Long Shadows…

Two riders casting long shadows on a leaf covered path. We need to take advantage of the evening light now before the time change brings an end to rides along the trail after work.

Autumn Days

This week has been beautiful along the Holmes County Trail…the warm sun, a pleasantly cool breeze, and the autumn colors combine to make autumn days a most pleasant time to be on the trail. A lot of others apparently think so too judging by the number of people we have seen on both morning and evening rides.

Garden Phlox

Each spring I look for Wild Blue Phlox in the woods around our house. When I recently noticed the beautiful phlox along the trail at the end of August, I asked my wife Helen about them. She calls them Garden Phlox. I’m sure I will hear from Leah if that is not correct!

These phlox were right along the trail between Millersburg and Holmesville

Great Blue Heron update

Late this spring and early summer there were nesting Great Blue Herons high in the trees along the Killbuck Creek about a mile north of Millersburg. However, the nests are now empty – the young birds are out on their own. Recently I saw one of the magestic herons perched on a tree in the marsh north of Killbuck, looking for all the world like it owned the marsh.

Surveying the marsh north of Killbuck

The bright blue Indigo Bunting – a trailside regular all summer

During the summer months, especially in June and early July, the lovely song of the Indigo Bunting is a common sound along the brushy edges of the trail. The bright blue male often sings from the tops of weeds, very close to the trail.

Bees and flowers

Lots of bees and flowers in late August along the trail

This time of year seems to be especially busy for the local bees. Whenever I stop to take a photo of a wildflower, there seems to be a rather constant stream of bees, also visiting the flowers but for a different reason. Even picking red rasberries this week put me in close contact with many bees, all of which chose to peacefully share the berries with me. This particular photo along the trail needs Leah to identify the yellow flower….

Rose-breasted Grosbeak nest close to the trail

A brillant male Grosbeak along the trail south of Holmesville

During June there were a number of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks singing along the trail. Usually I would hear them singing in the distance, but on one ride , south of Holmesville, I encountered a territorial male. This beautiful bird was singing in a large tree right along the trail. As I stopped to watch and listen, the bird actually came down quite close, while calling and singing. This has to be one of the most striking birds that nest along the trail.

Reds and greens at the end of August

As the summer comes to an end, most birds are no longer singing, but many vines, shrubs and trees are just getting started with their big show. I was reminded of that this week when a single brilliant red leaf caught my eye north of Millersburg. I’m not an expert on plants, but this one looked like the common tree-climbing vine that we see commonly in this area. Since most of the plants are still shades of green right now, the bright red leaf really stood out. Come October, this same leaf would be lost among hundreds of maples and other red and yellow leaves.

Sparkling dew drops

Recently I was struck by the beauty of dewdrops on plants and spider webs, seen during a morning ride from Millersburg to Holmesville. I’ve always been fascinated by close-up views of the plant and animal life around us. The trail is a wonderful place to explore that world, at our own pace.

Rough-winged Swallows

Swallows along the trail

For much of the summer, nesting Rough-winged Swallows could be found at several places along the trail. The first location was right in Millersburg, along the first quarter-mile heading south from the depot. I would often hear the birds as they flew overhead, and sometimes they would be perched on the wires along the trail. The second place to find them was a big surprise to me. While sitting on a bench at the Killbuck end of the trail, I noticed swallows flying around the manufacturing building across the road. The birds would eventually fly into a hole located directly below the loading dock! At times there would semi-trailers loading or unloading, during which time the swallows would fly all around the area, waiting for access to their nest.