Skaneateles Conservation Areas

2012-01-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

Lack of snow has been the talk this month. Plenty wet enough, but one doesn't expect muddy trails in January. Lots of water going over the falls.

2012-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely sunny winter day to be outside. The animal traffic out at the Mable Reynolds Nature area was abundant. The 3-4 inches of snow provided just the right palette for recording their wanderings through the area.

2012-01-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

We went for a very icy walk along the Bob Sykes trail up the side of the hill yesterday. The rain earlier this week had turned into solid ice in places and crunchy ice in other places.

2012-01-16T14:20:00.001-08:00

A very snowy gully at Guppy Farm.

2012-01-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

This shot is from our walk on Sunday. A great day to be outside. We went up the red trail at the O'Loughlin property and speculated about all of the stonewalls on the face of the hill.

2012-01-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

The weak sun shone as we walked up the red trail on the O'Loughlin property. We saw these tracks in the snow.

2012-01-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

We walked through the Guppy Farm today. The falls were crashing down. The trails were a tad muddy. Winter will come. White snow clinging to the moss on downed trees gave some color to the forest floor.

2011-12-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

I love finding the evidence of the other users of the conservation areas.

2011-12-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Needed to walk today to work off some of the holiday cheer. We went to the Mabel Reynolds and were pleasantly surprised to see a new parking lot right off of Benson Road. Although we had some snow last night the ground was quite soft and wet underneath. Saw many rob=ins and cedar waxwings in the trees on the east side.

A Merry Christmas to all.

2011-12-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

Last night's temperature was in the low twenties which made all of the paths crunchy to walk on today. We saw ice in some areas.

2011-12-17T13:51:00.001-08:00

Another walk in the woods today. We noticed tree damage from the winds of Thursday night at Guppy area. A light dusting of snow certainly makes it feel and look more like December. There was a hunter walking in as we left. I believe rabbit and squirrel season never close.

This picture was taken in the same spot and time of day as the one on Dec. 15th.

2011-12-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Gray December days. It starts getting dark about 4:00. Lots of mud on the trails and branches down from last night's rain.

2011-12-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

Gun season for deer is done! It was nice to get out and walk in the woods again. Lots of green on the forest floor from ferns and moss.

2011-10-17T14:52:00.001-07:00

Lovely afternoon walking through the woods. I spotted this witch hazel on the side of the O'Loughlin trail. As I was leaving a bow hunter was walking in. He said bow season started last weekend. I want all those who use the properties to know hunting is permitted and to proceed with caution.

2011-10-12T14:58:00.001-07:00

Glorious fall colors along the Bob Sykes trail. These past few days just can't be beat!

2011-10-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

This must be the year of the fungi! So many varieties from the abundant moisture of late. I think these are spindle coral. They are located along the trail to the Guppy Falls.

2011-09-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Delightful day for a walk: the bugs of summer have left and the colors are great.

2011-09-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

The spice bushes that grow on the west facing slope above the pond on the east side of Gully Road make a pretty picture with their bright red fruit. Heard hawks circling above calling to each other but never got a good look at them.

2011-09-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

Late summer goldenrods are blooming all over. I thought it would be easy to identify this one since the flowers clung to the stems, not a plume like flower. Not a chance, there are many like this. Next time I will bring the guide book with me.

2011-09-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

The amount of fungi brings so much color to the forest floor and dead branches. This one was waist high.

2011-09-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

All of the wet weather of late has created a plethora of fungi. We saw tan, red, white and these yellow fungi at Guppy Falls.

2011-08-26T14:04:00.001-07:00

Very quiet today at Guppy. So many fungi growing on the forest floor. I saw a few giant puffballs.

This one was near a trail.

2011-08-24T13:25:00.001-07:00

Lovely blackberries growing along the trail.

2011-08-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

The wildflowers along the boardwalk on the Bob Sykes trail are abundant at the moment. I saw great lobelia, cardinal flower, jewel weed, golden rod, joe pye weed, purple loosestrife and this turtle head.

2011-08-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

At the O'Loughlin property there are lots of great lobelia blooming. You can find it near the bridge and going up the hill to the left.

2011-08-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

The rains have brought out more mosquitoes along the trail. Almost stepped on this treasure today.

2011-07-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Saw this amazing dragonfly along the Guppy Trail.

