South County Wetlands Trail

Usually this time of year Keith and I are at a beach somewhere on the Atlantic Coast.   But with heavy travel in May and June and a bout with summer pneumonia, we decided to stay home this Labor Day weekend.  But that didn’t mean we weren’t going to find something fun to do.

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Last Fall I told you about this neat little Wetlands Trail near our home.  Well, Keith and I went, camera in tow, and took some time exploring on a late Summer morning.  It was a foggy, heavy dew kind of morning, and when we got there the fog was just burning off.

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And the wildflowers were in full bloom.  The dominant flower blooming was Sneezeweed.

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It looks like bright yellow little daisies.

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And it lined several sections of the walking path.

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But there were quite a few other wildflowers blooming, like the Purple Ironweed and Jewelweed.

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And there were several large spider webs, like the one almost hidden here in the Goldenrod.

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But our favorite hidden treasure we found was a fawn hidden in the brambles by a stream that runs through the wetlands.

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He was so still and never blinked. Keith and I were there for about five minutes barely breathing trying to get a few pictures of him.  He was really deep in a dark part of bramble growth, but just stood there motionless watching us watching him.

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There were also a lot of birds along the trail.  We saw a half dozen or so Bluebirds chatting on a telephone wire near the library when we started out on the trail.  And there were Gold Finches, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Mockingbirds, Woodpeckers, just to name a few of the more common native birds.  The Gold Finches would get real talkative if you got close to where they were munching on seeds, just like they do at our house.  They don’t like uninvited guests for dinner.

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The Jewelweed was in full bloom.  It is actually an herb that is supposed to be good for relieving itchy skin.  The white flower at the front is White Crownbeard.  We actually have a few stalks that sprouted in our yard this year.  A gift from some feathered friends no doubt.

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It was nice to see such pretty green colors alongside the trail.  We have had a really dry summer, but the wetlands seemed to be holding their own.

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Behind the trees you can barely see part of the library where the trail originates.  The boardwalk takes you through the wetlands so you can enjoy them without disturbing them. You can see how heavy the dew was just by looking at the water on the boardwalk.

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The Great Blue Lobelia really stood out on the shady parts of the trail.

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It really was a beautiful late Summer morning for taking pictures and a walk through the wetlands.

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The Purple Ironweed ranged from lavender to dark purple to almost magenta.

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Jewelweed grows prolifically under the trees in the wetland area.  It can often be found on banks of creeks and streams growing wild here in Virginia.

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Keith would go ahead and scout out the next photo opportunity for me.  He has a good eye for detail and found so many things for me to take pictures of on our walk.  Also, we were reaching the end of the boardwalk, heading back into the fields of Sneezeweed.

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In the Spring we have fields of Wild Mustard, and in the fall we have fields of Sneezeweed.

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Keith found this little Ladybug just hanging out on some Sneezeweed.

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And I found this little Skipper on the Sneezeweed by a patch of Purple Ironweed.  Have you noticed the color combinations Mother Nature puts together?  The Purple Ironweed looks wonderful with the yellow of the Sneezeweed or the orange of the Jewelweed.  And the green also looks wonderful paired with those colors.

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But we were finished exploring our little corner of the county where we live.  The fog had lifted and the clouds were white and fluffy.

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It’s a pretty area.  Behind the trees to the left you can see a light pole from some of the softball fields in this area.  The trail winds through the area and connects to the fields.  There are always a lot of walkers and runners here.  We encountered several on our visit.  And the library has a coffee shop, so it’s a great place to spend part of a day.  You can walk the trail, get something to drink and then enjoy the amenities the library has to offer.  And it is all mostly free!  I know we enjoy using the trail and library.

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Oh, as we were getting ready to get into the car, guess what Keith found?  A Walking Stick!  I remember finding these all the time when I was little.  It has been quite a while since I had seen one.

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As it crawls up Keith’s arm you can see a little better how much it resembles a stick.  It was neat to end our walk seeing this insect.  We really enjoyed our little walk through the wetlands.