One of the very nice things about the trail is the opening pond. While the water wasn't a magnet for dragonflies like it was last year, it's not often that you see four turtles resting on a floating piece of wood.
Out of the Water
If you didn't notice it, there is actually a fifth turtle in the image. Take another look.
The trail winds for a bit and it hugs the top edge of a bluff. There are some parts where you can get a good view of the base. Here's a peek below to the lower level through one of crevices which form throughout the area:
Peering Through the Crack
Each time through the trails is its own experience. This was new:
Boring into the Wood
I couldn't tell if this was due to a woodpecker. But a couple of woodpecker species, including the large pileated woodpecker, live in the Shawnee National Forest. According to Wikipedia, the pileated is noted for chipping out rectangular holes in search of insects, so I guess that was the bird's doing. While we didn't see any woodpeckers on this trip, we have in the past. In fact, on our first trip two years ago, we startled a pileated woodpecker on the Giant City Nature Trail and it flew off in a blur of wings--the species is definitely one big bird--amazing.
Walking the trail, you are in the forest, focusing on the near and the far, the blooms and the fallen.
Between the Leaves, the Distant
A Flower with Two Visitors
Upturned
A Dash of Purple
Upturned trees were a common sight on the trails this time. The severe weather that has swept across the United States this spring doesn't appear to have spared Giant City either. Looking at the fallen tree above, you can see how the roots cleanly pulled all the soil off the top of the rock when the tree tipped.
And lastly, something which I have never figured out...
Fire Hydrant in the Woods?
Yes, a fire hydrant appears among the trees. What is it doing and when was it built? I don't know, but it is a bit of a marvel that I finally decided to photograph on our most recent trip.
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