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| The view of Shanty Hollow Lake from below the parking lot. |
This lake (reservoir) is one of the most beautiful natural areas in this region. It has a trail which extends along the SW edge of the lake and ends at a horseshoe-shaped bluff with a waterfall. As you walk the trail look for wildflowers and migrating birds as well as unusual fossils in the bluffs.
Click here for information and trail map: Trail Map
If you are looking at the lake, turn right to see the trailhead,
which is at the end of the parking lot.
which is at the end of the parking lot.
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| This is the beginning of the trail to the waterfall. |
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During the first part of your walk, the lake will be to your left
and rocky bluffs will be to your right.
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You'll see many different species of wildflowers on this walk,
such as this Greek Valerian.
such as this Greek Valerian.
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| Greek Valerian aka Jacob's Ladder |
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We saw a Scarlet Tanager, in this area.
First time I've ever seen one.
Click here for Info on the Scarlet Tanager
and to hear its song.
and to hear its song.
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| Photo taken from the Cornell site. |
There are so many giant boulders with many species of plants growing on them.
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| Jack-in-the-Pulpit Click here for Info |
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| What a strange looking flower! |
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The leaves with the scaly pattern belong to Liverworts,
which are tiny plants closely related to mosses.
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I'm not a bird expert, but I'm sure I heard a bald eagle on Sunday,
and when I returned on Tuesday with my son, we
and when I returned on Tuesday with my son, we
both heard it, again, in this area (below). We never saw it.
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| Descending toward the lake, now. |
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| A plant called Solomon's Seal revealing its small flowers. Click here for Info |
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I decided to take this short trail up to the bluff to explore the hillside. You can see the yellow flowers on the bottom right, in the close-up, below.
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| A species of Coriopsis |
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| This Cricket Frog was a little bigger than a quarter. I almost didn't see the little creature! Click here for Info |
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| Violet Wood Sorrel (not clover!) Notice how each leaflet is heart-shaped; the leaflets of clover are not heart-shaped) Click here for Info |
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| Found some beautiful Spiderworts above the boulders. Information on Spiderworts |
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| A kind of grape fern called Rattlesnake Fern. Click here for Info |
A beautiful landscape!
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| Cinquefoil Click here for Info |
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Looking toward the lake from atop a hill...
you can see a bit of the lake in the background.
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| These Shooting Stars were hiding under the edge of a boulder. |
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| French's Shooting Star |
Information on Common Shooting Stars
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| Someone exploring the lake in their kayak. |
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The left trail takes you down to the creek. I chose the higher route on the right, which takes you along some very large boulders and cliffs.
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| Here's a very tiny mushroom! (compare the mushroom to the penny) |
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| A Phlox species |
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| White Baneberry or Doll's Eyes |
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The fruit of this flower look very much like the
porcelain eyes once used in dolls. |
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| There are some small unusual ferns growing in the crevices of the boulder. |
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| An Asplenium hybrid. |
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| This looks like a hybrid between 2 Asplenium species. |
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| I like the "green boulders." Such a beautiful hiking trail. Be sure to stop once in awhile and just look around you...smell the air. |
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| Beautiful Mountain Laurel flowers! |
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| This is a popular spot for rock climbers. |
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| A group of Fire Pinks on the top of a boulder. |
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| The flowing water from the waterfall ahead carved out this mini-canyon over a long period of time! |
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It's about a 10 foot drop/fall into the canyon, so don't slip!!
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| Bishop's Caps or Miterwort Apparently the seedpods look like the caps that bishops wear. Click here for Info |
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| Miterwort flowers (not to be confused with Mitrewort, a different plant) |
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| Looking down into running water in the mini-canyon. |
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| The mini-canyon. |
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| A male gametophyte of Juniper Moss (highly magnified). The yellow-green structure at the top is where the sperm is produced. Eggs are produced on a separate plant. |
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| This stream is coming from the waterfall up ahead on the other side of the boulders. |
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| Beautiful ferns, Polypody vulgare, growing on the side of the boulder. Click here for Info |
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| This was carved out by the force of the running water over countless years!! |
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Not much water, today.
Click here to see a video of the waterfall after a few days of rain. When I get to this point in my hike I like to just sit down, relax, listen to the birds and insects and just appreciate the waterfall. |
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| Can you find Marilyn (on the left). She gives you an idea of the scale of the rocks. |
When I found this wild orchid, below, I yelled outloud...I was
so excited!! Just look at its beauty!
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This wild orchid is called Showy Orchis!
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A non-poisonous Milk Snake.
(look at the head, top right, sticking out of the water...
it's not a large, triangular head like that of a copperhead) |
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| Solomon's Plume (some books call it False Solomon's Seal, but I think that's a lack of creativity.) Click here for Info |
What a stunning sight!!!
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Looking across the creek at the many different
kinds of deciduous trees.
This is where I saw these two birds...both beautiful! Click the websites to see and hear the birds. |
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| Photo taken from the Cornell site. |
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| Photo taken from the Cornell site. |
Click here to hear the call of the Prothonotary Warbler !
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| Toad or Frog? (the answer is in the caption of the next photo) |
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| Synandra, aka Guyandotte Beauty This is the only species in this genus! (The previous photo was of a toad. You can tell by the kidney bean-shaped parotid gland that toads in the genus Bufo have, behind each eye.) |
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| This looks like Sweet Anise (Aniseroot). Click here for Info |
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| Sweet Anise |
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I crossed the creek here to get back to
the main trail heading back.
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| Ran across this beautiful trillium, Bent Trillium. |
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| Bent Trillium (T. flexipes) usually has a white flower; this one is a maroon form of this species. Click here for Info |
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| I saw many Wild Roses, today...great fragrance. Click here for Info |
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| Blue-eyed Grass (it does not have a blue eye, and it is not a grass at all...it's in the Iris family; who named this plant?) Click here for Info |
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| Back at the parking lot. |
If you're ever in the Bowling Green area
you have to stop here to see this beautiful
natural area!
Get out and explore!
Click here to see Shanty Hollow in the Fall
and here to see it in the Winter.
