Leaf Out (SWF)

Above,
this Blue

Glidewell Trail,
Brookville Lake, Indiana

I return to woods that are full—the branches heavy, now, thick with leaves, where, just weeks ago, light barely caught on a branch, smooth and thin, waiting for spring.

Great Waterleaf, Hydrophyllum appendiculatum

Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum

The wildflowers, small and bright, bold and brassy, begging to be seen, have passed.
Knee-deep in fresh, soft growth, the long and lacy stems fill in, the softer light more kind to their quiet colors--
pale lavender, shades of purple, icy blue.

Wild Hyacinth, Camassia scilloides

Miami Mist, Phacelia purshii

Under this cover,
beneath its shade,
gossamer petals on willowy stems,
fringed faces from a carpet, watch.

Dragonfly on Dwarf Larkspur, Delphinium tricorne

And hold the sounds there, still.
Within the safety of these woods.

Scarlet Tanager, Piranga olivacea

Jack in the Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum

Violet Wood Sorrel, Oxalis violacea

Great Waterleaf

Wild Hyacinth

Dwarf Larkspur
(click to enlarge)

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As Gold

I love to see the surface of a lake, smooth as glass--
unbroken by nothing more than my reflection, gazing over it.
A field of grass in the morning,
still beneath the silver sheen left by last night’s moon—
the clear sky, cold and dark.
No steps yet there--mine alone to enjoy.

Mounds State Recreation Area, Indiana

Eastern Kingbirds

Golden Shores

But, in a space created for others,
that there should be a child, splashing, calling out,… and laughing.
Tells me these places are loved—
and will be saved for years to come.

Crayfish Chimneys

Families Fishing

Riches as Gold

The Reward

Grassy bank of Brookville Dam

From the paved lot below, a huge earthen wall towers to the base of blue sky—its long, fenced border distant and topping a grassy bank, steeply rising, recently cut short by what must have been heroic actions on the part of a mowing crew, just days ago.
Broad and inviting, this immense wall of green holds back the waters of Brookville Lake, over 5000 acres of recreational wonderland—boating, fishing and swimming—soon appreciated, as summer swelters in this community of eastern Indiana, and families congregate to picnic below.
Certain the view from above must be worthy of the climb, we started the 180-foot ascent, slowly, but steadily up the grass—legs soon aching, calves taut, leaning hard against the steep slope ahead.

grasshopper

Small grasshoppers, an excuse to pause, reflect, catch our breath—
we peeked backward over our shoulders at several young men, now seeming quite small, gathered at the outlet below to throw a line into the surging escape waters.

Outlet below Brookville Dam

With each rest, our target a bit closer.
Less green.
More blue.

Brookville Lake from Dam

Until finally, from the long, narrow lane at the ridge, the broad surface of the lake unfolded on the other side to what must have been miles beyond, edged in the new green of spring, a winding shoreline.
Over its openness, swallows, dipping and diving in the air, almost at eye level—then abruptly scooting beneath the concrete supports where the intake tower met the sturdy rock wall, more than half a mile in length.

Brookville Dam intake tower

Carefully climbing a short distance down the stone slope, I tucked myself underneath the tower supports, and looked up.

Cliff Swallow nests built under tower

Just above me, their beautifully crafted clay pot nests, small, round doorways,
young faces peeking out.
And, as if I wasn’t even there, they went about their work—
fussing and feeding their families in their small clay pots.

Cliff Swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Brookville Dam from overlook

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Tainted Snow (SWF)

Limestone cliffs of Clifty Falls State Park,
in snow and icicles

Perhaps even more than in other seasons, winter brings wanderlust upon us.
Long days of work, and fleeting hours of daylight wrapped around them, leave little time to get out and about. We use our weekend days to explore beyond our boundaries and burn the pent up energy that becomes the worst symptom of cabin fever.
And, as always, find we gain much more, than physical exercise alone.


Clifty Falls State Park in Madison, Indiana is perched on the bank of the Ohio River, just over the border from Ohio, and a short drive from Cincinnati. The steep shale and limestone cliffs lining this small canyon are seen easily through the bare trees of winter, and are woven with miles of rugged stone trails traversing the plunging slopes. Frozen waterfalls and the icy formations that grow beneath them, as the small feeder creeks make their way to the Ohio River, add to the winter experience here, not found at any other time of year.

Ice Balls beneath the Falls

We arrived later than hoped, driving headlong into an unexpected snowstorm moving up the Ohio River Valley and seriously slowing our drive along the windy, rural roads. So, with limited time to explore, we drove straight to the Inn for that hiking essential, the trail map.
I happily caught lacy snowflakes on the back of my black mitten, stretching my legs from the 2-hour ride.
Towering behind the charming brick façade of the Inn, three monstrous stacks from below, billowing smoke into a cold, snowy winter sky.

Clifty Inn,
Power plant stacks behind

Setting each foot deliberately between the whitened, slippery surfaces, we slowly descended into the gorge, finally reaching the small Hoffman’s Branch in the base, where it meets Clifty Creek.

Ice on Hoffman Branch

Snow at water's edge

Swallowed by steep walls all around, it would be easy to forget yourself here,
hopping stone to stone,
wandering the creek bed as it winds its way deeper, toward the Clifty Falls.


The trail, now almost completely covered with these lovely little flakes, took us up again, along a hillside where the fallen logs accented in white stood out plainly against the brown leaves covering the slopes.


And stacks of limestone, barely releasing a trickle, were held fast by slender trees, roots reaching around them.
Frozen rivulets covering their sides.

Snow-dusted Icicles on face of limestone

Catching our breath, we turned and found it, there, again, in the distance.
Smoke stacks spilling into the air.
And the snow fell all around.

Power plant stacks beyond hillside

Perhaps, easier to recognize at this time of year, more than others, in the lovely white covering that blankets these woods and hangs on crystal drips from its faces, what is other times invisible here.
From the stacks of the coal-fired power plants, its smoke and everything in it, caught by each little lacy flake, and brought to rest on the earth.

Snow-covered Trail #4,
Clifty Falls State Park, Madison Indiana

Power plant at Ghent, KY

Some of the highest concentrations of atmospheric mercury in the nation are found in the rain and snow that fall over Clifty Falls State Park from the towers of coal-fired power plants along the Ohio River in Kentucky and Indiana.

The combustion of fossil fuels, especially coal, releases elemental mercury to the atmosphere. Once released into the environment, the most toxic form of mercury, methylmercury, is formed and can be passed up the food chain to humans.
For more information, please look here.

Tainted Snow

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