It's been a long time since my last update as I've been out of the state. Then there was lots of catching up at both the office and at home so it was nice to get back to my favorite park. Though a very nice and sunny Saturday, there were very few people around today probably due to the July 4th holiday. Near a commonly busy area at the north bridge, a deer stepped out and walked right down the trail behind me.
There are lots of wildflowers starting to come out now and I even spotted a few touch-me-nots. After coming back to the south side I just barely noticed that the recently constructed shelter/kiosk thingy actually had information on it now. It sat bare for months but as I got closer I immediately recognized the familiar Three Rivers Park District logo! I am an avid fan of these parks as they are all well maintained, clean, and have great hiking & biking trails. I couldn't believe it, the park
must have been sold by the city,
or maybe now it will just be staffed and maintained by Three Rivers while still owned by the city.
It's anybody's guess at this point as I've found no information online about the new ownership. I do like new the full-color overhead map of the park along with info on other local bike trails. My very first thoughts were hopeful thinking that Palmer Lake will finally receive the attention and stewardship that it deserves. Hopefully this comes in the way of more frequent cleaning and better trash facilities. When I kayaked up Shingle Creek you wouldn't believe the amount of plastic bottles just stuck along the banks. Later near my favorite spot at the lake overlook the Milkweeds had enormous clusters of pink flowers that sort of resemble fireworks. They have very unique and intricate petal designs that are easily overlooked because of their small size.
It's been a long time since my last update as I've been out of the state. Then there was lots of catching up at both the office and at home so it was nice to get back to my favorite park. Though a very nice and sunny Saturday, there were very few people around today probably due to the July 4th holiday. Near a commonly busy area at the north bridge, a deer stepped out and walked right down the trail behind me. 
There are lots of wildflowers starting to come out now and I even spotted a few touch-me-nots. After coming back to the south side I just barely noticed that the recently constructed shelter/kiosk thingy actually had information on it now. It sat bare for months but as I got closer I immediately recognized the familiar Three Rivers Park District logo! I am an avid fan of these parks as they are all well maintained, clean, and have great hiking & biking trails. I couldn't believe it, the park must have been sold by the city, or maybe now it will just be staffed and maintained by Three Rivers while still owned by the city. 
It's anybody's guess at this point as I've found no information online about the new ownership. I do like new the full-color overhead map of the park along with info on other local bike trails. My very first thoughts were hopeful thinking that Palmer Lake will finally receive the attention and stewardship that it deserves. Hopefully this comes in the way of more frequent cleaning and better trash facilities. When I kayaked up Shingle Creek you wouldn't believe the amount of plastic bottles just stuck along the banks. Later near my favorite spot at the lake overlook the Milkweeds had enormous clusters of pink flowers that sort of resemble fireworks. They have very unique and intricate petal designs that are easily overlooked because of their small size.
The butterfly you show IS a Viceroy. The line across the hindwings is faint, but more importantly, if you compare it to a Monarch, the "loop" shaped vein patterns on both front and hindwings is open, where it is definitely a closed loop on the Monarch on both front and hind wings. But you're right; that one was a difficult call!
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