Day 250 - The Hagen Property on Mink Farm Road

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Wild Azalea

Yellow Magnolia

What a great way to celebrate day 250 of my daily photo walking.  Photography friend Kai Hagen invited me and a few others to take a wildflower walk on his beautiful property on Mink Farm Road in the Catoctin Mountains.  My friend Norma went with me, and we met Kai, another photo friend Don, and Robert, a local naturalist.  

We began by walking out along the pond that Kai created on his property.  The pond is fed by nearby springs.  Following the moss-covered paths along the pond and in the yard we saw wild azalea, dwarf ginseng, violets, fiddlehead ferns, and red columbine.  After circling the pond, we walked by wet dandelions glistening with dew and pink bleeding hearts, then continued through woodlands to where the stream flowed down below.  

Kai at Work

Showy Orchids

We walked down carefully down the slick slope to the stream, which we crossed several times during the course of our walk, stepping on stones that Kai had strategically placed in the water.  Along the paths, there was evidence of his years of work of lining the paths with quartz rocks from the property.

We arrived at a location where there were showy orchids and yellow lady's slippers in bloom.  They were beautiful.  

Family Outing

Bleeding Heart

More walking took us to a pond at the edge of Thorpewood, a mountain retreat that abuts the property of Kai's uncle.  The property was originally owned by Kai's grandparents, and his uncle Gordon has turned much of it into private arboretums, filled with cherry trees, magnolias, and other flowering species.  

Across the pond was a cabin that can be rented (it's in my plans) and a barn, as well as a log building.  Weeping willows graced the pond, and a pair of geese with three goslings floated on the pond.  Gardens were filled with hellebores, narcissus, Virginia bluebells, dogwoods, and both pink and white bleeding hearts.  

Pond Cottage

Yellow Lady's Slippers

We spent three and a half hours on our walk, during which I learned a lot about the mountain, the geology of the area, and the wildflowers.   Thank you, Kai, for the invitation.  I look forward to returning, and repeating the walk when I rent that cabin!

Skunk cabbage with violets

The star of the show!

Willow Reflection

Wood Betony

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Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so