Door County Land Trust
Daily Nature
Join us in celebrating the rhythm of the days and seasons by sharing photos, observations, and reflections from nature. Just as spring pushes forward, so too does our community-focused conservation work. We invite you to reach out to us and stay connected. Share your thoughts and pictures below. After review, we’ll post them on this page and on our Facebook page.
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GREAT EGRET
5/24/21 Kangaroo Lake Natural Preserve Trail
We didn’t have our camera with us but we had extended, excellent views of 2 great egrets. Sibley Birds East shows them as rare in this area.
We walked across the steel bridge, Sturgeon Bay, on a beautiful warm winter’s day and saw these three divers: Red-breasted Merganser, Common goldeneye, and a Long-tailed duck, 1st winter male.
We walked the North Trail at Bjorklunden yesterday! Beautiful!!
Bjorklunden is Swedish for birch grove by the lake. I think it also means Beautiful, serenity.
Ice at sunset before the moon rises.
Big. That’s the best way to describe the Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve.
Big in size—at 515 acres it is one of the largest purchases ever by the Door County Land Trust.
Big in historical significance—it has a long association with the area’s cultural past.
And big in ecological importance—it preserves a key piece in a wildlife corridor that has been described as one of the premier natural landscapes of the western Great Lakes.
Three Springs Nature Preserve by Dave Heilman
There are many ways to enjoy trails in the winter months! What are your best tips for staying warm while exploring?
Photo: Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in winter by Jamie Palmer
I thought you might like this taken at the Lautenbauch Woods property. Snow much fun!
How can you easily tell the difference between rabbits and squirrels when it comes to tracks in teh snow?
With your finger draw 4 straight lines around the outside of their tracks. The squirrel tracks are compact and create a square (Square Squirrel) while rabbit’s longer bodies tracks create more stretched out tracks and they create a rectangle (Rectangle Rabbit). Cool!
Practicing our tree identification at a wintery White Cliff Nature Preserve!
A quiet winter walk through Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve!
A beautiful winter walk!
One of the locations I headed out to the other day when we had a blanket of rim ice was this Door County Land Trust area close to my home near Egg Harbor Wi. I photograph this old fence and silo often and it seldom disappoints. On this visit I made a 3 image focus stack with each image shot at f8, 1/60 sec. I was apprehensive about this due to a steady breeze moving the long grass but the software did an excellent job of lining everything up.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ8igqwnWpv/
Being outdoors in nature tends to give us a lift up, especially now.
A winter walk through Three Springs Nature Preserve!
On my walk today, I felt as though I needed to kneel and pray, it was so beautiful.
According to Door County Land Trust’s phenology calendar, Black-capped Chickadees should begin singing their spring courtship song this week.
Have you heard any chickadees calling recently?
Photo: Black-capped Chickadee on Chambers Island, by Naseem Reza
Ice Tree in Ephraim!
Check your phenology calendars – now is the time that white-tailed deer bucks begin dropping antlers.
Photo: By Ron Shawley, CC BY 3.0,
Pine Grosbeak
We were on Waters End Rd, at the End, when we saw a small flock of birds in the tree. Took some pics and ID’d them to be Pine Grosbeaks. We’ve seen Rose Breasted but since living up here have seen Evening and Pine Grosbeaks. So great to live here
Cedar Creeper! Really a brown creeper in Peninsula State Park
We enjoyed some fall colors during a hike at the Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve last week. Kudos to the DC Land Trust for all they do to preserve this beautiful land for us and future generations. We are so lucky to have so many great hikes practically in our back yard!
Fall colors popping up all around!
One of the largest tracts of undeveloped land on Washington Island, the Richter Community Forest Nature Preserve features a diverse mix of northern hardwoods, numerous tip-up mounds (uprooted trees), bedrock ridges, and an abundance of spring wildflowers.
The forest varies greatly in composition reflecting the different types of forest management activities that have taken place over the past 100 years.
The preserve’s large tip-up mounds are clues that this area, unlike most of Door County’s interior, was never clear-cut and tilled for agricultural use. Another clue is the presence of numerous wildflowers. If land is tilled, wildflower seed banks are disturbed. Even as a forest begins to regenerate, it can take a century or more for wildflowers to re-establish themselves.
Photo by Dave Heilman
Misty dawn at Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve!
Pitcher plants!!
This species, found throughout most of Wisconsin, lives in low-nutrient sphagnum moss bogs and poor fen wetlands, greatly limiting the number of sites where they can be seen.
How many cardinals can you count?
Pine Siskins in our back yard, Town of Egg Harbor
Magnificent, magical adventure. We LOVE Door County Land Trust and all you do. Katie, Ben, Finn and Genevieve Vandenberg, we live in Tremont, Il but our hearts are in Door County 🙂
– Katie VandenBerg
Happily hiking at Ephraim Preserve at Anderson Pond!
A beautiful fall hike through Ephraim!
The Soloman kids – Gabi and Malachi enjoy the Door County Land Trust trails. Three Springs was one of our favorite hikes. We love how the trails are pet friendly.
Pebble Beach holding on to the last bit of summer sun!
Boo’s Bluff on Washington Island!
Fall colors are starting to appear already!
Photo by Dave Heilman at Richter Community Forest on Washington Island.
Last new to us trail was Solitude … are these New England Astors?
Another natural area we walked was Walt’s Woods…
We learned from an LIR Zoom class this week of other Land Trust Trails, so set off to explore 3 of them. Here are some pics from Erskine Woods Natural Area. Love this trail w the creek, benches and “bluff”. Not so much w the snake. ( ;
Beautiful Door County wildflowers even in the fall!
Photos courtesy of Dave Heilman.
A magical moment at Little Lake Nature Preserve!
This is truly a special place and well worth the 15 minute hike in (which is rocky in places)!
Porcupine on Newport State Park trail!
Fall Along the Bay by Jamie Palmer
A beautiful hike through Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp!
Hiking at Bayshore Blufflands, lost count of the monarchs as they flew by!
Physalis alkekengi fruit with the red husk!
Beautiful trail systems at Richter Community Forest Nature Preserve!
https://www.doorcountylandtrust.org/richter-community-forest-nature-preserve/
Missing summer days at Pebble Beach!
The Ship Canal preserve has witnessed much history. It was once the site of a heavily-travelled Native American portage route between Lake Michigan and Green Bay. In 1872, European settlers began construction of the 7,400-foot canal, which permanently linked the two bodies of water. More recently, the property was considered for large-scale developments including a coal-fueled power plant and an aquatic-based industrial center. In its preserved state, it will be enjoyed by visitors and residents for generations to come.
Went to Pebble Beach today to cap off my summertime visit to Door County. Seems like summertime lasts eternal here and I can’t wait to come back already!
Bayshore Blufflands Nature Preserve
Wind-swept fields, towering pine forests, ephemeral wetlands and springs, cobbled lakeshore and stretches of rural open space along Bay Shore Drive all contribute to the beauty of this special place.