A Touch of Autumn Color

A touch of autumn color at Burkhart Creek County Park early this morning. 

A Touch of Autumn Color              ©Joni L. James

"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly

changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools."

-   Henry Beston, Northern Farm

Burkhart Creek County Park Visit

I visited Burkhart Creek County Park (BCCP) today in the late morning. I had not been there for a while and had time to make a quick stop. BCCP is one of the two county parks we currently have here in Morgan County, Indiana. 

Burkhart Creek County Park will be a real gem in the coming years. There has been much work at creating a wonderful nature park for our community to enjoy. There are walking trails, picnic tables, shelters, and soon restroom facilities. The area has been recently planted with many trees and prairie grasses and wildflowers. A wetland has been restored with the planting of many wetland plants and trees. Now we just need precipitation. 

We received a good dose of precipitation over the weekend and I hoped to find some water in the wetland today. Did I? Nope. There was a small amount of standing water but it was in the far south end near the willow stand. We need much more rain. The plantings have all suffered as a result of the drought and brutal record breaking temperatures this summer. Burkhart Creek County Park is a wonderful location for those who enjoy the beauty and solitude of nature. Once the plantings rebound, it should be a stellar site for those who enjoy observing, studying, photographing, and communing with our local natural history.

I did hear White-eyed Vireos, Indigo Buntings, American Goldfinches, and Carolina Wrens calling near the wetland area. I saw numerous Indigo Bunting fledglings and adults. Most are molting at this time. 

We are into September already and swinging into autumn. It has been a long hot summer. I believe summer began in March this year, didn't it?

White-eyed Vireo (not at BCCP)                       ©Joni L. James

Shelter at BCCP                                                 ©Joni L. James

Black-eyed Susans in bloom at BCCP              ©Joni L. James

Burkhart Creek Park Wetland Development

Recently I visited Burkhart Creek Park to check on the construction of the wetland. This is an area that was a wetland already but is being "enhanced" I do not have the history about it but when I find out, I will pass the info on here on my blog. These three photos below were taken on September 30, 2011.

                                          ©Joni L. James

                                          ©Joni L. James

                                          ©Joni L. James

Wetlands are my favorite habitat/ecosystem. There is such plant & animal diversity in these areas. I am excited and pleased that a wetland is being constructed here. I look forward to watching it develop and flourish. It will be a great place to photograph and study/observe. Below is an image I photographed on August 30, 2011 before construction. You can see wetland vegetation such as the willow trees, sycamores, and sedges & rushes.

                                          ©Joni L. James
                                         

Burkhart Creek Park & A Little Frass

I visited Burkhart Creek Park on Saturday morning for some photography and nature study.  The park is located in Morgan County (Indiana) off State Road 67 on Duckworth Road. Burkhart Creek County Park is the first established county park and was opened in 2010 by the Morgan County Parks & Recreation Board. Currently the park has 1.5 miles of trails, picnic shelters, and tables for public use.

It was a lovely morning. I walked along the loop trail with the intention of investigating the area which will soon be an established wetland. It is obvious by the wetland plants present that this area is often wet. Of course we are behind on our needed precipitation this summer, so the area was devoid of standing water.

Thanks to the generosity of Mary A. “Sal” Hench, a lifelong philanthropist, a gift from Hench’s estate was

donated to the Community Foundation of Morgan County to be used to construct and preserve natural wetlands at Burkhart Creek County Park near Paragon.

A five (5) acre wetlands area will be created by the Wildwood Dam Conservancy District as an effort to ensure the survival of Wildwood Lake. With the assistance from the Hench gift, a variety of educational opportunities will become available for exploring wetlands plant and animal life. (Info from Community Foundation of Morgan County website).

I am drawn to wetland areas and have studied and photographed them for many years. I am thrilled that this wetland area will be enhanced and available for educational purposes. Thank you to Mary "Sal" Hench and her family for their generosity and foresight.

During my short visit I watched bluebirds, Carolina chickadees, blue-gray gnatcatchers, pileated woodpeckers, red-wing blackbirds and numerous butterflies. Below is an image of the proposed wetland area. Note the wetland loving vegetation already present.

                                          Wetland Area      ©Joni L. James

Below is a photo I also took of a Japanese Beetle. Note the material protruding from the rear abdomen of the insect. I believe this would be frass-- insect excrement. So for all of you who wonder what insect excrement looks like or what the correct term is . . . here you go!

                                                        Japanese Beetle & Frass

                                                        ©Joni L. James

I encourage those of you who live in and around Morgan County to stay informed about Burkhart Creek Park. It is a work in progress and is evolving. The County Park Board meets once a month alternating between locations in Martinsville and Mooresville. The public is always welcome.
http://www.morgancountyparks.com/ 

I would love to see more green spaces and especially nature parks here in our county. Support your local natural areas! Get outdoors!