Shawnee National Forest (April, 2021)

In April, redbuds in bloom everywhere!

Wonderful time to enjoy spring flowers!

Garden of the Gods – the camel is the signature rock formation.

Magnificent rock formations with trees growing where ever they can manage to take root!

Fun to shoot starbursts off the morning sun

My favorite rock formation of Garden of the Gods

Cache River State Natural Area – a canoe trail through the northernmost cypress swamp

Bald cypress trees are coniferous trees which drop their needles in winter. They develop knobs or knees which help anchor them in the swamp.

Over a thousand years old, the oldest tree in Illinois

Rim Rock Trail has wonderful slot canyons.

Looking out on the lower trail

Trail stairs were built as CCC project.

Bell Smith Springs, beautiful area with trails that criss cross the river

Rocks cut by river show off colors and striations.

Bell Smith Springs natural bridge, 125 feet long, 30 feet above the canyon. Look for it as you first cross the river on the trail.

If you take the upper trail, you will be standing on the bridge and not know you have found it.

Burden Falls – river running into the falls

Great place for a picnic lunch

Road runs right up to the falls

Be sure to have a good four wheel drive vehicle if you intend to go to Kincaid Mounds.

You will need to avoid the Asian carp strewn all over the road!

Don’t be distracted by the pelicans flocking in the farm fields along the road.

There is not much to see at Kincaid Mounds, but the significance is worth the trip. They are the remnants of the important buildings of the seat of the indigenous population 1000 years ago.

Metropolis, Illinois, founded in 1839, is a small Superman tourist mecca.

A fifteen foot tall, three ton Superman statue greets visitors when they arrive.

An original fort was built in 1757 by the French during the French and Indian War. Many forts were built and destroyed on this site. This is a replica of Fort Massac of 1802.

Black vultures abound everywhere throughout Shawnee National Forest. This one left his lunch out.

A boardwalk just outside of Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center – this is a tupelo swamp.

The Wetlands Center bought farm fields, let them flood, and is re-establishing bald cypress swamps.

A baby bald cypress which will, hopefully, live for a thousand years!

For now, trees are unnatural in straight lines. As the swamp grows, some of these will die off, and others will reproduce. Eventually, it will be a natural environment.

This friend came to say hello to us. I do not know what kind of snake he is.

Giant City State Park

As we were hiking the path, a woman pointed out to us that we were passing jack in the pulpits that blended in to the other vegetation.

Giant City State Park is known for its uplifted rocks.

The Devil’s Stand Table is a short easy hike to the park’s signature formation.

The violet is the Illinois state flower.