Larry A. Smail's Blog

Prairie Vegetation

However, it happens, my computer received a nasty virus. Thanks to Bevington Technologies of outside Worthington, Pennsylvania for saving everything, and getting me back into business.  I have some catching up to do in so far as getting some  entries on this site.

Closed Gentian

  Last week, a cool fall-like morning mandated some hiking time. I decided to go to the 300 acre Jennings Environmental area to walk about. I had hoped the Blazing Star wildflower may still have a few blooms left. However, I knew their time was over, but I hoped a few stragglers may yield some blossoms. This are has a lot of very big trees on the property. This area, also, has a prairie area, possibly the farthest prairie east of the Mississippi River. This area was established in the 1950s with the need to preserve the Blazing Star wildflower. This is a prairie flower.

Turtlehead

Another interesting feature is this area holds the endangered Massasauga Rattlesnake, also known as the Pygmy Rattlesnake. I was told even trained

Members of the Pennsylvania Fish Commissions have difficulty finding them.                                                                                 

  I saw a number of deer while walking. Interestingly, I turned onto a trail named Deer Trail and immediately spotted two deer. I saw some migrating warblers and a lot of goldfinches eating seeds from various flowers. I found another rare wildflower known as the Closed gentian. I have only found one in Armstrong County. The prairie lands displayed a number of these blue flowers. This specie looks like flower bud ready to open into a bloom. However, this is the flower!

I walked a number of trails. I walked the Oakwoods Trail, The Deer Trail, the Blazing Star Trail; the Prairie Loop trail, the Massasauga Trail, the Hepatica Trail, and the Glacier Ridge Trail.

I found a lot of beauty this morning. Of course, this lead to a lot of photos.

What a beautiful native wildflower!