So Much to See!

I have a declaration to make: Waubonsie State Park is southwest Iowa’s best-kept secret. The more time I spend here, the more there is to appreciate: this morning, a beautiful buck crossed my path, bounded up the hill a little way and then stopped and turned, watching me watch him. We stayed that way for a little while, with me marveling at just how special this kind of encounter with our native wildlife can be.

But there’s more.

Tonight there was a meeting in the Lodge of Friends of Waubonsie State Park, a group of really good folks who work to promote and enhance the park. The Lodge is very near my cabin so I walked to the meeting, even though it was after sundown. The full moon, wrapped in hazy halo of mist, lit up the eastern sky and my path, and it was almost magical to hear the life of the forest as I passed through – the rustle of leaves when an animal stirred, the rushing sound of the wind in the cedar trees, and a barred owl that questioned “Who cooks for you?” right outside my cabin door. (Seriously, if you’ve never heard a barred owl, that’s what their call sounds like!)

As you can probably tell, I’m immensely enjoying my time at the park. Yesterday, I spent a good deal of time in my borrowed studio space, testing some light setups, and today – after a crisp morning hike to gather some more plant samples – I began shooting “for real” starting with green briar … which I regret a little.

If you’re not familiar with green briar, count yourself lucky: it’s a darn hostile vine, green in color, climbing in habit, and thorny in disposition. I brought some inside because it’s also darn interesting, with strong lines and interesting contrast. But strong lines and interesting contrast don’t make it any easier to handle. Ouch.

A few new pokes and scratches are a small price to pay, though. I’m (unfortunately) not done with green briar but I think I have a good start. Looking forward to exploring more tomorrow, when there are less-hostile subjects lined up for my lens: milkweed, goldenrod, bittersweet, coral berry … a treasure chest of late-autumn Loess Hills beauty!