4-3-18 a walk on the wild side:

With the weather being so beautiful the last couple of days and more cold weather on the way, it was time to get back into the preserve and look for wild flowers.  So I had Ken drop me off by Costco on our way back from the bank and I headed to the stairs to the preserve from Mall of Georgia Blvd near Costco. 

heading down the stairs.

heading East.  There are a bunch of these guys along the way---Halesia tetraptera (Common silver bell)

An old favorite of mine---Dogwood

There are even a lot of interesting leaves along the trail.

Don't remember seeing these guys before---Lamium Purpureum (Purple dead nettle)

getting close to the waterfall by the old mill

Even the dandelions are pretty when they aren't in my yard.

The Wisteria by the mill.

There was a bunch of wisteria at this area.  The smell was wonderful!  Reminded me of Plumeria.

lots of these growing on low bushes

Potentilla Indica

heading under a couple of the many overpasses along the trail.

a Paper tree?

another Potentilla indica

After about a mile, the paved trail ended and the dirt/rock/sand trail continues

Youngia japonica (Japanese hawkweed)

Stellaria media (common chickweed)

a really small jumping spider

About a mile along the unpaved trail of the Ivy Creek Greenway comes to the entrance to the unpaved Mill Creek Nature Center---a series of boardwalks, dirt trails and wooden lookouts.

A little turtle enjoying the warm sunny day, too.

There is a pretty wetlands here, but I never see many birds here.  Today there were two Canadian Geese.

heading across the wetlands on the boardwalk.

another little guy enjoying the weather.

Acer rubrum (Red maple) seeds are call samaras.  This time of year they put a pretty red cast on the distant trees.

another view of the wetlands

and another little guy enjoying the weather.

Looking back towards the Ivy Creek Greenway

continuing into the Mill Creek Nature center.

the boy scouts have done a lot of the work on the boardwalks and wooden structures in the "center".

The East fork of Ivy Creek.

With the temps in the 80s, I enjoyed sitting under this shelter for a bit.

then continued on.

another of the bridges in the "center".

more of the common silverbells

there were a few of these in the marshy area by the lookout.

a pretty impressive lookout

view from the lookout.

more of the red maples

looking down from the platform

these look like a common house plant (philodendron?)

another view of the crowded lookout.

love those silverbells

back on the Ivy Creek Greenway and heading back towards the apartment complex.

blackberry ?

I bet these are Leather.  I used them a lot when I worked as a florist.  They make a great filler in arrangements.

???

some fungi growing on a tree trunk

another really tiny flower

only saw these puffs in one area.

back to the area that smelled so good

loved the camouflaged look of this

and this

?????

The apartment overlook and picnic area along the trail.  I love to sit here and rejuvenate after a long (or short) walk.

Got my 10,000 steps in today.  Just this walk was about 4 miles.