Thursday, May 14, 2015

Thursday Thirteen 373: Spring Walk Through the Arb

I thought I would share a few photos from a walk through the Arboretum in late April. Though the prairies were still predominantly brown, woodland flowers were starting to come up in forested sections, and Longenecker Gardens was (still is!) a riot of blooms. As always, click on any photo for a better view.


This was on the edge of Curtis Prairie --
 not sure what it is, but it was pretty!


Looking out over Curtis Prairie


Another view of Curtis Prairie


A family of turtles was sunning themselves at Teal Pond.


More green, growing stuff on the prairie!


Trout Lily


Sandhill Crane -- one of a nesting pair in the Wetlands.


Trail through Lost City Forest. This paved section is all that remains
of a failed land development. Nature is slowly reclaiming it.


Seen above a mail box on Arboretum Drive -- there are a few streets
of houses that are technically inside the Arboretum. 


Rhododendron, Longenecker Horticultural Gardens


Toothwort, Gallistal Woods


A trio of turkeys bid me farewell as I exited through Grady Tract.
I saw a total of six turkeys, a hawk, an owl, and two cranes this day --
plus a plethora of beautiful giant blue dragonflies.


Magnolia, Longenecker Horticultural Gardens




LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen






12 comments:

Latane Barton said...

I loved seeing your nature pictures.

Alice Audrey said...

I do miss the Arboretum. Mostly because you remind me of how cool it is. :)

colleen said...

I love the way the trout lily wraps itself and had never heard of them. Turkeys and turtles are always fun to find and to see.

Heather said...

Latane: Thank you!

Alice: You know I will miss being within walking distance if I ever move out of my neighborhood.

Colleen: I love the trout lilies, though they can be difficult to photograph, ad the blossoms usually face the ground, rather than the sun. Apparently I recently missed some yellow trout lilies. Need to get over there this weekend before all the spring ephemerals are gone.

mittens said...

Oh these are just lovely, Heather: here in NH we are still groping toward spring, the apple blossoms have just come out but the lilies and flowering shrubs have a ways to go.
thank you for this. And what a great shot of that crane...

the service that failed business venture did was to create a really interesting pathway, not a bad trade off, at least for walkers, if not for the businessmen...

Jana said...

LOVE.

Heather said...

Mitttens: Thank you -- and yes, the failed business venture was a plus for Madison, as that land is now part of the Arboretum, with a variety of natural habitats and plant life.

Heather said...

Thanks, Jana!

novroz said...

Beautiful pictures :)

I especially like the pond with turtles ;)

Heather said...

Novroz: Thank you -- I had a feeling you might like that one! ☺

Alice Audrey said...

You have certainly spent a lot more time there than I have. But then, I lived on the Isthmus. I could get there with some effort, but generally ended up doing my walking around the Tenny Park area.

Heather said...

That is a bonus of living within walking/biking distance -- easy to visit any time I want. ☺