#maryland parks

[aimeekb]

Find me frolicking in the woods

[pointandshooter]

photo: David Castenson

[blueskittlesart]

Opinions on Old Bay?

the best vacation i ever had was when i was eleven years old and my mother took me and my sister to one of those shitty boardwalk restaurants at ocean city where they dump a bucket of old bay crabs directly onto the table in front of you and just let you go batshit insane. that was the first time i experienced true euphoria and ive been chasing it ever since. i fucking love old bay

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Feral Foal by Sea Moss Monster Via Flickr: Wild Chincoteague Foal on Assateague Island Assateague's wild horses are well known, even to many people who have never been to the island. The "wild" horses on Assateague are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this remote, windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society. www.nps.gov/asis/learn/nature/horses.htm

[vandaliatraveler]

I finally got back into the mountains this weekend. My escape consisted of short hikes between successive waves of cold, soaking rain. Salvation nonetheless. Photos are from multiple stops along Rt 219 and its byways, including Garrett State Forest (MD), Cranesville Swamp (WV and MD), and Cathedral State Park (WV). The hawthorns are gorgeous this time of year, not to mention the second wave of spring wildflowers now coming into bloom, including fringed polygala (Polygaloides paucifolia), dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), painted trillium (Trillium undulatum). and golden ragwort (Packera aurea).

[wandering-jana]

Antietam National Battlefield after a recent snow.

Maryland

Jan. 2021

[istandonsnowpiles]

Rock Hoppers

[reasonsforhope]

"Around the capital beltway or Washington’s famous Rock Creek Park, you may see a group of people ripping up vines along the treeline beside the roads.

If you have then you’ve glimpsed superheroes who traded in their capes for gardening gloves and their time for the satisfaction of terminating an invasive species and saving a native tree.

Washington D.C’s “Weed Warriors” are a group of volunteers going back to 1999 that work for free to keep hundreds of species of invasive shrubs, vines, and climbers from taking over native ecosystems.

Among the 600 or so non-native invasive plant species found in and around our nation’s capital, some like Polygonum perfoliatum, also known as “mile-a-minute” vine, can be devastating. Suffocating trees by overgrowing the leaves in their canopy branches, mile-a-minute can kill thousands of trees every year.

Since 1999, Weed Warrior volunteers have logged over 135,000 hours of time weed whacking in Montgomery County alone. Anyone can become a Weed Warrior; the group works in units for two-hour spaces removing weeds or planting native species in their place.

These invasive species management events are led by specially-trained volunteer Weed Warrior Supervisors and/or staff from the Montgomery Parks Dept. Warriors can get certified to de-weed in their spare time, or lead events on their own. They can even have their own unique patch of ground in the D.C.-Metro area to control.

Why would anyone want to trade their free time or laboring hours away for free doing something our tax dollars are supposed to do for us? The answer is simple: it’s addicting.

“If I have any good mental health, it’s due to Weed Warrioring,” said 74-year-old area resident Barbara Francisco. “You have a sense of accomplishment.” ...

The Weed Warriors website states that non-native, invasive plant species (NNIs) can alter the complex webs of plant-animal associations that have evolved over thousands of years to such a degree that plants and animals once familiar to us are eliminated...

Anyone who feels this is something they want to contribute their time to can go to the Montgomery County Parks website here and look at the upcoming Weed Warrior events—the next one is October 21st."

-via Good News Network, October 12, 2023

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Enchanted Forest amusement park, Maryland (1950s/1960s)

[michaelwriston]

Park Heights. Baltimore, MD. 2023.

Michael Wriston / Tumblr / Flickr / Instagram / Print Sale

[unteriors]

15th Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland.

[feddy-34]

a national park for every state (2/5)*

hawai'i volcanoes national park, hawaii

craters of the moon national monument and preserve, idaho

shawnee national forest, illinois

indiana dunes national park, indiana

effigy mounds national monument, iowa

tall grass prairie national preserve, kansas

mammoth cave national park, kentucky

jean lafitte national historical park and preserve, louisiana

acadia national park, maine

assateague island national seashore, maryland

*DISCLAIMER: some states do not have national parks. instead they have national monuments, national seashores, national historical parks, etc.

[pointandshooter]

photo: David Castenson

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

Great Falls National Park, Nov 2024

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Chincoteague Family by Sea Moss Monster Via Flickr: A wild mare with her foal grazing on the Assateague Island beach Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this dramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it. The most plausible explanation is that they are the descendants of horses that were brought to barrier islands like Assateague in the late 17th century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock. www.nps.gov/asis/learn/nature/horses.htm

[libraryofva]

Recent Acquisition - Postcard Collection

Sleeping Beauty. The Enchanted Forest, Route 40, 14 Miles West of Baltimore, Maryland.