All things green, outdoors, and nature-y. Whether it's animals in their natural habitat, hiking trails and mountains, or planting a little garden for yourself (and everything in between), you can talk about it here.
See also our Environment community, which is focused on weather, climate, climate change, and stuff like that.
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This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Have you gone outside this weekend? If so, do you have any cool pictures, or stories, or just want to tell us about your hike or backpacking or whatever? Then please do!
My own contribution here is a mysterious shrine I found off the Prairie Path in Illinois. It's actually the second object in the "mysterious shrines" category I've found wandering trails here! Whether it's actually a shrine is probably debatable, but I don't care.
I had a nice hike on Friday, 19 1/2 miles on the Youngs Creek and Lick Creek trails in the Hoosier National Forest (southern Indiana). The trails are in good condition, the weather was fine, and the bug pressure isn’t too bad yet this year (though the ticks are out in force). The fenced-off rock in the center of the picture here marks the Indiana Initial Point - the survey marker that all property deeds in this state reference.
Maybe I'm nuts, but I can't see a rock in that pic. Too much green. BTW, awesome pic.
It's the scuffed flat spot right in the center of the poison ivy. Apparently nobody in Indiana thinks the Initial Point is worth maintaining.
It does look like someone is maintaining it, at least occasionally.
Wow. 19.5 miles in a single day? That's huge. Cool random picture, too.
I may not be good at much, but I can walk all day every day. I can do back-to-back 20+ mile days with a pack for at least a week...haven't pushed it any further than that. This would probably make some of the long trails very doable, except that I am IRL pretty antisocial...every time I read an account of someone's adventures on the PCT or AT, I get all shuddery over the thought of being forced to interact with other people in groups every day.
It's not super interesting, but my four year old got freaked out by some cicada nymph shells on their playset the other day. It was an interesting biology lesson. I found out the same day our next brood is coming next year. Joy.
We're also expecting the next cicada brood next year here and I'm definitely feeling some trepidation about it.
Thanks for this post, it was refreshing to read. I’m in Phoenix so I’m stuck inside for the next couple months. Been trying to use a walking pad everyday but missing hikes and walks a lot this time of year!
I picked up some cheap blueberry bushes from a local nursery and planted them in the ground this weekend. I had tried growing them about 3 years ago but it didn't work out.
These ones are hooked up to irrigation now and they're in a better spot so fingers crossed!
I haven’t been able to get out for a hike this weekend, but I’ve started gardening for the first time ever. I’m growing carrots and lettuce in a hand-me-down VegePod! Can you find the sprouts that appeared yesterday?
Only made it to the back yard, but here is my “shrine”.
Did some maintenance on my little planters this morning. On the left is potato and summer squash, the right is strawberries and a flower which I can't recall the name of.
I visited and swam in a few natural springs in North Florida. You hear a lot of negative news about our state, but not nearly enough about our amazing state park system!
Been digging up the grass in the yard for a new planter box. Waited way too long, so now the ground is super hard, so I've only got half of it done and now my hands are toast. I'll see if I can get my partner or her partner to finish it for me today so we can get it going, even though we're late for planting that box.
Spent the weekend with great company at a friend's 100+ year old cabin in Bath County, Virginia! A much needed, once or twice a year trip for us, and I wish it would last a month...
No idea why this is rotating 90°. New tech idiot here.
Lots of long walks with my dog lately. Here he is discovering a horse grazing next to the path.
I have been setting up my backyard hydroponic setup. Still quite a bit of stuff to do and some of my plants look a bit... Not well. Have been hand watering them for now but hopefully I get everything set up and I don't have to worry about it.
But dunno, I've checked everything and not sure why my plants are droopy and some yellowish. Perhaps it'll get better when I get the system up and running.
I swam on a coral beach this weekend! Instead of sand it's just broken up pieces of coral. It's amazing because it doesn't travel home with you the same way sand does. It wasn't the nicest day out but being in the water did wonders. Felt very fresh afterwards!
I just had a short time in my garden this weekend, as I haven't been feeling great. It's been totally neglected these past couple of years as I worked way more over the COVID years as a nanny suddenly managing schooling at home and cancelled summer camps. So I'm slowly trying to reclaim the garden from the weeds and moles.
Brought my kitty out on a leash with me for the first time as I'm hoping to encourage the moles to move elsewhere in a humane way. The cat is a coward who would be too afraid to touch one, but hopefully the smell of a predator will be sufficient. I could let the dog in as she's got a strong prey drive and has eliminated the rodents from the rest of our yard, but A) I don't like animals dying on my watch, and B) the dog would absolutely tear up and/or eat the few veggies and fruit bushes I've cleared room for.