With snow already accumulating on the Sangre de Cristo mountains, fall is coming to an end at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. The cottonwoods along Medano Creek are losing their golden leaves and frost greets the morning. Soon, the tan dunes will put on their blanket of winter white. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service.
Called creepy, scary and spooky, bats often get a bad rap. These little creatures are an important species that impact our daily lives in ways we might not even realize – from pollinating our favorite fruits to eating pesky insects to inspiring medical marvels. Learn more about bats: http://on.doi.gov/bats
There’s a lot to do at Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Whether you prefer paddling Cedar Creek, roughing it on a backcountry camping trip, fishing in oxbow lake, having a picnic, joining a ranger-led “Owl Prowl” or just taking a short stroll on the boardwalk, the park is ready to welcome you. Photo by National Park Service.
It might be fall, but now is a good time to start planning your summer trip to Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone hosts over 4 million visits a year and more than half of these happen June-August. Arrive early, stay late and if you walk half a mile from your car, you’ll leave the crowds behind (in most cases). And be sure to take the #YellowstonePledge to protect this park for current and future generations. Summer photo of Trout Lake by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.
The beauty of autumn attracts large numbers of sightseers to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia. People often ask when “peak” season will occur. In a park that is nearly 470 miles long and varies over 5,000 feet in elevation, there is no simple way to predict fall color. The intensity and timing of changes are determined by complex environmental factors and the genetic makeup of the plants themselves. For those with lucky timing, the view is incredible. Photo by Philip Varney (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
Twenty miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and not far from the historic battlefields of Lexington and Concord, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge features 3,800 acres of wetlands and forests – perfect habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Over 200 species of birds have been sighted here, and white-tailed deer, beaver, fisher, otter, muskrats, red fox, weasels and various small mammals all find a home in the refuge. Photo by Deb Della Piana (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
On this day in 1781, British forces under General Charles Lord Cornwallis marched across the Yorktown Battlefield in Virginia to surrender to General George Washington, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. More than five years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Washington’s army finally achieved the decisive victory that would guarantee our nation’s future. Visit the now peaceful battlefield to learn more about this dramatic moment in our history. Photo at Colonial National Historical Park – Yorktown Battlefield by James Gramm (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
October’s falling temperatures trigger the annual migration of millions of monarch butterflies across the continent. Every fall, these lovely butterflies fly thousands of miles from as far north as Canada to overwinter in California and Mexico. When swarms of monarchs pause en route to rest and feed on nectar-bearing plants, admirers will see them blanket trees and shrubs in orange and black. Photo of a monarch butterfly chandelier in California by Joanna Gilkeson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Fall colors are popping up at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. This eastern Maine wildlife refuge is the perfect place to take in autumn’s bright reds, oranges and yellows. Where is your favorite place for fall colors? Photos by Keith Ramos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The John Day Wild and Scenic River is the longest undammed river in Oregon. Located in the eastern part of the state, the section from Service Creek to Tumwater Falls flows through a number of colorful canyons broad valleys and breathtaking terrain. It offers year-round recreation opportunities – from whitewater boating and camping to fishing and hunting, camping with snowmobiling and skiing in the winter. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, @mypubliclands
Sig Nordal 