39 again this morning, and overcast after a night of rain and wind.
Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area in Cabell county, West Virginia, was once a
thriving plantation on the Ohio River where corn, wheat, cattle, hogs and other
crops and livestock were raised. Today, the house stands empty, renovations
stopped mid-stream due to electrical issues, and all of the cropland is long
gone, having turned into marshes when the locks and dams system were installed
on the Ohio River, and a railroad and a highway created a barrier to the former
shape of the landscape. It is a magical place, full of wildlife, plants, water
creatures, and insects.
We have stopped here several times over the years and
enjoyed the ever-changing, strange beauty of the place. (Click here to see Green Bottom in summer photos, or here for a little more about the history of Green Bottom) I’ve been wanting to go
back, so Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day by packing a light picnic, camera,
binoculars and a bird book and making our way to Green Bottom.
Here is just some of what we saw there.
A lone fisherman in a kayak takes advantage of the beautiful day.
Something big has been here. Maybe someone brought their dog along on a walk?
And someone lost a fluffy white feather. The marsh is full of birds of many varieties. I was happy to see a new one for me, a Great Tufted Flycatcher. I may have seen these before, but this time I could positively identify it. I got no bird photos today--they were far too quick for me.
And something little is here too--hundreds of minnows in a puddle. On the way back out we saw a killdeer merrily feasting on the hapless little things.
In summer these plants--I believe they are a kind of lotus--will be beautifully in bloom, reminding me of Monet's water lilies paintings.
This plant looks like purslane, but must be some other species since it lives in the water.
A fleabane sports vibrant pink petals against the red leaves of a baby maple tree.
And into the woods...
Ol' mud turtle was enjoying a nice sunbathing session. I am not sure what that cross is behind him. Any ideas?
Pretty Star of Bethlehem is a garden escapee that seems at home in the marsh.
A family of geese--mama, papa, and a string of young'uns.
I have more photos to post tomorrow of this beautiful place. It's a habitat so completely different from where we live that it just fascinates me. We hoped that there would be few people here, and we were right. Although several family groups and couples passed by, everyone kept a good distance apart and altogether I doubt we saw 20 people in the 3 hours we were there.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
It's certainly a beautiful place, Sue. There's been a movement over the last decade or so to re-instate some of our former wetlands for wildlife. (In answer to your question on my blog: yes, hawthorn is very fragrant, but there is a woodland form which smells horrible and is probably the basis of the many folklore associations with death).
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a beautiful place to be right now! I love seeing that turtle! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteGreen Bottom looks like a nice place to hike and enjoy nature. It looks so peaceful where that fisherman is fishing.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful new week.
A beautiful area. I'm glad you got to visit it. Thanks for giving us a taste of what it's like!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a beautiful place to visit. We have had cold temps here too. Been trying to save tomato plants :(
ReplyDeleteWetlands are such magical, complex habitats :) I wanted to take Piper down to our favorite wetland area last week, but when I drove by on my (finally, after 3 weeks at home) trip to the dump, there were multiple vehicles at every one of the entrances. Not the usual! I guess one thing about this Stay At Home situation is that more people are craving the great outdoors. I hope that will be a good thing in the long run.
ReplyDelete