Nature Walk - On the Nature Trail

There is a local state park with a two mile nature trail.  The walk snakes through woods, marshy areas, meadows, and ends alongside a creek.  It is a treasury of various ecosystems, fauna, and flora of the local area. 

The children like this trail because of the changing landscape.  I like the trail for nature walks because it always has something to observe. 

A couple of Thursdays ago, we were anxious to trek the two miles in hopes of seeing something different.  What we saw surprised us all.

Many song birds, a couple of mallard ducks, a black crow, a water snake, and a dead mosquito {after I swatted it on my arm while it was trying to bite me} filled us with wonder as it was only mid-March.  We identified some visually and a few by their calls.  My son had brought the bird identification book and binoculars.  Both were quite handy that day.

We hoped to see some green foliage, and we did.

What we didn't expect was other colors along the trail.

Such beauty surprised us.

By the time we walked along the creek, I knew I should have brought the wildflower identification book instead of the tree one!

One other surprising find - mica!  I admit it, I thought it was plastic when my oldest son brought me a small sample, but it wasn't.  My daughter holds a few samples of the mineral in her hand below.