First Post of the Day
Last summer, I thought it would be fun to take a year of monthly photos of our park. I planned to take several photos on the third day of every month and then at the end of twelve months, put them together and see how the park had changed over a year's worth of time.
The park is a very short walk from our home - it's across the street and past two neighbor's homes. It has a lake that is full of turtles, fish, waterfowl, and muskrats, and is visited by bald eagles, osprey, cormorants, great blue herons, green herons (a favorite of mine; they remind me of Muppets), and more. Coyotes are known to hunt in the park as well as great horned owls and foxes.
I love living so close to the park and Craig and I walk the dogs there almost every day. It's a highlight of the day for the dogs, too.
Here are the results of that photo project.
July 3, 2025
The western edge of the park. There's a creek in that dip in front of the pine trees. We play frisbee a lot right here.
My goal was to take a picture of the lake each month and then one of the frisbee field. I didn't always get those pics, but I sure tried.
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August 3, 2025
Taken from the pavilion (it was August, and it was HOT), the lake, the fountains, and what we call "crop circles." Those are caused by.... I think it's an underground fungus that grows in a circular pattern and ends up adding nutrients to the soil, hence the circle of green.
Looking west at the creek, again from the pavilion.
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September 3, 2025
Generally, September is very hot and dry in Indiana. The grass is starting to show its dryness and isn't as vibrantly green as it usually is.
A southwest view of the creek's beginning and the foliage that lines its edges. That foliage is beginning to dry out, too.
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October 3, 2025
From the pavilion. The fountains are still on and we've had some rain. The tops of the trees in the background are showing some Fall color.
Still very warm outside but the leaves are clearly fading and losing their green.
The native plants along the creek are dying and turning brown.
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November 3, 2025
The fountains are still on, and the Fall foliage is in full swing.
The native plants are all brown and dry. And just who is that cute doggy in the window picture?
The frisbee field grasses no longer need mowing and are drying out for the winter, too.
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December 3, 2025
Hello, Winter! And it's only December 3rd. This photo was taken from my car - there was so much ice that I didn't dare get out and try to walk into the park. Besides, my walker would need skis instead of wheels!
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January 3, 2026
Happy New Year! That first snow has melted off so I was able to roll down to the park and take my shots. The fountains were turned off as soon as the temperatures dropped below freezing. There is ice on the lake with an open channel in the middle.
Dead foliage along the banks and by the pavilion, dead crunchy grass,
and a light snow that stuck to the frozen mulch on the playground. Walks with the dogs are very short and cautious - neither Craig nor I want to fall on the ice.
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February 3, 2026
More snow and ice. And although the walking paths are cleared,
I can't get my walker over that snow piled up at the curb to enter the park. So, another photo from the car this month.
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March 3, 2026
Bleak, chilly, and foggy. The start of Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it.
The grass is dead and dry, and if you look closely, geese are gathering on the open water on the lake. A harbinger of Spring for sure.
The frisbee field is dead and dry, too, no leaves on the trees, and the only green is in the bank of pine trees on the other side of the creek.
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April 3, 2026
What a change in the frisbee field! Happy, happy dogs to have soft green grass to play and roll around in. And those trees are in bloom!
There is also a light green haze on the trees - leaves are beginning to bud! And the native vegetation is showing some signs of life, too. Spring has arrived in the park at last.
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May 3, 2026
Frisbee playing is a daily routine once again. The grass is back to its normal green, and the native plants, always a bit slower to recover from Winter, are growing and visable.
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June 3, 2026
With the threat of freezing temperatures over, the fountains have been turned back on and the lake looks beautiful.
If you are at the park at just the right time and in the right place, there is a daily rainbow that can be seen on sunny days.
Summer has begun and all is green and growing. Although it is getting hot.
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July 3, 2026
A year at the park has come full circle. Summer is in full swing and it is hot so we always spend time cooling off in the pavilion when playing frisbee with Pepper and Tammo.
Not that they mind - while they love to chase those frisbees, the heat and humidity can be very oppressive.
That was a fun project for me to do and I might repeat it again for another year. While I live here and see the park all the time, I was surprised at some of the changes I could see when I looked at it from a monthly perspective rather than a daily one.
So, I've got a reminder on my phone and will start again in just a few days. I may even post the photos monthly and then gather them for an annual post like this one, too.
Stay 'tooned!
