Looking For Spring Amongst The Snow
- by Gary Marks Spring is Here, Enter Snow The calendar has finally rolled over to spring, the time for change in the Shawnee Hills. This is the season that trees come back to life and the cooler temps give way to warmer breezes. Yeah, right! I started off my last article Looking for Fall Amongst the Brown in a similar way, but even though the calendar says spring, we are still experiencing winter’s bitter chill. It’s odd to... Read More
Winter Wonderland in the Shawnee Hills
A.S. – After Snow - by Gary Marks Was it all a dream? Was a winter veil thrown across my sleep-deprived eyes? Sitting here well over a week after the last snow event, one wonders. That wondering stops though as the computer cycles through photographs and the reality of it all sinks in. As the snow is thawing and only piles of white memories remain, we look back and remember that occasionally the proof of winter does come to Southern... Read More
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
Burden Falls – The Best Waterfall in Southern Illinois ?
Burden Falls – The Best Waterfall in Southern Illinois? - by Gary Marks If you could visit only one waterfall in Southern Illinois would this be the one to go to? Ask several different people and you will get several different answers, but can one Waterfall be called the BEST in Southern Illinois? This article delves head-long into a debate that will rage long after you read this article. The Stage The sound of rushing water fills your head... Read More
Cache River State Natural Area – Tupelo Trail
Cache River State Natural Area – Tupelo Trail - by Gary Marks When you think of a wetland what does your mind conjure up? Is it the deep green duckweed that is laid out like a natural carpet over the still shallow water? Maybe, the giant cypress trees that have made their home here for hundreds of years, with their gnarly knees poking out from around their exaggerated buttresses. Alligators! Oh wait a minute, scratch that one off the... Read More
Morel Mushrooms in Southern Illinois – Shawnee National Forest
Searching for the Elusive Morel Mushroom in Southern Illinois - by Gary Marks “You’ve lived in Southern Illinois how long and have never been morel hunting?” That is usually the first reaction I receive when I tell someone I’ve always wanted to search for morel mushrooms. I have in the past looked on the side of the trails while hiking, but never knew what I was truly looking for. Sure I knew what they looked like, but... Read More
3 Books Every Nature Explorer Should Read
3 Books Every Nature Explorer Should Read - by Gary Marks Bold Statement A bold statement? Maybe, but these three books have absolutely changed the way I view nature. I know that these books may not be to everybody’s liking, but if your looking for a good read, while on vacation or while sitting on top of giant sandstone bluff, one of these books might be a great companion. Book One Walden by Henry David Thoreau Not Walden! Wasn’t... Read More
Cedar Creek – Winter Series
February 7 - by Gary Marks A Dream What I see before me is a masterpiece, created by a great unseen artist. I look around trying to take in every single detail, but I am soon overwhelmed. I feel as though I am walking through a dream and will soon wake up and all of this will be gone, but it is not a dream. The temperatures hover around the 30′s and I know that within a matter of time this great piece of canvas will be wiped clean. ... Read More
Bell Smith Springs – Winter Return – Part 4 – Finale
January 11, 2010 Missed Part 1 of Bell Smith Springs – Winter Return? Click here to read. Missed Part 2 of Bell Smith Springs – Winter Return? Click here to read. Missed Part 3 of Bell Smith Springs – Winter Return? Click here to read. - by Gary Marks The Finale First of all, I would like to thank you the reader for continuing to read the articles on Bell Smith Springs. This will absolutely be the final post for the Winter... Read More
Freeze Time in Southern Illinois
December 16, 2010 Haven’t read Tuesday’s Blog Post? Click Here to Read. Oh No, Freezing Rain! As I write tonight an ice storm is rolling its way through Southern Illinois. We hover just in the freezing range, but have missed the worst of it. The sidewalk and porch have a thin layer of ice. It’s a good time just to be inside a nice warm house and to let the road crews and nature do their jobs. Back to Monday This Monday... Read More
