288: Shenk’s Ferry Wildflower Preserve

Way back in the beginning of May, M and I took a trip out to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  While we were in Pennsylvania, we spent a morning hiking in Lancaster County.  One of the areas where we hiked was Shenk’s Ferry Wildflower Preserve.  The main wildflower trail is approximately one mile long, and an easy hike.  One could probably hike it fairly quickly if one didn’t want to stop, look at, and photograph all the flowers.

I would love to live near Shenk’s Ferry Wildflower Preserve.  It is the kind of place I would explore over and over and over again, from the early spring through the late autumn months.

According to the website, there are at least 73 varieties of wildflowers that bloom during the spring months, and another 60 varieties blooming during the summer and fall.

We missed a lot of the flowers I would like to have seen.  The Virginia bluebells, for instance.  There were a few stragglers here and there, but most of them were finished for the season.

I’ll leave you with two more photos in this scheduled post.  I have another post scheduled for tomorrow with more photos from this hike.  M and I, if all is going well, should be spending the day at an amusement park with our granddaughters and their parents.

From Yesterday’s Fun

I have a little time this evening (Thursday) so I thought I’d add a photo or two from the aviary we spent some time in today.  (Side note:  All this time travel between the past of the scheduled post, the present of now, and the future suggested in the scheduled post is confusing the heck out of me.  lol!)

That photo kind of reminds me of a perfume or clothing ad, the kind where you’re not sure what it is they’re advertising and there’s always someone facing sideways in the background.  The two birds in the foreground were grooming each other.

This guy or gal was molting, and rather strange looking from the front since it has a bare chest.  We saw a lot of birds today, including penguins, flamingos, eagles, and some of the most beautiful owls I’ve ever seen.  I could spend days visiting with the owls.  And the penguins.  And the flamingos.  The penguins at the aviary don’t look nearly as depressed as the penguins we saw recently at the zoo.  They were swimming, playing, feeding, and a few were molting.

It was a great day.  I took a ton of photos.  At the rate I’m going, it will be next summer before I get to go through them.  Nah, I’m kidding.  Winter will roll around soon enough and I’m sure life will start to slow down a bit then.  😉

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