The cool rain is welcome after a hot, dry summer. Goldenrod is blooming, heralding the approach of autumn.

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

Just a beautiful day at a little-known bit of public land. Some nice native prairie wildflowers here.

Here's a slideshow of photos I took at William O'Brien State Park in Minnesota. It's just north of Scandia and just across the St. Croix River from Wisconsin. Nice mix of oak savannah and wetlands. Lots of hiking trails, some camping too. If you want to camp, you'll probably need to call ahead and make a reservation.

This park has lots of hiking trails. It's not free but if you buy a sticker you can go to any State park for the rest of the year. Lots of prairie restoration and woods.

This is a gallery of pictures I took today and on July 2 when I went walking on the Red Cedar River Trail in Dunn County. A notable sighting I didn't photograph was a large Grey Fox who walked up quite close to me but didn't stick around long enough to have his picture taken. This trail is part of a network of State Trails which follow abandoned railroad right-of-ways. It's free to walk on, which is becoming a rarity in the U$A.

I went for a nice walk today along the Red Cedar River Trail. I took a lot of photos, but to start, here are a few I took with the Palm Pre.

A slough is just a little pond in a hollow. Most of them have been drained for agriculture, but here's a nice little one with a Wood Duck house.

Sloughs provide important wildlife habitat and of course water up on the plateau.

I was mowing in order to collect mulch for my garden. I moved a piece of plywood out of my way, and this living gem was underneath. I took him over to the field and let him go in the thistles where he'd be safe.

Not only do Monarch Butterflies like Milkweed, but also hummingbirds. I took this picture this morning with my aging Kodak V500 compact digicam. Not ideal for photographing a hummingbird, but then again sometimes the ideal camera is the one you happen to have in your hand.