Looking for Fall Amongst the Brown
Fall On the Western Side of the Shawnee National Forest - by Gary Marks Exit Fall, Enter Winter The calendar has finally rolled over to November, the time for change in the Shawnee Hills. This is the month that trees become silent and the cooler temps blow swiftly from the north. Winter will be quickly approaching giving rise to collisions of warm and cold fronts making November rains and waterfalls a very high possibility. There is one thing... Read More
The 3 Venomous Snakes of Southern Illinois
The 3 Venomous Snakes of Southern Illinois Have you ever been enjoying a peaceful hike and all the sudden you will hear something moving low and fast through the forest leaf litter? Yeah, that’s a CREEPY feeling and one that I will never get used to, but for the most part we rarely see any of these elusive snakes. When we do though for most of us our heart leaps into our throat and fear rushes in. Watch Out for Snakes We in Southern Illinois... Read More
7 More Easy Spring Wildflowers You Can Identify on Your Next Hike in Southern Illinois
7 More Easy Spring Wildflowers You Can Identify on Your Next Hike - by Gary Marks Have you went through the last list of 8 Easy Wildflowers You can Identify and find yourself discovering wildflowers that were not on the list? This article expands upon on the 8 and brings you 7 More Easy Wildflowers to Identify. As our last article on wildflowers was two weeks ago, some of the them are hard-to-find now, like Bloodroot and Trout Lilies, but this group... Read More
The Lowdown on Snake Road
Snake road below the bluffs at LaRue Pine Hills once again has closed from March 15 to May 15. The Shawnee National Forest website states the following: About 66 percent of the amphibians and 59 percent of the reptiles known to occur in Illinois are found here (approximately 35 species of snakes). Here are some links to interesting websites and articles regarding this area. A blog from Mike Pingleton A good video from WSIL TV 3 A video from... Read More
