Thursday, June 19, 2014

Thursday Thirteen 337: A Walk in the Arboretum No. 1

You may have noticed the "No. 1" in the title of this post. I visit the Arboretum at least once a week in decent weather and have enough photos for multiple posts on the subject. The prairies especially are in such constant flux that you can see something different every week.

The photos in this post are from a visit to the main body of the UW-Madison Arboretum on May 10, encompassing Leopold Pines, Teal Pond, Teal Pond Wetlands, Juniper Knoll and Gallistel Woods (see map). Sadly, I do not get over to that area often enough, but tend to stick to the smaller Grady Tract closer to where I live. Due to a long, hard winter followed by an equally cold and wet spring, everything was blooming two or three weeks later than usual, but I did manage to find a few spring woodland plants. Click on any photo for a better view.




Arboretum path with short boardwalk


There are fungi of all shapes, sizes and colors throughout the wooded areas


Jack-in-the-Pulpit


Looking up through the trees at a perfect spring sky


Prairie Smoke -- These were growing in the Native Plant Garden
outside the Visitor Center, an area designed to showcase prairie plants
for those unable to navigate the narrow paths through Curtis Prairie


The Wetlands -- there is a nice boardwalk here with plenty of benches


Violets of various colors were plentiful


Virginia Bluebells


Trout lily


A plethora of turtles could be seen at Teal Pond,
serenaded by the incessant and loud croaking of frogs


Toothwort -- I know, an ugly name for a pretty flower


Canada Anemone


Mayapples were not yet in bloom. They bloomed so late this year,
they were more aptly "Juneapples"



LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen



18 comments:

Mia Celeste said...

Beautiful pictures. Beautiful flowers. Thanks for the eye candy.
I really like the jack in the pulpit because I have some too.

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Paige Tyler said...

Great pics! I especially love the turtles!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Heather said...

Mia: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk. ☺

Heather said...

Thanks, Paige! I wish I could have gotten closer views of some of the turtles and/or frogs. The frogs especially were too far away for my camera. I need a stronger zoom lens! :-\

maryaustria said...

Wonderful shots from your walk!

CountryDew said...

Lovely. I am partial to the Virginia bluebells for some reason. And that was a pile of turtles. Um. A herd of turtles? A tittle of turtles? A squad of turtles? I wonder what that's called. Darn, now I have to go look it up!

Alice Audrey said...

I miss wandering around in the Arboretum. We lived on the East Side, so we only went a few times a year, but always made the effort.

Shelley Munro said...

What a gorgeous place to walk. Loved the photos of spring flowers.

Hazel said...

Wonderful! I'd love to take a walk in there and see if I can find a fairy.... #dreammode

Heather said...

Mary: Thank you!

Heather said...

Anita: Gee, I wonder why you would be partial to the bluebells? LOL

According to my internet search, a group of turtles is "a bale, nest, turn, or dole." ;)

Heather said...

Alice: We lived on the east side much of my life, too, so the few times I visited while growing up was with school. It's nice living close enough for frequent visits. ☺

Heather said...

Thanks, Shelley! It is indeed a gorgeous place to visit. There are extensive trails for walking/jogging and cross-country skiing, as well as a main road through the main section popular with bicyclists (no bikes allowed in the smaller Grady Tract).

Heather said...

Hazel: Thank you - I haven't happened upon any fairies...yet...but have met plenty of deer and wild turkey on evening walks. ☺

Novroz said...

That's a great place!!

I would love to hang out more around that many turtles. Thank you for leading me to this post :)

Heather said...

Novroz: It is a wonderful place to visit. I thought you might enjoy seeing all the turtles. There is a nice dock where one may sit, but I advise plenty of bug spray this time of year. The mosquitoes are horrendous.

Beth at PlantPostings said...

Thanks for the reminder to spend more time at the Arboretum. I love it, and need to get over there more often just to enjoy it! What a great gift we have here in our community!

Heather said...

PP: I'm hppy to provide such a reminder. I need to find time to get over there this week, which has been difficult of late between work and all the rain. I was tempted to stop in during an evening walk last Friday night but wasn't wearing enough bug spray. Mosquitoes are the only negative aspect of the Arboretum! ☺