The final segment of the Beverly Shores trail system which brought me down into the marsh from the Dune Ridge. Just about a month ago this path was waist high with grasses and passing through was like running a tick gauntlet. It was recently cut back, I believe for a park wide event celebrating the great outdoors.

And here we are at the beginning of the eastern end of the closed portion of Beverly Dr. As you can see all of the brush has been cleared from both sides of the roadway. If you check my previous posts on this area I show this same stretch of road for comparison purposes.

I did not see a single wildflower along either the Dune Ridge or the Beverly Shores trails. But down here in the marsh itself there were a few hangers on. Not too many, but this fellow was putting out one last bloom before calling it quits for the season.

All summer long this stretch of Beverly Dr was an awesome spot for butterflies, and milkweed is a big part of the reason why. Lots and lots of milkweed. Even though much of the brush was cleared along the road bed, there were still plenty of milkweed pods open. It is always fun to see them after they have opened up.

This milkweed pod has just recently popped open and you can see the mass of seeds spilling out. It was not particularly windy, but it these seeds respond to even the slightest puff of air and it took a lot of patience to wait for it to remain still long enough to get a clear photograph. I spent probably 5 minutes with the camera sitting on a tripod, enjoying the afternoon while until the mass of seeds stilled for just the briefest moment so I could snap the shutter.

I don’t know how long the asphalt will remain visible before becoming completely overgrown as nature reclaims the land. I truly hope that the park continues to maintain this as an accessible trail long after the roadway has vanished.

Another wildflower hanging in after most everything else has long gone. Woodland Lettuce I believe, and so far I have only found it along this stretch of trail.

I really like the figure that this tree cuts alongside the roadway. However I believe that it is destined to fall one day and slowly become part of the humus which supports a healthy marsh ecosystem.

The area to the south and east of the roadway is mostly open water and fallen trees. This side however looks much healthier. I do not know if this is due to restoration efforts or maybe the roadway is acting like a dam and causing too much water to backup on the other side?

These bracket fungi have a very pleasing ring pattern with subtle yet lovely yellow and orange hues. I have seen this same species in several locations along this trail. I seem to have a memory for this type of thing, and I am quite sure that I will remember and photograph this same log multiple times through the next year, and one day I will be able to compare photos illustrating how this same fungus’s appearance changes throughout the year. It is this sort of detail which makes repeated visits to the same area so rewarding.

Wow, all the colors of fall here in this one leaf. So perfect and imperfect at the same time.