Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith

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Hiking Pictures: Warbler Ridge River Road & Warbler Woods North

Today we went hiking.  It rained substantially several days ago and was drizzly yesterday, but was sunny today. So I took my camera ...


Plan A was the Warbler Ridge river road, part of the Grand Prairie Friends refuges.

It was flooded.  The trailhead is on the far side of said flood.
The river road at Warbler Ridge is flooded.

The field beside the road was flooded too.
The field beside the road is also flooded.


Plan B was Warbler Woods North.

This sign marks the trailhead.  There's a little parking lot in front of it.
This is the sign for Warbler Woods North.

The beginning of the trail is upland forest.  I heard a woodpecker calling high overhead, but never managed to spot it.
This is the beginning of the trail in Warbler Woods North.

This dead tree has interesting texture.  Snags like this have high wildlife value.
This dead tree is shedding its bark.

Its roots are rotting away.
The roots of the tree are rotting away.

This is a wide view of the creek below the switchback.
This is a wide view of the creek.

This waterfall made a charming gurgle.
This little waterfall made a cheerful gurgle.

This one is lower and quieter.
The second waterfall is a little lower.

These wildlife tracks are pressed into coarse sand.  On the left, those are probably raccoon or squirrel.  On the right, they might be deer.  This kind of sand doesn't leave great impressions.
These animal tracks are above the water.

This patch is sand and mud with better outlines.
These animal tracks appear below the creek.

The creek isn't really flooded, but the "bridge" over it consists of two logs.  They are resting on sand and mud that are saturated enough to be nearly liquid, thus possibly not as stable as usual.  The far end would require jumping to solider ground.  We decided not to risk the crossing.
This is the log bridge over the creek.

Beyond the bridge was another set of tracks.  I'm pretty sure the small ones are raccoon, because they look like tiny hands and feet.
These animal tracks lie beyond the log bridge.

The trail continues past the bridge.
The trail continues beyond the creek.

The bank above the creek is mossy.
This is a wide view of the bank above the creek.

Here is a closeup of a mossy tree.
Moss grows on the bank.

Ferns grow on the bank too.
Ferns grow on the creek bank.

We passed a patch of trillium about to bloom.
This trillium is about to bloom.

Cutleaf toothwort is just beginning to bloom.
Cutleaf Toothwort is blooming.


After that, we headed to Lake Charleston.
Tags: illinois, nature, personal, photo, photography
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