December 10, 2022, I hiked a new trail, simply referred to as the Hiking and Biking Trail, that begins near the Refuge entrance gate for the Visitors Center. Fellow Nature enthusiasts Chris Stuhlinger, Jim Chamberlain, and Ed Mullin accompanied me. The flat, hard-packed fine gravel path winds through the deliciously varied habitat of mixed pine/hardwood […]
Winter is racing past. I’m completing this Post narrative February 24, 2023, a full two months beyond the deep winter episode that is the subject of this photo-essay. Yesterday (February 23) Madison recorded a high of 83! I have a backlog of these Posts ready for publishing. I thought it is approaching past-time to issue […]
December 10, 2022, I visited the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and the nearby new wildlife photo blind. This was my first visit of the late fall and winter of 2022. The cranes were back with cacophonous joy and celebration. From the Observation Building through the glass, hundreds of sandhill cranes […]
I normally write about The Nature of a specific wild place either here in Alabama or wherever travel may take me. View this Post as a compendium of observations, reflections, and photographs (ond one video) assembled from my forest ventures in diverse wildland settings around a contemporary theme. I have devoted my life as a […]
I visited Eufaula, Alabama the afternoon of October 13, 2022, while in the area exploring Alabama’s Lakepoint State Park and the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. I present photographs, reflections, and observations from a brief hike on the Yoholo Micco Trail. In addition, with assistance from Ron Dodson, long time friend and fellow Nature-enthusiast, we offer […]
I visited Joe Wheeler State Park October 19, 2022, touring the Park by pontoon boat the afternoon ahead of our quarterly Alabama State Parks Foundation Board meeting. I offer this Post as a view of the Park from Lake Wheeler. Don’t look for my occasionally heavy narrative explaining the Nature of a trail or a […]
October 28, 2022, I visited a Lawrence County woodland property that the owners are donating to Wild Alabama, whose mission is to inspire people to enjoy, value, and protect the wild places in Alabama. Headquartered in Moulton, Wild Alabama (http://www.wildal.org) launched on January 1, 2021 with Maggie Johnston (maggie@wildal.org) as Executive Director. Maggie led our […]
I enjoyed my first visit to Lakepoint State Park the afternoon of October 12, 2022 through departure early on the 15th. I focus this Post on special hardwood forest features I encountered along my several hikes. I’ve grown to increasingly appreciate the intense competition among dominant and co-dominant trees for full sunlight in the canopy […]
Friend and fellow Nature-enthusiast Jim Chamberlain and I visited Huntsville, Alabama’s Dallas Fanning Nature Preserve November 28, 2022. This was the first time either of us had explored the 58-acre preserve. I had no preconceived notions of what to expect. I offer photographs, observations, and initial reactions. Trailhead An ample gravel parking lot (the […]
The afternoon of October 15, 2022 and the following morning I visited the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center with old friends Rhett Johnson, retired Center Director, and Emmett Thompson, Dean Emeritus, Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment. Emmett’s son-in-lay Ken Pylant accompanied us. See my recent post highlighting the science and practice of […]