My town is the self-proclaimed limestone capital of the world—and despite it being very chamber of commerce, there is some truth to the phrase. At the height of the industry seventy five years ago, there were some truly talented carvers, as you can see from the work in Green Hill Cemetery.
During a recent walk to Murray Forest, two carvings on the side of a church caught my attention. One was of a man, the sun behind his head, wings in front, with the epigraph “Courage.” The other was of a woman, same arrangement, with the epigraph “Virtue.” My first thought was that these felt a bit lodge-y, like something you’d see associated with the Freemasons. The building looked like a church but the inscription on the building was Warren Dean Jones Memorial Christian Fellowship Center, and a cornerstone marked 1949.
Observations: Cut-leaved toothwort White fawnlily Spring beauty Rue anemone Lemon balm American columbo Common cinquefoil Large-leaf water leaf Carolina crane’s-bill Six white-tailed deer Red-bellied woodpecker Bonus: on the walk home I saw a catbird and listened to its complicated song
After my visit to the Geode Grotto, I stopped by two other southern Indiana landmarks: Jug Rock and Hindostan Falls. First, Jug Rock. This is a sandstone formation just outside the small town of Shoals. I’ve seen it many times from the road but this was the first time I actually walked down the short path to it. When I actually stood next to it, I was surprised by how tall it was.
In need of a distraction from work stress this past week, I googled “religious shrines in Indiana.” (Haven’t we all been there?) I like a beautiful religious temple, but what I really love are weird little shrines, bits of devout folk art that often fall outside religious officialdom. And there it was: the geode grotto in Jasper, Indiana. My Saturday morning was set. Like many others, I’m a lifelong Hoosier who never heard of the geode grotto.
Chicken of the Woods. Spring Mill State Park.
Rachel and I took a quick walk in Murray Forest at lunch today. We saw a box turtle and both a pileated and red-headed woodpecker.
We also saw jack-in-the-pulpit, fire pink, and trillium. The main reason we went today, though, was American columbo (frasera caroliniensis). At some point this morning I came across a mention of this plant and realized it sounded like something I had seen in one of my favorite spots in Murray Forest. Its normal state is as a rosette of large leaves:
But after a number of years—anywhere from five to thirty, from what I’ve read—it will suddenly develop a long central stalk that will bloom into dozens of flowers. According to Midwest Naturalist, the flowering is not on a fixed schedule and it is not known what triggers it. Thankfully there are several in this spot in Murray Forest that have developed the stalk. I hope to see them blooming in the next few days. I will keep you updated!
From the weekend: the view from a lookout point at Brown County State Park
My recent hikes have been all about the wildflowers. The Indiana woods - even abused places like Murray Forest - are full of tiny, beautiful flowers. To find them, though, you must look carefully and walk slowly, so slowly that you hear your boots squeak. It also helps to have an app like Seek for plant identification. I’m not much of a photographer but here are some pictures from the past week.
Chilly hike at Spring Mill State Park today
