Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, Clermont, Kentucky

When you visit Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, you're going to want to stay awhile. This beautiful park is off of I-65 just south of Louisville. Every time I visit, I find a sense of peace and solitude that makes me want to stay for a while. Bernheim has a little bit of everything from wildflower gardens and lakes to forests and of course the arboretum. On this particular day it was a wee bit warm and henceforth most of the park's visitors stayed away. Lucky me! I felt like the park was all mine. I had a quick bite at the visitor center's cafe and took a drive into the forest but most of my time was spent in the arboretum and wildflower gardens. I've visited this park in all four seasons. Autumn boasts bright reds, oranges and yellows and is simply gorgeous. I hope you'll plan a trip if you're in the area. Here are a few of the digital pics I took on my recent visit. Yes, I spent some time in the butterfly garden. Can you blame me.

A Quiet Place to Reflect

This quaint barn sits in the farthest corner of the Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in central Indiana. Take I-65's Seymour exit. The refuge is one mile east off of the highway.

I've visited this refuge in all four seasons. In winter, I photographed the otters sliding across the frozen swampland. In summer, a brood of jet black commarants flew over and made a stop at one of the larger lakes in the refuge. In fall, the bright orange and red autumn leaves shone off the lakes' waterfront like a blaze of fire. And in spring, the wildflowers pop up everywhere from the forests to the roadside. Visiting this refuge is a nature lover's calming experience and is a perfect place to watch nature at its best. Almost every visit to the refuge finds deer grazing in the grasses close to the road. It's a real treat to visit.

Paradise Found!

This gorgeous area of Illinois is known as Horseshoe Lake. With it's swamps, cypress knobs and tupelo trees dominating the landscape, southern Illinois is truly a nature lover's paradise. It's been called the Ohio River Bayou. There are close to 15 bald eagles who winter here each season. While this area is very remote, it is truly beautiful and virtually unspoiled. I was lucky enough to visit when a group of nature lovers were launching their canoes off a nearby boatramp. Watching them row out into the lake, one by one, in this backdrop really was a treat. Nearby also was a small grove of bamboo shoots or is that bamboo trees. Something you won't see often in the United States, not to my knowledge. Enjoy!
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