Our adventure walk at Bluecast Springs Nature Preserve in Woodburn Indiana

 On sunny days where we have no plans my family and I like to go on long nature walks. Today it was just Emma and I at home, so we packed our backpacks and drove 30 minutes across town to a beautiful nature preserve called Bluecast Springs. This trail is 1.9 miles long and takes about 35 minutes to complete if you aren't stopping to smell the flowers or take in the gorgeous sight of the Maumee River. 

    

Walking through the tall grass we took mental notes of the smell of sweetgrass growing just off the trails and the buzzing of mosquitos and bees in our ears. Emma collected so many walnut seeds along the way, hoping to grow her own forest of trees in our backyard. We found a few bushes of mulberries, although at the time I wasn't sure what they were, so we admired their red color and paced on. 

We wandered along the many small trails this hidden gem had to offer and found ourselves along the riverside just a few minutes in. Closer to the edge is actually a little area to leave the trail to play in the shallow water around it. Emma and I were more focused on finding pretty rocks and bones for my collection rather than water play. 

One of our preschool activities has been mushroom hunting. Together Emma and I found several different species of mushroom and enjoyed their different colors and shapes. Next spring we hope to go hunting for morels. 

We ventured as far as the east trail would take us before turning around and heading back the way we came. We didn't find any bones, but we had plenty of feathers and little snail shells to add to our jar of beautiful things. Overall, it was a beautiful adventure I hope we can take again.