2011-07-14T13:43:00.001-07:00

Whew, the deer flies were fierce today. Saw this fungus on a log close to the Bob Sykes trail.

2011-07-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

Nice walk after dinner last night along the Guppy Trail. Just us and the deer flies. Water levels are low. Lots of Indian Pipes along the trail.

2011-07-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

From the bridge on the O'Loughlin trail, all of the spring's rain has turned into a lush landscape.

2011-06-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

The frogs were croaking away as we walked along the east side of the Gully Road pond. We also noticed the remains of turtle eggs on the east side of the pond. The holes looked quite fresh. This little red eft skittered across the path as we headed up the O'Loughlin trail.

2011-06-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sure have seen a lot of these millipedes this year.

2011-06-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

We walked the O'Loughlin property today and the deer flies were very fierce. Stopped awhile to watch the damsel flies jump from leaf to leaf.

2011-06-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

A cool place for a hot day: the stream well above Guppy Falls.

2011-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

Found two of these eggs near the Bob Sykes trail before the picnic table. Turkey? A duck? I'm not sure. They were comparable to extra large size chicken eggs.

2011-05-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

The trails are muddy and wet. The greens are intense. No bugs. Little patches of sun illuminate delicate scenes.

2011-05-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Lots to look at on the trails yesterday. All of the water has made this spring's growth very lush. We saw many snails on skunk cabbage leaves.

Violets of Guppy

2011-05-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

A great day for viewing the violets growing along the Guppy Farm Trail.

2011-05-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

Wake robins right next to the Bob Sykes trail on Gully Road. Very wet up the hill still from the rain of last week.

2011-04-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

A quick walk on the O'Loughlin trails today showed us these spring beauties.

2011-04-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday I heard one lone frog calling compared today's cacophony of peepers. Yesterday I saw hepatica leaves and today there were flowers. Coltsfoot were blooming and even a snake came out to enjoy the warmth. Great day for a spring hike!

2011-04-08T16:11:00.001-07:00

Spring is slowly unraveling the green.

2011-04-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

We went walking at the Reynolds Nature Preserve today. Looks like a parking lot is being worked on. Right now parking is along Reynolds Road. Lots of leeks coming up in the woodlot at the northeast corner of the property. On either side of Reynolds Road we saw these huge excavations possibly made by a pileated woodpecker. Yes, that is my knee on the side of the smaller one to give some scale.

2011-03-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

The greens of spring: moss and wild leeks.

2011-03-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

Two steps forwards and one step back. Spring can be so unpredictable.

2011-03-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

The first flowers of the spring are surrounded by lots of mud! If you go walking beware of the mud although it should not deter you!

2011-03-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, the red wing blackbirds and robins are back. The migrating geese have taken up residence in various bodies of water whether in farm fields or run off from snow melt. But the truest sign of spring is the skunk cabbage ! Happy St. Pats!

2011-03-16T14:01:00.001-07:00

This must be the Dalmatian time of year with the snow spotting the hillsides and forest floors.

2011-03-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

Textures in the woods can be heightened by the snow.

2011-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

The water was really rushing down the Guppy stream today. Lots of places of standing and moving water under the snow.

2011-03-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

The wind had picked up this afternoon which meant walking in the woods was very creaky. The sound of the trees moving is spooky.

2011-02-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

We walked the O'Loughlin trail over to the Bob Sykes trail today. Saw this little insect land in the snow in front of me on the trail. I have noticed them before on days where we break 32 degrees. On our way back to the parking lot hard and then saw a pair of pileated woodpeckers.

2011-02-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

Beautiful day to be outside, the sky couldn't be clearer. The Guppy Farm was very quiet although I met a man named Brian who had something to do with the original acquisition of the property. He had snowshoed over from Baltimore Woods after acquiring the permission from the land owners in between Baltimore Woods and the Skaneateles Conservation Areas.

2011-02-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

We went walking at the Mable Reynolds Nature Preserve. In most spots, it was very easy although snowshoes would've helped in a few places. The evidence of deer is just amazing there. Many apple trees had been nibbled and then we saw where this bark had also been chewed off. Deer? Don't know.

2011-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

So much snow, but still great to get out in it at the Federal Farm.

