Shanty Hollow Lake, KY

An overcast day at Shanty Hollow Lake, KY
The Autumnal Equinox

If you live in the Butler/Warren County area, then you have 

probably been to Shanty Hollow Lake, on the border of the 

two counties.  This is a there & back trail that leads to a waterfall.  Along the way are giant rock formations, and a variety of trees, wildflowers, mushrooms, invertebrates (insects/spiders), and vertebrates!  A fantastic area to hike!

Information about Shanty Hollow Lake

Map of the Area

To find the trailhead face the lake and then turn right 

and begin walking;  it's on the other side of the gravel lot.

The Trailhead    
This trail takes you to the waterfall and back.
There are also many side trails you can take.

Trail Map

When I walk, I like to take my time, stopping often, to observe the

surroundings, mostly wildflowers, trees, and mushrooms, and to watch for salamanders in the stream, and to listen to the many species of birds, and to observe the white-tailed deer

.

The first wildflower I saw was this beautiful Aster.

A Fall Aster

Click any photo to enlarge it.

Smartweed is all along the trail.

Close-up of the Smartweed flower cluster.
Click here for some interesting information.

The great thing about this trail is that it has a variety of habitats,
 from a beautiful large lake, to high boulders and rock walls with deep crevices, streams, and deciduous woods.

Walking on this trail...

large lake, boulders, streams, and woods;

Autumn Equinox!

I like the look of moss-covered boulders.

I heard and saw Cardinals during the entire walk.  They're very
common and underappreciated...extremely beautiful.

Photo taken from the Cornell site (below)
Click here for Information and to hear the cardinal's song.

To learn about common birds in this area, click here.

Many of these Zigzag Goldenrods (Solidago flexicaulis) 
were growing near the stream.

 Click here for Information

Take a minute to celebrate the autumnal equinox!

To many people, including me, this is the heart of autumn, or

Mid-Autumn, and not the first day of autumn.  Today, we

recognize that the hours of day and night are of equal length. 

The sun's strength continues to diminish until Yule, or

the Winter Solstice, in December.

Mid-Autumn is a time of thanksgiving and balance, where we 

stop to celebrate the crop harvest, as well as our personal harvests, and are grateful for the food we grew, the roofs 

over our heads, our health, our friends, and our family.

Happy Mid-Autumn!!!

Under just about every Beech tree were these plants

called Beechdrops, which are extremely unusual plants.

Here is a plant that does not have chlorophyll;  in other words it
is unlike typical plants in that it cannot make its own food!!!  So, how does it get nutrients?  See Information, below.

 Information on Beechdrops

This is a very small fern.  It looks like a form of
Mountain Spleenwort.
The longest frond was only about 2 inches long!

Beautiful small fern,
growing out of the rock wall;
To the waterfall.

This fissure (mini-canyon, about a 10 foot drop) is the result of 
a continuously running  stream coming from the waterfall ahead.

This mushroom was only about 4-5 inches tall.

 You can see the reflection of the tree canopy 
in the shiny cap!

Identifying Mushrooms

You can jump over the fissure up ahead.  The waterfall
is just beyond the large moss-covered boulder.

One of my favorite ferns, the Maidenhair Fern.
Information

The fruit of White Baneberry look like the porcelain eyes used in
 old dolls, which is why some people call this plant Doll's Eyes.

 Information on White Baneberry or Doll's Eyes

Found these Liverworts on a rock wall next to the waterfall.
You can see the discoid reproductive structures (gemmae) on
some of the leaf-like parts.
Information about Liverworts

Around the corner were these much smaller Liverworts (about
 4mm wide) growing next to some smaller plants, which, I think,
 is Selaginella.
(If I misidentify anything please correct me by emailing me...see my Profile in the margin)

Heard and saw a Blue Jay.

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.
Blue Jay Information and Calls

Tiny fern...not sure of species.

