From the Heart-Land

05/24/2025

A rare sight: spiderwort flower with four petals. Like finding a 4-leaf clover!

05/15/2025

Opossum Momma and 1-2-3-4-5....
You never know what you'll see on the Prairie Spirit Trail!

03/05/2025

The Rails to Trails Conservancy has featured the Prairie Spirit Trail (and mentioned me) in their March magazine. Here's a link.
https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/2025/march/04/kansas-prairie-spirit-trail-state-park/ (BTW, I'm not an octogenarian yet!)

The 53-mile Prairie Spirit Trail State Park encompasses iconic Kansas landscape and was the first significant rail-trail in Kansas.

01/12/2025

This morning on the trail. Second pic is a bollard at southeast end of underpass at Hwy 59 and Allen Rd. Freezing mist last Saturday coated the SE side of the metal bollard with ice; sunshine later in the week warmed the bollard and the ice fell off. At the left end is a round saucer-like piece of ice from the top. The ice from the post broke in two after hitting a small ridge of snow. The ice from the handle landed intact on the ground.

07/16/2024

Garden urn filled with a tray of all white petunias. 🤔

07/12/2024

I have seen deer on the trail from time to time. Yesterday there were twin fawns that were nibbling on vegetation at the side of the trail. Mama deer came onto the trail, stood there and looked toward me for a while, then ushered her babies off the trail. But you know how kids are. They were back after a short time and again Mama had to come get them. They were a lo-o-o-ong ways away, but I always snap pics anyway. You just never know when you might get one that you can edit into something fairly presentable. So I was standing there looking at the photos in my camera when I got this "eyes watching you" feeling. I turned my head and there at the side of the trail was one of the fawns, only about 8 feet away. Fortunately, I had my camera already in hand, so I just started snapping. I got a few so-so shots, but this one definitely is a keeper.

06/29/2024

Another deadfall, but only across southbound lane, just north of MM75.

05/01/2024

For the last couple of years I have been lamenting the lack of butterflies on the Prairie Spirit Trail. Well, yesterday I hit a butterfly bonanza. I guess the conditions were right, with a warm, sunny morning and barely a breeze. Most of them were feeding on the flowers on a type of bush that is prolific on the trail. I didn't manage to get photographs of all the butterflies I saw, but the American Lady and the Zebra Swallowtail are two that I had not previously had in my "collection."

03/07/2024

I got out on the trail this morning and kept just ahead of the rain (mostly). I'm fairly certain that I haven't seen this flowering tree near mile-marker 74 actually budding this early in the year. Shouldn't be too surprised, I guess, with temperatures lately in the 60's and above.

01/06/2024

Know what happens when there is a dense morning fog and the temperature is in the 20's? You might get some frosty (visual) treats!

Pics from Wednesday morning on the PSRT.

04/09/2023

From the trail this morning, an appropriate metaphor. He is risen. Happy Easter everyone!