Mormon Trail Park & Lake - Part II

 

There is no road around Mormon Trail Lake so to reach the beach area and the remainder of the park you have to go out the entrance, go north on the road to the first corner, turn right (east) and go about a half mile to the other park entrance.

This area of the park was different from my memories, too. Different entrance fewer trees, etc.

The park ranger had just finished harrowing the sand so we were the first to walk on it Wednesday morning.

The last time I camped at Mormon Trail was with my granddaughter Deise, probably about 20 years ago. We swam at this beach. The water was the clearest, cleanest, I had ever seen at a lake. It is still almost as clean 20 years later even though the park sees many more visitors now.

I really enjoyed this side of the lake because of all the flora.

I had some Swamp Milkweed when we lived on the farm. It was almost as beautiful as these.

Another view of the Swamp Milkweed with cattails.

For comparison, this is Common Milkweed with some Queen Anne's Lace.

A view of the roped off swimming area and the less developed east side of the lake - taken from the tip of a small peninsula extending into the water.

There is still plenty of room for expansion if funds allow for further development. 

We drove past this small pond on the way toward the beach area. I noted the waterlilies and planned to stop on the way back out.

But I forgot and almost drove past when HD asked: "Didn't you want to stop here?"

My eyes were first drawn to the vivid purple behind some white waterlilies.

This is a new plant for me - Pickerelweed. Perhaps I've seen it before and just thought it was Purple Loosestrife?

Eventually I actually listened to what Bud was saying: "Did you see the pink ones?"

Oh, my goodness! I hadn't really even looked at the waterlilies in my haste to photograph the Pickerelweed.

I have never seen pink waterlilies before.

I am totally in love. They are just so gorgeous.

Of course the white ones are still beautiful, too.

But there is, for me, just something about blush pink.

This was about the time the park ranger stopped to visit with us.

He asked if we were having a good time photographing all the wildflowers and then pointed to an area that was out of our sightline.

If he hadn't, we would have missed the Butterfly Weed and Rattlesnake Master.

He also told us about another area of prairie wildflowers we might want to see. More about that tomorrow.

This was the last flora photo I took before leaving Mormon Trail Park.

It is a reminder of my childhood because there was such a large patch of it near our one-room country school.

I liked to pick it and pull it apart at the joints because it made a popping sound. I think I even called it pop grass or snap grass, maybe even snake grass.

Its common name is rough horsetail, scouring rush or scouringrush horsetail. I should be able to remember horsetail, but I never do. I always have to look it up.

According to Wiki, in South Africa it is known as snake grass so maybe I wasn't so far off after all.