There was no water falling down the waterfall!! So, no photo.
That surprises me, because we just had a good rain, yesterday, but we've also been 

in a drought, so the ground must have absorbed all the rain...no runoff.

Click here to see the waterfall in Winter.
and here to see it on in August (last month).

This rock wall is around the corner from
the waterfall area.  Saw a couple of interesting
plants growing on this wall.

Click here  to see a video of this area in August.

This plant (left-center) doesn't look interesting until you get up
close and look at the flowers.

It looked like a saxifrage to me, but the flowers were unusual
and growing at the wrong time of the year.

I think this is Small-flowered Alumroot (Heuchera parviflora).  
What a neat flower...only about 2mm wide!
Correct me if I'm wrong about the name.

A very Karst landscape.

This fungus was very small (~5mm), growing on a 
decomposing log.   

Also growing on the rock wall in a crevice were these plants
called clubmosses...looks like Lycopodium porophilum.
(The genus name may now be Huperzia).

Clubmosses are vascular, but they don't make seeds nor flowers.

They produce spores, which grow into new clubmosses.

You can see the kidney-shaped sporecases 
in the leaf axils.

A seedless plant --

Kidney-shaped sporangia;

Small clubmosses!

Horse Balm with its strange flowers.
Information

Watch your step!

These florettes are the male structures of this species of Moss.
The structures at the top of the photo look like the females.
The male part makes the sperm, the female makes the eggs, and fertilization produces a
sporecase, which make spores, which grow into new moss plant.
Interesting Moss Blog

I almost stepped on this Box Turtle.  It was about 5 inches long.
Watch this great Video.

It was overcast the whole time, but I loved it, anyway.  
Everyday is a good day for a walk in the woods...even when it's
raining;  just take an umbrella or rain gear.

If you're in the area you must come by and walk this trail.  
Get out and explore your surroundings.
It's essential for a good life!

Mammoth Cave Forest, the South Side

The Echo River Springs Trail covered in Fall wildflowers.

There are some beautiful walking trails

around the Visitors' Center at Mammoth Cave National Forest.

To celebrate the Autumnal Equinox I chose to explore the trails

on the south side of the Center (see map below).

Click here for Information about the Trails

Directions to Mammoth Cave Park

Trail Map

This trail is next to the parking lot on the south side of the Visitors' Center/Motel.
This takes you to the campground area and down to the Green River.

The trailhead of the Campground Trail (see map).

I will begin my walk on the Campground Trail,

then turn right onto the White's Cave Trail, turn left on the 

Sinkhole Trail, continue on the Echo River Springs' Trail, 

walk up the Sunset Point Trail, and finish on the Heritage Trail.  

If you take your time and observe your surroundings it should 

take you about 1.5 to 2 hours.

As you get near the campground (see the tent in the background) you will
see an outdoor amphitheatre on your right.

Turn right after the bridge to get onto the White's Cave Trail.

A beautiful Fall Aster.
Click any photo to enlarge it.

The White's Cave Trail heading down toward the Green River.

The autumnal equinox was a landmark day to early cultures.  

They celebrated this day because it represented the time of the

year when you had to prepare for the harsh winter to come.

They called this day Mid-Autumn, not the first day of Autumn.

To find out why click here.

Hoary Mountain Mint
You can see the distinctive white spraypaint effect.
Click here for Information

Lots of Pawpaw Trees on this trail.
Information about Pawpaw fruit.

You will like the canopy of the tall
deciduous trees.

A species of Coneflower, Thinleaf, I think.

Turn right at this sign.  You're still on the White's Cave Trail.
Click the Trail Map, below, to see where you are.  Look for the bottom of the S curve.

Trail Map

Shelf Fungi rotting this limb.

You'll notice the many Red Cedar trees on this part of the trail.

As the deciduous trees grow taller, they outgrow the Cedars,

eventually shading them out, killing them.  That's why you don't

see Cedars in the middle of a mature deciduous forest.

You can see that the Cedar is being shaded out by the taller
deciduous trees.  It has lost most of its leaves.  This is a great
example of Ecological Succession.

