#shawnee national forest

[wandering-jana]

Aralia spinosa (I think?)

Lake Glendale, Shawnee National Forest

Illinois, Sept. 2023

[vintagecamping]

Heading into the Shawnee National Forest for some fall camping.

Illinois

1988

[ausetkmt]

Sandy Cove in Millers Grove Illlinois is a unknown unless YOU Know.

Shawnee Nat Forest is clearly one of the routes north on the UGR. Freedmen still goin there today celebrating with their relatives.

[weirdhoneyy333]

mushroom hunting in illinois

[shawneeforestcabins]

Shawnee Forest Cabins

Enjoy the perfect getaway at our private cabins in southern Illinois while you explore the Shawnee National Forest. Our spotless lodgings south of Illinois are in an ideal location, close to Rim Rock, Pounds Hollow, and the magnificent Garden of the Gods. Unmatched in popularity, Shawnee Forest Cabin rentals in Illinois are the go-to option for tourists looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in this beautiful place. After a day of adventuring through the stunning environment, relax in our rejuvenating hot tubs while losing yourself in nature. You can have them all, be it an exceptional adventure or romantic getaways in Illinois, at Shawnee Forest Cabins.

[fortheloveofwanderlustblog]

Monthly Recap: August 2024

I cannot believe how quickly this year is flying by. I know that people say this all the time so it feels like a cliche, but holy cow it’s crazy how much faster time goes every single year. August has been a full month. I’ve traveled in a lot of different styles this month: a girls trip, a kid-free trip, a father/daughter (plus my kids) hiking trip and ending on a big family trip (the Wunders…

[thewhistlingoak]

Shawnee National Forest Trails!

Curious about the best trails in Shawnee National Forest? 🍂 We're spilling the beans on our top 19 picks, from the serene Pomona Natural Bridge to the awe-inspiring Inspiration Point Trail. Pack your hiking boots and let's discover the beauty of Illinois! 🌳 #ShawneeAdventures #TrailBlazers

https://thewhistlingoak.com/shawnee-national-forest-trails/

[woodlandcabins]

Where To Stay In Shawnee National Forest

If you are searching for where to stay in Shawnee National Forest, you should consider woodland cabins; they offer the perfect retreat for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Nestled within the breathtaking beauty of the forest, these cabins provide a serene and peaceful environment for a truly unforgettable stay. Constructed with locally sourced materials, the cabins exude a homely charm while still providing modern amenities for your comfort. From cozy fireplaces to fully equipped kitchens, you will find everything you need for a relaxing and enjoyable stay. Book woodland cabins now.

[csny]

the beautiys of illinois

majestic waterfalls of the north fork of the chicago river

the perilous scraggly peaks of rockford

city state of chicago, viewed from the placid waters of lake michigan

illinois beach state park sand dunes

the joyously colorful rolling hills of terre haute

shawnee national forest

lower wacker drive

the state’s great capital, springfield

the rambling eastern border along the mississippi river

paul bunyan statue

[wandering-jana]

Garden of the Gods

Shawnee National Forest, Illinois

Sept. 2023

[reasonsforhope]

"On a freezing cold Wednesday afternoon in eastern Kentucky, Taysha DeVaughan joined a small gathering at the foot of a reclaimed strip mine to celebrate a homecoming. “It’s a return of an ancestor,” DeVaughan said. “It’s a return of a relative.”

That relative was the land they stood on, part of a tract slated for a federal penitentiary that many in the crowd consider another injustice in a region riddled with them. The mine shut down years ago, but the site, near the town of Roxana, still bears the scars of extraction.

DeVaughan, an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, joined some two dozen people on January 22 to celebrate the Appalachian Rekindling Project buying 63 acres within the prison’s footprint.

“What we’re here to do is to protect her and to give her a voice,” DeVaughan said. “She’s been through mountaintop removal. She’s been blown up, she’s been scraped up, she’s been hurt.”

The Appalachian Rekindling Project, which she helped found last year, wants to rewild the site with bison and native flora and fauna, open it to intertribal gatherings, and, it hopes, stop the prison.

The environmental justice organization worked with a coalition of local nonprofits, including Build Community Not Prisons and the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, to raise $160,000 to buy the plot from a family who owned the land generationally.

Retired truck driver Wayne Whitaker, who owns neighboring land and had considered purchasing it as a hunting ground, told Grist he was supportive. “There’s nothing positive we’ll get out of this prison,” he said.

The penitentiary has been a gleam in the eye of state and local officials and the Bureau of Prisons since 2006. It has always sparked sharp divisions in Roxana and beyond and was killed in 2019 after a series of lawsuits, only to be quietly resurrected in 2022. Last fall, the bureau took the final step in its approval process, clearing the way to begin buying land...

In his book Coal, Cages, Crisis, Schept noted that mine sites are considered ideal locations for prisons or a dumping ground for waste, rather than places of ecological value, as some biologists have argued. The Roxana site has been reclaimed, meaning re-vegetated with a forest that now shelters a number of rare species, including endangered bats.

Opponents argue that a prison will bring more environmental problems than jobs. Letcher County was 1 of 13 counties ravaged by catastrophic flooding in 2022, a situation exacerbated by damage strip mining caused to local watersheds. The prison slated for Roxana will exacerbate the problem.

The Bureau of Prisons estimates it will damage 6,290 feet of streams and about 2 acres of wetlands. (The agency has promised to compensate the state.)

