The marker for the Preserve.

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides, Ranunculaceae).

This is the Cut-leaf Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata, Brassicaceae).

On our way through the lower part of the preserve, this Eastern Garter Snake headed across the path in front of us. Good sized, pretty calm about letting me photograph it repeatedly.

Snakes use their tongues to pick up particles (scents, chemicals, etc.) from the air. Then when their tongue goes back into their mouth, it deposits those particles against a sensitive area on the top of the mouth. A snake can determine all kinds of things about the surrounding environment this way.

Here's Dad & Liebchen, on the bottom trail.

This is a really nice Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria, Fumariaceae). It's got beautiful leaves, and the flowers are really cool.

We think that these are sprouts from the Jewelweed (also Touch-me-Not) plant. When it gets bigger, you can use the juices of this plant to ease all kinds of stings and itches. An amiable plant, it tends to grow in the same areas as Stinging Nettles do. It's a good plant to know about. It gets its alternate name, Touch-me-Not, from the ripe seed pods. When touched, the pods explode - spreading seeds all over the place.

Dad spotted these two plants - neither of us has any idea what they are. They look spiky like thistles, but they're not. If you have any ideas, please let me know. Mom thinks it might be some kind of wild lettuce, but it's hard to tell without the flowers.

This is a species of Saxifrage (Saxifragaceae). It's a remnant from cooler times, and now it only grows along the shady cliffs here.

This is a really old sewing machine. We think it got washed into the crotch of this tree during a flood - the tree has been slowly growing around it over the years.

This is a Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionaceae, Violaceae). Nothing exciting, but I thought it was pretty. Violet leaves are high in vitamins A and C, and are good in salads or as greens. The flowers can be candied or made into jellies. These grow all over the place; might be worth checking out. Remember not to pick edible plants along roadsides - chemicals collect there and can become quite concentrated.

And here it is... the Bald Eagle! In case you're wondering, this is what it looks like if you take a picture through one lens of a pair of binoculars. A little blurry, but not bad. This pair of eagles has lived here for 2 years now.