Wordless Wednesday 146: Dunn's Marsh

A selection of photos taken from a recent walk through Dawley Conservancy and Dunn's Marsh, accessible by road as well as several state and local bike trails. Click on any photo for a larger view.

Blue Vervain and Cattails

Bridge at the intersection of several bike trails

Looking out over Dunn's Marsh from the Cannonball Bike Path.
The Capitol City State Trail runs along the opposite shore.

A doe along the Cannonball. We stood looking at each other a good five
minutes, before a toddler a quarter mile behind me let out a loud screech
that sent the doe crashing through the underbrush.

Can you see the ducks behind the reeds?

It's hard to get a good view of the pond this time of year.

One of several inlets around the pond.

Groundhog -- I've seen a lot of them this year!

Swamp Milkweed usually flowers mid-June to Mid-August in wet habitats,
and is attractive to monarchs and other species of butterflies.



Meadowsweet along the Cannonball Path. This is a
fragrant member of the rose family that grows in marshy areas.



For more photos, see the following posts from last week:

In Search of Sunflowers

Skywatch Friday 71


LINKING TO:

Wordless Wednesday

Create With Joy

Skywatch Friday 71

A few photos taken during a long walk to Dawley Conservancy Park and Dunn's Marsh on the evening of Friday, August 8.

The sky, as I set out on a 6-mile walk about 6pm -- it was a perfect summer evening.

This section of the Capitol City State Trail is lined with sunflowers
and other wildflowers.

They tower overhead at a height of 8-9 feet.

A look towards the pond over sunflowers and reeds.

A kingfisher keeps watch over the pond at Dunn's Marsh.

Sunflowers bending towards the setting sun.

Did I mention how tall they are??

Bridge near the hub where different state and local trails connect.

A glimpse of the sky on my return home.

For more pics from this walk see yesterday's post, In Search of Sunflowers

LINKING TO: Skywatch Friday

Thursday Thirteen 343: In Search of Sunflowers

This time of year is usually one of my favorites at the Arboretum's Greene Prairie, when it is a riot of yellow sunflowers, punctuated with the purple of gayfeathers and blazing stars. This year, however, there is a dearth of sunflowers, as well as many other plants in the Sunflower — or Asteraceae — family. A naturalist on a recent guided walk said she did not know what was causing it, whether it is disease or something else. I believe weather may be another factor — a hard, cold winter followed by a cold, wet spring and an above normal amount of rain in June. It has also been several years since it was burned, and fire is necessary for sustaining a healthy prairie. Many factors have prevented a controlled burn here, weather — particularly high winds — being a primary issue.

There are more than 23,000 species in the asteraceae family, nearly 100 of which can be found throughout the UW Arboretum. These range from spring pussy-toes to fall asters, and a variety of plants which bloom throughout the summer that includes sunflowers, daisies, ragweed, thistles, coneflowers, and goldenrod.

Not finding any sunflowers at Greene Prairie, I decided to walk down to Dunn's Marsh-Dawley Conservancy Park in Fitchburg, about a mile south of the Arboretum's Grady Tract. Part of the Capitol City State Trail cuts through a restored prairie on the south shore of the pond, where there are tons of sunflowers. The path winds round the pond and connects with other state and local trails. It is a pleasant place to walk, with sunflowers towering overhead, and coneflowers, Queene Anne's Lace and other wildflowers mixed in. Here are a few photos taken during a recent visit. Click on any photo for a larger view.

Greene Prairie -- the random sunflowers you can see belong to prairie dock,
and they are nowhere near as tall or as plentiful as previous years.

The abundance of sunflowers at Dawley Conservancy Park is evident from the road.

One lone bloom among many buds.



Cup-plant can grow to eight feet tall, prairie dock to nine feet.



A Cup-plant in full bloom.

While there is some Queen Anne's Lace mixed in with the sunflowers, the one thing
I did not see this year was wild quinine, which grew right along the trail last summer.



Sunflowers of various heights line either side of the trail.



They back right up to the tree line and marsh along the Cap City Trail.



Sunflowers and Queen Anne's Lace near the trail hub.

Sunflowers, coneflowers, joe-pye weed and Queen Anne's Lace are among the
many wildflowers found at Dawley Conservancy and Dunn's Marsh.

LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen