A few weeks ago after the terrible storm we had I went up into Conkle’s Hollow for a walk. The damage there from the storm was much more disastrous than the upper trail at Old Mans Cave.
Fallen trees were everywhere along the beginning of the gorge trail.
Since fallen trees are cut from the trails and left to lie so nature can take over it is beginning to look really messy and not a pretty walk along the gorge trail as it once was.
Trees that had grown onto tops of the cliffs with little soil to anchor them down were no match for the tornado like wind we received from the storm that hit here.
Despite the fallen trees there was still a lot of beauty to be seen if you looked a past the fallen trees.
Pink and white Bergamont or native Bee Balm grows along the stream at the beginning of the trail where the sun filters through the trees.
Jewel Winged Damselflies were flitting around all along the stream bed.
Ferns and fallen trees that are returning to nature to host all kinds of insects are in abundant supply.
One day all of those fallen trees will look like these, green and covered in moss.
Smooth Phlox laberrima added color to the fields.
Queen’s Anne Lace were just starting to open and bloom to add white to the green landscape.
The bees were thankful for the beautiful white blooms.
This Red Spotted Purple butterfly was looking for some nutrients in the wet puddles along the trail.
Along the shady trail other plants were getting ready to open their blooms.
If you walk slowly and really look around you can spot all kinds of little things happening.
Phlox and Golden Rods grow along Pine Creek which flows
around the gorge of Conkle’s Hollow. On this day we were heading into a dry spell so the waterfall that runs into a small stream that feeds into Pine creek was just a trickle.
Minnows and Water Skippers were all vying for the deeper pools of water up in the gorge.
We have an area up in our woods, where the trees were especially hard hit, we can't even walk the trail anymore. But there is an area where land-lying trees from a former storm are covered in moss and the ferns are abundant, just like in your photo. It looks like a fairyland. You are a master with the camera at capturing such beauty.
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