I have many more photos from my trip up Joe's Run last week; I'll continue posting them as time allows.A moss-covered rock provides background for a bright clump of wild geranium.
Joe's Run trickles shadily along its path to Mill Creek.
Dogwoods bloom along the banks of the Joe's Run watershed lake.
In the mid-1970's a dam was constructed to control runoff from rainstorms on Joe's Run and other creeks feeding into Mill Creek. The intent was to control flooding in Ripley, which had been a common occurrence over the years.
The plan works--sort of. While Ripley's flooding is greatly diminished, we find that we are flooded in more often than in the past. The dam, I believe, has slowed the run-off, trapping sediment in the creeks and runs leading into to it, which makes the streambeds shallower and flooding from even a minor storm more likely. Our floods (so far) have been only inconvenient, blocking the road in places so that we can't get home. No one's home has yet been affected, although several yards have been underwater in the past 10 years, creating nasty piles of branches and trash when the water recedes.
This lovely little ground cover has a long name--Chrysogonum. It's also called Golden Star in some places, and I think I like that name better. Although it grows wild here, it is often offered as a perennial ground cover by nurseries.
Another interesting boulder: this one is returning slowly to soil as ferns and other plants break down the sandstone base.
Great Pictures!
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