natural places of wandering: August 2012

August 26, 2012

Caving - its added to the list

Mammoth Cave and Luray Caverns are on the list for next year for sure.

The Sierra Club

How many of these caves have you visited?

7 Crazy Caves of the Southern U.S.

sierraclub.typepad.com

Add these must-see caves to your travel wish list!

August 19, 2012

I know...I know

All of my current posts are in OH - what can I say, they are in my back yard. No worries though, new stuff (and oldies but goodies) coming soon that are NOT in OH :)

This is one of my favorite places in OH...Dawes Arboretum. It is so peaceful, and intertwines nature with the presence of modern conveniences (there is an auto tour).

I'm a plant geek...so I love the fact that nearly all of the tree and plant species are labeled with common and scientific names. It's so cool. The Japanese Gardens are beautiful - I went once when they were getting ready for a wedding there. But my favorite area is the conifer section...I never knew that conifers could come in so many colors!

Here's the site: http://www.dawesarb.org/

Cool statuary in the Japanese Gardens

Island in the middle of the pond in the Japanese Garden - filled with huge koi!

Beautiful azalea on the far side of the pond, heading in to the woods

I love, love, love the bridge connecting this island to the mainland!

Magnolia trees,,,don't need to say more than that!

These next three shots are of a very cool birch species...I truly love the colors these have when the bark falls off. Its like they are in camouflage...but what does a tree need camouflage from? Things that make you go hmmmm.....

Japanese maple...love the color and the intricacy of the leaves

Don't adjust the color on your screen...yes, those conifers (above & below) have yellow in their needles. For the name & species, you'll just have to visit!

Cool cone!

Beautiful pond/mini lake at the Arboretum - in the background you can see the conifers!

My favorite new tree species, one with definite character...Moonshot. Or as I like to call it, the ghost from Scooby Doo! Don't see the resemblance? That's ok...I do :)

Label for Moonshot...just try and pronounce the genus - i dare you!

What was the name of this tree again????? Oh yeah, Ginko. Get it? :) I'm such a dork!

Pickerington Ponds - Canal Winchester, OH

Very cool place - a marsh meadow. Wetlands and ponds galore, but sadly no real wooded areas. I'm glad the day was not hot! I went in the afternoon so there were only a few birds about; need to go back earlier in the morning to see more species. From the literature, this is a very important bird viewing area designated by Audubon OH...with osprey nests!!

A hawk and some turkey buzzards were circling above me for a while as I walked - just made me a little nervous :)

It had a very flat, gravel walking trail - with very few people around ( i only passed 5 people total!).

Neat place - and very different than other parks that I had been to so far in OH.

These first two photos were taken at one of the overlooks.

This was taken walking from the overlook to the walking trail - beautiful day!

Cattails - proof positive that this is a wetland!

These next four pictures below have long shots of the osprey nests in Blue Wing pond. Yes, osprey nests! They are tough to see, but the trees sticking up over the green in the photos with those back dots - yep those are them. Couldn't get closer as not to disturb the wildlife - must remember binoculars!

A shot of George's Creek - saw more birds here as it was cooler!

This little guy stopped to say Hi!

Beautiful blue & black butterfly....must bring identification guide next time!

One last sweeping vista shot at an overlook.

August 18, 2012

Blendon Woods - Gahanna, OH (i think)

Blendon is a metro park - but it surprised me.

I'm not a huge fan of most metro parks because there is generally just too many paved paths & open picnic areas for me. Not saying that's bad - because anywhere in the city or suburbs that isn't a strip mall I'm a fan of - but I prefer areas of green where I can't hear the freeway or see people every other minute. I'm looking for a little peace & quiet in the forest or meadow or caves or...you get the idea.

Ok - enough of that.

As I said, Blendon surprised me. Yes, it had some paved paths, and yes a lot of picnic areas. But it also had some great walking paths that were actually dirt (sometimes gravel) and went deeper in to the forest. And considering that on one side of the park is a freeway and I couldn't hear it when I was walking...this was pretty great.

All in all a really nice place where one can get a nature fix in the suburbs :)

Love this shot...gives me the "I'm about to embark on an adventure" feeling every time I look at it

I love trees - especially ones with personality. A Shagbark Hickory, like the one above, definitely has it!

Not a fan of actually eating mushrooms per say....but they are really cool when you encounter them in the forest!

Hello little orange mushroom!

One last 'shroom shot.

Ash Cave - Hocking Hills, OH

Ash Cave in the Hocking Hills area near Logan OH is truly magnificent.

It's not a true cave, but its still really cool & immense.

It's also very easy to get to for anyone - there is a paved walking path straight back to the site.

Looking up from the floor of the cave, under a mini water fall - this was taken last year (i think) close to the fall season.

Looking straight up to the source of the mini waterfall

The amount of rock that is suspended over you is one word = impressive.

The pictures above & below are the actual site. Even though not truly a cave, its still really cool to see and experience.

Under the overhang getting ready to climb the "more steps than I can count" portion of the site. There is a person in the lower center of the picture...can you say an intimidating amount of rock overhead? I can. :)