Illinois Nature Walk at Ballard Nature Center and Beyond

Illinois Nature Walk at BNC: From Beginning to....???

2011-09-18T21:55:00.001-05:00

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Cooler Weather At Last!

2011-09-04T21:22:00.019-05:00

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. - Helen KellerI finally made it back out to BNC for a couple of photo shots after a much-needed rain brought a drop in temperatures from high 90's to low 70's. Many others also came out to enjoy the late summer blooms found along the trails. Shot this sunrise in the parking lot of my school.

For Any Fellow Dog-Lovers

2011-08-13T09:23:00.005-05:00

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Splender in the Grass

2011-08-09T12:47:00.005-05:00

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Keep Looking

2011-07-22T17:48:00.003-05:00

Back From the Blur

2011-07-19T18:26:00.003-05:00

Hello Bloggers! Soooo glad to be back on the computer! Thanks to my faithful followers for sticking with me! I have been going through many of my pics from last year and have deleted many because they were blurry. (After my fourth eye surgery and with my new "bionic" eyes, I now can see all of my mistakes! : ( ) Too hot in Illinois to get out and take pics, but here is one

March Eye Surgeries

2011-03-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

I am in-between eye surgeries and will return to this blog when possible. Currently, typing is next to impossible. Photography IS impossible. But....Prayer is ALWAYS possible. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to to people of Japan. <!-- //Disable right mouse click Script //By Maximus (maximus@nsimail.com) w/ mods by DynamicDrive //For full source code, visit http://www.dynamicdrive.com

Light of the Evening: Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln

2011-02-12T19:44:00.018-06:00

Our world today needs Abraham Lincoln. The quotes he left us cannot be shared enough. Here are a few to remember him on this anniversary of his birth,and on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. See the video reading of Lincoln's farewell address here. To honor him, here are some of my favorite quotes by Abraham Lincoln: Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The

Weekend Reflections

2011-02-12T12:00:00.001-06:00

It was a very challenging week...so my heart was uplifted today as I heard the delightful melodies of the songbirds on my morning walk! Obviously they know that spring is waiting patiently underneath the ice and snow-covered ground here in central Illinois. What a blessing from God these little creatures are, that the smallest of voices, banded together, can herald in a season of new beginnings!

Ice Gallery

2011-02-06T09:02:00.004-06:00

The Ballard Nature Center building could easily be at home in Colorado as it is pictured here. Eight inch icicles hang from this trail sign. Squirrels have already harvested the acorn from this falles oak brance. This glorious sight begins with the tiniest of footprints and leads up to bright blue cloudless sky. I look up to the southern sky, where six more inches of snow are looming

Ice Storm

2011-02-05T13:27:00.006-06:00

The storm began Monday afternoon with a cold rain in South Central Illinois. It soon turned to a mixture of sleet and freezing rain by Monday night. Schools were canceled Tuesday morning, even though a lull in the storm brought only cloudy skies. But by noon on Tuesday, it was like "KracaSnoa", with the heavens erupting waves after waves of freezing rain upon us here, and 20 inches of snow with

Pictures of a Winter's Walk

2011-01-20T19:16:00.000-06:00

The trails were covered with six or more inches of snow, but it was so powdery that it took to the air like feathers swirling around my boots with every step I took. Above is the water, flowing for just a few more hours before the deep freeze the midwest will experience tonight. The birds above were soooo high in the tree, but with a telephoto lens I was able to catch these shots in soft-focus.

Board to Tears

2011-01-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

Sorry- I just couldn't pass up that title. This picture was taken of the boards at the fishing pond dock, The temperature had risen to allow some melting and gave this great face in the snow.. The tear was added just for fun. <!-- //Disable right mouse click Script //By Maximus (maximus@nsimail.com) w/ mods by DynamicDrive //For full source code, visit http://www.dynamicdrive.com var message="

Isn't Snow Fun Anymore?

