southern edge of the Wetland/Prairie trail.

Volunteers, Periscope, and Bull Thistle

There are forty to sixty volunteers that help out at the Ballard Nature Center throughout the year. Here Mike and Debbie are washing a tank. I've often seen these two hard workers as they give of their time at the center. Thank you!



Mike also built some of the items inside the center, like this periscope that this lucky young man is using to identify wildlife.


Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. Fred Rogers

Woodland Trail in the summer.

This bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is growing over five feet tall along the trail head of the Wetland/Prairie Trail.
What child has not stepped barefoot on one of these as they emerge in the springtime? I know I did. Birds may like the seeds, and the flowers have their own beauty, but I'll still keep my distance from these invaders, thank you!

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)


All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind. Abraham Lincoln

See the beauty in nature every day. C M

Picturesque

This is the bridge leading up the hill to the dam at the Fishing Pond, taken in early morning. One of many favorite spots for having a portrait/ picture taken. I had my family here earlier this month for some great casual shots.
Although there are many beautiful places in Effingham County for outdoor photos of friends and family, few places have as MANY different beautiful spots in one location as the Ballard Nature Center.







































See the beauty in nature every day. C M

2nd Creek Bridge Overlook

I was excited to come upon a new trail on one of my recent walks. It's a spot that sits several yards above the main entrance road and looks out towards the 2nd Creek bridge. This serene place is located at the top of the hill on the northeast corner of the kid's fishing pond. The overlook hosts a bench to rest and enjoy a great summer view of the peaceful setting. I liked the dragonfly on the sign below.

We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.
Albert Einstein

Help! I'm trying to identify the plant above. Is it Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis),
Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) , or something else? I thought it was bee balm, but the color doesn't seem right. Whatever the plant, the bees were having quite a time with these flowers.

Many bees were out in the afternoon sunshine today searching for the sweet nectar on purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea). These are spotted throughout Illinois both on the prairies, in neighborhoods, and in my own back yard... yours, too?

See the beauty in nature every day. C M

Fishing Pond

A view of the kid's fishing pond at sunset. The new bridge is yet another example of the hundreds of special touches that workers and volunteers have completed to make the grounds at the Ballard Nature Center a beautiful and accessible place to visit. The purple flowers in the foreground can be seen in a close-up below.

These spire-like flowers in the picture above grace the landscape around the new bridge, growing to a height of over five feet tall. The prairie-blazing-star (Liatris pycnostachya) loves full sun and will bloom from July to September.

This cottonwood tree on the Second Creek trail has stood the test of time. I couldn't get the entire height of the tree in the picture. The identification sign, below, is nestled beneath the tree nearly hidden by the grasses and foliage.

This is not a clear picture of a rabbit that dashed down into the dry pond on Second Creek Trail. My camera lens is a bit whimpy when it comes to telephoto shots.

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Flora Whittemore

See the beauty in life every day. PrairieWalker

Cattails

The cattails, Typha latifolia, are at their full glory in July. I founds this trio on the Wetland/Prairie trail at Ballard Nature Center. Many cattails are scattered about the edges of the wetlands like Fourth of July bottle rockets ready to launch into the hot summer sky.

"We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship."
--The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis
See the beauty around you everyday. PrairieWalker

My First Blog

The summer morning was cool for July. The sun would only shine for moments before the clouds moved in as seen in the reflection in this lake at Ballard Nature Center.

The benches placed along many of the trails at Ballards give visitors a chance to rest and take in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.

The blackberries are ripening fast and there are plenty for the birds to enjoy.