Labor Day field trip

Today we conducted our annual Labor Day field trip at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. This year we had the largest attendance ever, 35 people. Perhaps it was the very fine weather?

The photo above shows Kathie leading the group along the Diagonal Trail across the south slope at the end of the trip.

We changed the route this year. In the past, we have gone "up" the Diagonal Trail at the start of the trip, and then finished by walking through the Valley Prairie. This year we "started" at the Valley Prairie and ended along the south slope. This latter route gets folks up onto the ridge by a more gentle route.

The Diagonal Trail is not normally open to the public. It is narrow and somewhat rutted, and requires careful attention to where you put your feet. We reserve it for special field trips, since it does give one the chance to see the little bluestem short grass prairie close up. There aren't many little bluestem prairies in southern Wisconsin, and certainly not any as large as ours.