2011-01-12T15:46:00.001-06:00

I didn't even want to walk across this bridge and disturb the fluffy snow. It was too pretty. Nothing in the entire park had been disturbedd. In fact, since school was cancelled for the second day, I was sure the local children must be having fun with the snow, but I hadn't seen anyone out. Some industrious teens did stop by my house to see if I wanted any snow shovling done, but I declined. I

Old Illinois Barn

2011-01-03T20:12:00.006-06:00

The sun is setting on this old Illinois barn. Its days are numbered as the owner salvages usable siding, board by weathered board.Barns like this are slowly slipping out of the picture of life on the prairie, becoming nearly as hard to find these days as the farmers who built them.See more barns of Illinois here. See more great pictures around the world at That's My World Tuesday!

Oh, the weather, it be a'changin'

2010-12-30T22:30:00.003-06:00

Illinois is one of those states known for its drastic change in weather within only a few hours. This is apparently what we have in store for us here, yet again. Above are pictures from a winter's walk I took on Christmas Eve at Ballard Nature Center to gather some snowflake photos for the archives. Temperatures were in the 20's, F. New Year's Eve, however, brings temps in the 60's during

A Holiday Wish

2010-12-19T15:38:00.007-06:00

Wishing everyone locally and around the world the very best the holiday season has to offer.This is a photo I took last year of one of the many bridges at Ballard Nature Center. I used the free online Picnic photoshop to add the frame, snow and words. I'm still looking for a photoshop program with a wonderful selection of text choices. Visit great blogs at That's My World! and Skywatch Friday.

Observation Tower Work Begins

2010-12-17T09:38:00.000-06:00

I took this picture last month to show that work has begun on the new observation tower at Ballard Nature Center. True, this is only the connecting trail between the Wetland Prairie trail and the tower, but it is a strart. The tower will be handicapped accessable and will allow a person in a wheelchair to get a better view of the beautiful ponds and woodlands that make up the nature center.

Winter Chill

2010-12-13T17:13:00.007-06:00

Winter has not officially begun here in Illinois, but around here the weather never goes along with the calendar. It's just downright frigid! Not winter? It takes ten minutes to get myself dressed to give the dog a five minute walk. Today I put a coat on my dog (yea, I know, but she doesn't have much fur) and took her for a brief walk to do her business. I tried the old trick of putting

December Blizzard

2010-12-12T18:22:00.000-06:00

This pompus grass bends under the strain of blizzard conditions in the back yard. The white-out conditions are much more apparent on the roads then they are in this picture. 60 mph wind gusts and real-feel temperatures expected to be at -16 tonight make this weekend a dangerous time to be outside. And yet, snow levels in this part of Illinois are minimal compared to that of the northern states. I

Life isn't fair.... Get on with it.

2010-12-06T21:49:00.011-06:00

Visit great blogs at That's My World! I have always had a tiny, antique wooden placard in my home that reads "Keep Looking Up". So all my life I have read that placard, looked up to my higher power, lifted my chin, and enjoyed life. Now, however, I have been having to "keep looking down" and constantly watch my steps due to a serious vision problem that has developed, so it's been

If You Could Wander

2010-11-30T23:46:00.005-06:00

If you could wander on the earth during any time in history, what era would you most like to visit? I first posted this photo, Frozen Limbs, in February of last year. It was taken at Ballard Nature Center's Second Creek, around sunset. The picture already had natural blue tints to it, so I added more greys using Picnik. It now reminds me of pictures that I've seen of the Illinois woods

Festival of the Trees #54 Arboreal Mysteries

2010-11-27T14:50:00.001-06:00

As many of us walk our favorite paths through parks and woodlands, its easy to take for granted the weathered old trees that seem to have stood forever. One such tree was was this gnarled cottonwood, estimated to be around 80+ years old. Other than the mysteries of unknown that this silent giant has witnessed in the city park where it stood, this tree held another secret deep inside

Happy Thanksgiving, USA!

2010-11-25T15:26:00.001-06:00

Big Bluestem grass in autumn, above.Big Bluestem in summer, below.

Angel Wing

2010-11-19T18:06:00.033-06:00

This beauty was on top of a fallen log, deep in the woods on Second Creek Trail. It measured over 18 inches, side to side. If anyone of my fabulous readers can reallly identify this fungus, I would love to know! Welcome Skywatchers!It was a cold, overcast day here in Illinois, normal weather for November.This photo from my files keeps me thinking days gone by.Another autumn of the past --