🥾 Spring wildflower hikes are very popular and rightly so, but Fall wildflower hikes are nice as well.

🌻 They are also instructive for what native pollinators and beneficial insects should have available in my own garden at this time of year.

💮 The path of my recent hike in South Mountains State Park was full of asters, which come in many shapes colors.

Snakeroot (from the aster family!)
Calico Aster, pale purple rays and
Calico Aster, white rays (in forest shade)

Asters are very important for insects and wildlife in the Eastern U.S.

🧵 #SouthMountainsSP #Bloomscrolling #Aster #Asters #NativePlants #BiodiversityGardening #HabitatGardening #Nature

🥾 Day 2 was a day to hike with perfect weather. Exploring the western trails was diappointing because they were shared horse trails. Hikers should not be subjected to horse trails. Too wide, too gravelly, and too many flies on too many piles. In this essay, I will...

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 Sorry, pet peave. After climbing 2700 feet in elevation before lunch, I turned southeast to find solace in a pure hiking trail. Soon I was rewarded with a Rhododendron bald, one of my favorite features to hike through. It's a cool, quiet tunnel surrounded by dense dark green leaves. 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

#FootpathFriday
🧵 #SouthMountainsSP #Camping #Hiking #Nature

Have just returned from my trip to South Mountains State Park. Have been quiet because, once I got there, found that cell coverage was worse than last time. Basically none.

I had to be alone with my own thoughts and not yours. 😬

When I arrived it was 78F and sunny. Completed campsite setup and checked the map they gave me with trail closures from hurricane damage. Most of the central scenic trails were closed! 😠

I just let the sounds of the nearby stream lull me into a trance.

🧵 #SouthMountainsSP #Camping