for quite some time now, we have been talking about getting out and seeing more of tennessee. we have lived here for 15 years and it is surprising just how little we have explored around us. we have been all around warner park on the trails by ourselves and as part of guided walks but there is so much more to see. today we took a trip over to shelby bottoms nature center so that we could walk the trails on the greenway.
first thing you need to know, we didn’t go very far-just under 10 miles from the house, right across the river from down town nashville.
the view of the downtown area from the shelby avenue bridge
we parked by the nature center so that we could pick up the trail and start our adventure. if you look closely at the roof, it looks like it is covered with weeds. actually, this building has a green roof and those plants were put there intentionally to prevent runoff.
button bush with a butterfly
natural wetlands
blackberries
virginia creeper
very interesting
the walkway, many parts were shaded by trees
what we crossed over on that walkway
passion flowers
when walking with darry, you are bound to find mushrooms. these are wood ears. don’t they look lovely with all of that poison ivy?
a big conch mushroom on the biggest tree i have seen in a while
we were on a little look out taking in the view of the river when darry spotted a nest with eggs below us.
the view across the river
and up the river
the walk back to the nature center
we took a detour on the cotton wood trail, it is a primitive trail-no asphalt, just dirt. we saw some native phlox.
and lots more mushrooms
the threat of rain had us heading back to the car
interesting
and the view of down town as we headed back home after our short adventure.
will garden for cake 