This past week, I made it out to the Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve to hike.
The property, which is located in Monroe County, consists of 734 acres that was acquired from 1995 to 2018 by the Sycamore Land Trust.
The majority of the property has been dedicated as an Indiana State Nature Preserve by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and it has also been designated a state Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society and a Wetland of Distinction by the Society of Wetland Scientists. Sycamore’s property adjoins the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Restle Unit of the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge and a privately-owned wetland protected by a permanent Wetland Reserve Program easement.
The nature preserve itself has 824 acres. There’s over 900 acres of connected protected habitat, including adjacent parcels.
The exceptional habitat at this well-loved wetland preserve provides a home for the endangered Indiana bat, Kirtland’s snake, rare orchids, and other threatened species. A raised boardwalk trail and observation decks enhance exploration of this diverse habitat.
I visit and write about this place a couple of times a year.
We had a good rain the night before and the drop in temperatures was a welcome relief from the sweltering summer heat that we have had in our state this summer. It was a great time to hike in this wetland.
I arrived at the small parking lot of the preserve around lunchtime. The sky was overcast and everything was wet in the nearby forest. I was feeling very happy to be out in nature. I could hear cicadas in the woods as I sauntered down the small, gravel road that led to the boardwalk.
The boardwalk is about 2 miles in length and meanders through the wetland preserve. It is flat and is considered easy to hike though the boardwalk can be slippery when it’s wet.
Most days, this preserve is the very definition of a wetland area. On warm summer days, a hike through this preserve might remind you of a tropical hike through the bush. As you walk the boardwalk, you will find many beautiful native wildflowers, especially in the summer. Many native orchards have been found to be growing in this place. These flowers usually bloom between April and June.
I found more than a few wildflowers growing there, including some Black-eyed Susans, butterfly weed, daisies, and some yarrow. All of these are heat and drought resistant. Cattails were scattered out along the sides of the boardwalk and were very tall. Native grasses grew in clumps throughout the preserve. It definitely has a different look during the summer months as compared to winter, spring, or fall. Still, it was a very picturesque scene. My walk was a pleasant one and the landscape provided a variety of greenery along with a kaleidoscope of colors that blended into the foliage.
Beanblossom creek, the preserve’s namesake, flows through the preserve and the marshes, forest, and swampy areas and normally make for a great nature hike. Today’s hike was a bit drier which is normal for this time of year. There were so many plants and trees to enjoy.
I might add that the preserve is also known for the wildlife that live in it. Many different birds including bald eagles and a variety of woodpeckers make their home here as well as deer, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, opossums, and others.
For me this is a place of contentment. It’s peaceful. Life happens in this place and wild things are left to just be.
My day was well spent and It had been a fine hike.
This preserve is open from dawn to dusk.
To get to this place: Drive to Ellettsville via Highway 46 east and turn left at the intersection of Union Valley Road, (McDonalds on right side of 46), travel 2.5 miles to the T section then turn right onto Delap Road. Stay on Delap Road for about 0.9 miles, staying to the right as you pass the first two Y intersections. At the third Y at the intersection of Delap Road and Woodall Road, go left on Woodall. Follow Woodall rd for 1.4 miles to a small gravel road parking lot on your right just after the bridge over Beanblossom Creek. You’ll see the trailhead sign in the parking lot.
A quote for your week: “Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps … That was the jewel which dazzled me.” – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist and naturalist, 1817-1862.
Until the next trail.
Susan Anderson is a resident of Owen County who enjoys hiking and backpacking and writes a weekly column about her experiences. Readers can reach her via email at saanders@hotmail.com or on Instagram @farsideoftheedge.
This article originally appeared on Evening World: A late summer hike at Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve
Reporting by Susan Anderson, For the Evening World / Evening World
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Susan Anderson, For the Evening World | USA TODAY Network