2011-02-11T13:46:00.001-08:00

It felt like the Adirondaks at the Guppy Farm today walking up to the waterfall. Falls are completely covered.

2011-02-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

What a snow filled winter it has been. It couldn't be prettier in the woods. Get out and enjoy. Even the 12 degree temp doesn't feel that bad when you're seeing such beauty.

2011-01-30T16:37:00.000-08:00

So nice walking in the woods today. With the fresh coat of snow every day, all looks so clean and pristine. We even had a bit of sun!

2011-01-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Two snowmen stood as sentinels flanking a trail at Guppy Farm. I don't know who created them.

2011-01-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went walking at the O'loughlin property and saw this little nest hanging from a branch. Any ideas of what species built this? It was small, no larger than an orange.

2011-01-21T18:33:00.001-08:00

Cold. but beautiful today snowshoeing.

2011-01-17T17:13:00.001-08:00

So many people are using the trail that it is a great path just to walk on wether at the Bob Syke's trail or the O'Loughlin property. We took two dogs there just as the moon was coming up about 4:30 today.

2011-01-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

The snow becomes sculptural when deep. Looking from the bridge on the Syke's trail.

2011-01-13T14:08:00.001-08:00

The woods were incredibly beautiful...Mother Nature surely has been generous with snow. Heard a few birds, at the O'Loughlin property but saw no other evidence of animals.

2011-01-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

Chipmunk prints? Very tiny.

2011-01-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Not easy walking today as the snow had hardened up considerably after the warm temperature and rain of yesterday followed by freezing temperatures last night. The ground was quite muddy in the areas free of snow. Happy New Year to all!

2010-12-31T13:36:00.000-08:00

What a day to be outside....sun and above 40! Snow was melting and out at Mable Reynolds there were an amazing amount of animal tracks ranging from large ones to these small ones. Happy New Year to all!

2010-12-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas vacation is great. I can walk the trails before it is getting dark. We saw signs of a squirrel hunter today at Guppy Farm. People do hunt this area all year round. The waterfall in winter.

2010-12-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

We found lots of flocks of robins today scattered around pockets of water seeping up in spots on the O'Loghlin hillside. They and the deer had been scratching in the wet leaves in these areas.

2010-12-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

Finally had time today to get back on conservation area lands. Although I've been told not to worry about hunters on the properties I avoid walking in the woods during deer season.

The snow had been packed down in a nice walking trail by snowshoes at the O'Loughlin property. The big hemlocks blocked some of the wind we would've felt walking up on the west facing ridge at the federal farm. Much rabbit activity was noted under rose and berry bushes. Nice to be in the woods again.

2010-10-27T13:34:00.001-07:00

Still learning about ferns. This one is a wood fern. It stays green most of the winter and grows in a vase-like clump.

2010-10-15T13:53:00.001-07:00

I love coming up to Guppy Falls on a rainy day to look at the waterfall.

2010-10-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a bunch of workers from the conservation area committee helped to cut down invasive species such as buckthorn, daphne, and honeysuckle. We also rerouted the trail around the fallen tree on the trail up to Guppy Falls. Also on the trail are these witch hazels blooming now.

2010-10-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

After the rail, the water is running quite well. This picnic table was built by the YCIP students from LaFayette this summer. Grab your cider and apples: this is a beautiful spot for a fall picnic.

2010-10-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

We drove up to the Reynolds Nature Preserve as Greg and Dave were leaving. They had just mapped out a new trail which loops through the eastern part of the property. You can follow the old tractor trail all the way to the east and then the newly scoped out trail turns to the north and loops around. A great walk and could be a great place to cross-country ski in the winter. Hopefully some volunteers will be cutting the trail in the near future.

As we walked in there were many apple trees we walked by. The one that caught our eye was the crab apple with the gorgeous eye popping red apples.

Just a reminder to all who use the conservation lands that bow season starts on Oct. 16th.

2010-09-28T13:40:00.001-07:00

Fall and spring are probably my favorites for walking through the woods. The colors are ever-changing and small things can be stunning.

2010-09-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

The trails are crunchy with fallen dry leaves today. Virginia creeper is providing the best reds in the wood at the moment.

2010-09-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

We walked through the fields at the Federal Farm today and were treated to golden rod and asters which came up to our shoulders. The honey bees were busy but the monarch butterflies stole the show.