A climbing plant called Crossvine.
Click here for Information

Heard a White-breasted Nuthatch here.

Photo taken from the Cornell site.

Click here for Information about the Nuthatch.

The deciduous trees are not growing well in this area.  This is a very rocky area with little soil.
With time, though, more soil will accumulate, allowing the hardwoods to take over.

Have you ever gone walking in the woods on a rainy day?
"A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.  I always thought so myself;  the Maine
woods never seem so fresh and alive as in wet weather.  Then all the needles on the evergreens
wear a sheath of silver;  ferns seem to have grown to almost tropical lushness and every leaf has
its edging of crystal drops."   from The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson

Ahead is the Sinkhole Trail.  Turn left to get to the Springs.

Trail Map

Descending toward the Echo River Springs.

Red-spotted Purple butterfly
Information

Always remember to stop, look, and listen, often.  

Once in awhile you'll spot a quick moving Chipmunk.
This one stopped and posed for me.
Information

Now, you begin to see plants called Snakeroot, with their
white flowers.

Blue-tailed Skink (a juvenile lizard)
They lose their blue coloration as they grow into adults.
Click here to see a video.

Ahead is the Echo River Springs Trail.

Before you go right, go left to see the
Echo River Springs, the point at which the
cave water exits the cave system.

Trail Map

This is the Echo River Spring (one of two).  The underground
river flows through the cave system and comes out here and
flows into the Green River (see map).
Information about Springs

Sour Grass  or  Yellow Wood Sorrel
The flowers and leaves taste like lemons.

Heard a Pileated Woodpecker here.

Photo taken from the Cornell Site

To learn about this bird and hear its call, click here.

A young Sassafras tree
Notice the three different leaf shapes...some oval,
a few mitten shaped, and many three-lobed.
Interesting Information

Now turn around and head back toward the sign and continue

walking on this trail toward another spring called the

River Styx Spring, which is about a mile from here.

Some kind of insect larvae. (Lady Bug?)

Lots of tall trees along the river.

The forest floor is covered with Snakeroot and Yellow Wingstem.

Snakeroot
Information

Yellow Wingstem
Information

The Green River is to your left, out of sight.

Daddy Longlegs (not a spider)
Read about the MYTH that It's the most Poisonous Spider

Continue walking toward the River Styx Spring.

This is where the River Valley Trail intersects with the
Echo River Springs Trail (see map).

A Velvet Ant...however it's not really an ant.
This is a female wasp, and it will give you a good sting.  Be careful.
The males have wings.
Read about the Velvet Ant (wasp)

Walking toward the River Styx Spring.

This area is covered with Canegrass.

Canegrass looks alot like Bamboo.

At this point I turned right to go to Sunset Point.
To see the River Styx Spring, go to my post called Mammoth Cave Forest, the North Side.

Click the map, below, to find the Sunset Point Trail.

Trail Map

This Sunset Point Trail is fairly stenuous.  It's a series of
S curves going up a steep, long hill.  I would advise you to take
 your time and stop and observe, often.

Two beautiful Viceroy butterflies trying to continue their
species.  You can tell they are not Monarchs, because 
Monarchs do not have the black line going across the hindwing.

Beechdrops, a plant without chlorophyll!

This organism is non-photosynthetic, yet makes flowers and seeds!
Read about Beechdrops here.

Eventually you will reach the top of the hill and be able 

to rest at Sunset Point!

The view from Sunset Point...the Green River Valley in
the background.

Take the Heritage Trail to the Visitors' Center/Motel.
The 3 insect larvae were all on the wooden rail along the trail.

Near the motel I noticed this Honey Locust tree.

Honey Locust

Some of the thorns were 6 inches long.

The flattened, twisted pods can get up to 18" long.
Information

This was a perfect way to celebrate the Equinox.
Get out and explore the surface trails at 
Mammoth Cave National Park!

Click here to see the north side trails.