The Last Day Of Summer At The PPL Wetlands
It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the Summer solstice and the first day of Summer. As always, for me anyway, both Spring and Summer seem to pass way too quickly. I love the life they bring and I enjoy experiencing it everyday. The cold, dark and lifeless months of late Fall and Winter seem to linger much longer than the warm months.. I decided to spend the last day of Summer at one of my favorite places, the PPL Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County. 
Most of the vegetation is still green. And the ponds and canals are still covered in a coat of green duckweed. However, there are some colors starting to appear. As usual the red maple trees start to show their red colors early in the Fall.
The winter berry trees also are providing some color with their brilliant red berries. 
The autumn olive berries, not as brilliant, also provide some Fall colors to the landscape of the woodlands. 
The sounds of the wetlands have considerably diminished. No more frogs, cicadas and beautiful singing of the song birds. A few crickets, sparrows and the plaintive cries of the catbird could still be heard. And the cries of the wood ducks as they flew away as I approached. I did see a few water birds including this great blue heron perched high on a tree top.
This green heron was perched on a log near the water. Both herons were looking for the same thing, a nice fish or frog for an early Sunday morning meal. 
Sitting in the exact spot I saw it last week was the muskrat. He/she was still stuffing its face with the duckweed growing on the pond. This time it wasn’t interested in letting me watch it eat. It jumped into the warm waters as soon as it saw me approach. 
I continued on through the wetlands passing some of the beautiful blue cardinal flowers and
wild asters growing along the trails. 
I left the wetlands and, as I walked along Lake Took-A-While an osprey flew
overhead.
I haven’t seen one at the lake this summer and I think it was one migrating south. 
There was also a king fisher fluttering over the lake and I was able to photograph it when it rested in a tree branch
.
The milkweed growing long the trail attracted a host of colorful milkweed bugs feeding on the pods. 
On my way back to my car in the wetland area of the nature preserve I was delighted to find this perfect chicken mushroom growing along the trail.
Once again my favorite season has come to an end. But the next few weeks will be colorful here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, as the trees put on their beautiful Fall display, always an enchanting experience Here is a link to a gallery with some more photographs from my hike. PPL Wetlands hike September 22 2019
“To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall.” – Ann Patchett
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