2010-09-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

The woods are taking on autumnal smells. Quite a bit of color around due to late summer blooming flowers. One is the white snakeroot. The little flowers look like small explosions.

2010-09-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

It was looking like the beginnings of fall today up at the Federal Farm. The hawthorne fruit was a beautiful color of red orange.

2010-09-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

The boardwalk across the wetlands on the Bob Sykes trail were alive with these dragonflies today. If you stopped they would come rather close allowing me to take a picture.

2010-09-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Saw these giant puff balls at the Guppy Farm last week when I didn't have my camera with me. I was happy to find another today. My car keys are in the foreground for scale.

2010-08-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

The grasshoppers crossed the walkway on the Bob Sykes Trail before me today. At the far edge are a number of great lobelia's in bloom.

On a more disturbing note, someone felt the need to cut the lock off the chain at the entrance to the Federal Farm and drive in. If someone witnesses vandalism please call the county sheriff, Janet Aaron, the town clerk or notify me. Too many people have put in time to create and maintain these beautiful areas to allow vandalism occur unnoticed.

2010-08-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

Always something to look at- even if it is small.

2010-08-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

After the rain, the fungi come out. This one is spindle coral, I think.

2010-08-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many wooden structures that have been built due to the generosity of Bob Sykes. He has milled the wood and donated it the town to build many bridges, walkways and tables on town conservation lands. Tonight he will be honored by the Skaneateles Town Board for this gift.

2010-08-18T13:45:00.001-07:00

Back from vacation and the deer flies are gone...what a treat! The slug was having a meal on the fungi.

2010-07-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

After the rains of Friday, the fungi are really blooming. What color!

2010-07-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken on Friday during WelchAllyn's Community Day. These are some of the wonderful volunteers who braved the inclement conditions to take care of the conservation area lands. Thanks to all and especially to Jim Colvin who organized this project with Bill Pavlus.

2010-07-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

This family of geese were enjoying the higher water levels due to the rain last night. Wet and slippery walking on the trails. The bridge at the O'Loughlin property looked great after being repaired by our friends from WelchAllyn!

2010-07-24T15:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, many people from WelchAllyn worked hard helping out the conservation areas by trimming, weed whacking, and replacing boards on a vandalized bridge. Their help was tremendous especially considering the downpour they worked through. The work crew was led by Bill Pavlus and Dick Marx who spend countless hours making the conservation areas an amazing resource for all, Our heart felt thanks go out to all the workers!

Some ferns look so much alike that identification has been hard for me. I believe this picture is a Hay scented fern. The clue to the identification were the little nest shaped sori on the underside of he frond.

2010-07-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with ferns, I spotted these Maidenhair ferns along the cliff trial at Guppy Farm today. Another easy fern to identify due to its unique shape.

Also wanted to mention for all those people who like to hike, the meadows near the woods at the Camillus Unique Area off Thompson Road are awash with wildflowers. Hiked there yesterday and was amazed at the beauty of these fields. Saw many kinds of rudebekia, poppies, queen anne's lace, and coreopsis. Definitely worth a visit.

2010-07-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is what the fishing derby is all about.

2010-06-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Fern of the day is the Christmas Fern. Good way to remember this one is that each individual leaflets look like a Christmas stocking. It is also green all year round which makes it easy to spot.

2010-06-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Thought I would blog a bit about ferns, mostly so I could learn more about them too. The fern today is the sensitive fern one of the easiest to identify.

2010-06-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Found this painted turtle crawling across the driveway of the Federal Farm We helped him into the weeds on the side.

2010-06-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

If the deer flies didn't bother you today, the walking was fine with a lovely breeze in the cool woods. The wild leeks are nothing but a small fireworks on a stalk now.

2010-06-19T14:06:00.001-07:00

This morning 16 volunteers worked on cat tail eradication to help make it easier for our young friends at the upcoming Fishing Derby sponsored by the Skaneateles Area Advisory Committee on July 10th. Ages 4-15 are welcome to try to find the big fish that lurk in the pond. Thanks to all of the workers.

2010-06-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

The fields at the Federal Farm were a colorful carpet of wildflowers today.

2010-06-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a walk in the woods after work to help melt away the days stresses. These charming partridge berries were blooming alongside the Bob Sykes Trail.