DeVaughan said the purchase also is a step toward rectifying the dispossession that began with the forced removal and genocide of Indigenous peoples. The Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi made their homes in the area before, during, and after colonization, and their thriving nations raised crops, ran businesses, and hunted bison that once roamed Appalachia.

In all the time since, coal, timber, gas, and landholding companies have at times owned almost half of the land in 80 counties stretching from West Virginia to Alabama. Several prisons sprang from deals made with coal companies, something many locals consider the continuation of this status quo.

Changing that dynamic is a priority for the Appalachian Rekindling Project, which hoped to buy more land to protect it from extractive industries and return its stewardship to Indigenous and local communities. DeVaughn said Indigenous peoples throughout the region will be welcome to use the land as a gathering place...

DeVaughan sees its work establishing a new vision of economic transition for coalfields, one that relies less on “dollars and numbers” and more on “healing and restoration” of the land and the Indigenous and other communities that live there.

She is working with some personal connections in the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations to acquire a herd of bison and plans to work with local volunteers, scientists, and students to inventory the site’s flora and fauna."

-via GoodGoodGood, February 6, 2025

[breelandwalker]

Worm Moon - March 13-14 2025

The world is thawing and spring will soon be sprung. Dust off your garden tools and get ready for the Worm Moon!

Worm Moon

The Worm Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs in the month of March in the Northern Hemisphere. Most sources claim this name is taken from the renewed visible presence of vermicast (worm droppings) and earthworms themselves, as the spring thaw allows them to emerge from the soil.

There is a possible alternative explanation, involving a colonial explorer's notes about the Naudowessie (Dakota) observation of emerging worm-like beetle larvae from the bark of trees. "Every month has with them a name expressive of its season; for instance, they call the month of March (in which their year generally begins at the first New Moon after the vernal Equinox) the Worm Month or Moon; because at this time the worms quit their retreats in the bark of the trees, wood, &c. where they have sheltered themselves during the winter." (It's entirely possible that this "worm" in this instance is a mistranslation of an indigenous word for "larva," since it refers to the larval state of certain beetles. Without knowing whether the language in question makes a distinction between larval worms and earthworms, it's impossible to tell, and I was unable to find further sources.)

Other North American Indigenous names for this moon include Goose Moon (Algonquin and Cree) and Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), in reference to the reappearance of migratory birds, and Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) and Sap Moon (Shawnee), in reference to the season in which the maple sap begins to run and can be tapped for the production of maple syrup.

Fun Fact: The term "Worm Moon" only occurs in southerly indigenous nations. The March moon is commonly named for trees or birds in more northerly areas of North America because in those places, the native species of earthworms went extinct during the period when glaciers covered that portion of the continent. About 12,000 years ago when the glaciers receded, the forest grew back without earthworms. The species which now inhabit those areas are invasive or introduced specimens originating from Europe and Asia.

The March moon, if it occurs prior to the spring equinox, is also the Lenten Moon, named for the Christian holiday of Lent. If it occurs after the equinox, it is called the Paschal Full Moon, corresponding with the Christian holiday of Easter, or Paschal Sunday (This year's Worm Moon will occur the week before the equinox and Easter Sunday will be in April.)

This year's Worm Moon will also feature a lunar eclipse, the only one we'll see this year. The peak of the full moon will occur at 2:55am EST on March 14th, but the moon will appear to be full and the eclipse should be visible on the night of the 13th. Check the Dark Sky Place Finder for visibility conditions in your area and livestreams of the event.

What Does It Mean For Witches?

Full moons are both the beginning and end of the lunar cycle. With the Worm Moon, we can look forward to the beginning of spring and the yearly harvest cycle. So now is the perfect time for seasonal divination, plans for the coming months, and the setting of goals for the future, both short-term and long-term. You can also check in with goals you may have set back in January and record your progress. (Remember - even a little progress is still progress!)

Consider also how you can change or begin new routines and habits to improve your life, make better choices, streamline your schedule, or just give yourself a much-needed break. If there’s something hanging around that no longer serves you, now is the time to consider bidding it adieu and moving forward to a new path.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

The Worm Moon heralds the imminent start of the planting season. If you’ve got green fingers, now is the time to begin planning your garden for the season. Prepare your sprouting trays and browse your favorite seed catalog for inspiration.

It’s also time for that all-important spring cleaning, so open up those windows on a warm day and air out all the staleness from winter. As you scrub and dust and declutter, you can also magically cleanse your space of stagnant, disruptive, or unwanted things, replacing them with your own energy and your good wishes and goals for the upcoming season.

This is also an excellent time for spells focused on fertility, optimism, and new growth. It’s important to remember that fertility spells don’t just have to focus on procreation. They can also be geared toward planting, creating, opportunity, inspiration, motivation, prosperity, abundance, and anything that requires nurturing and productivity.

As the land begins to turn toward springtime, even if the weather is still cold, take note of the changes in the flora and fauna in your area. What species can you identify? How are the animals acting? Is there anything new that you notice since last year? Tracking these changes can help you connect with your local biome and identify patterns that can help you draw forecasts for the weather, the coming crop cycle, and any personal omens you have which are connected to nature. Try this knowledge-building exercise as part of your study - Dig Through The Ditches.

Since there is a lunar eclipse set to occur, this is also an optimal time for not only the usual fulfillment and abundance magic associated with the full moon, but for any magic meant to yeet something into the all-devouring void with all your might. Contrary to certain schools of belief, eclipses do not automatically negate magical workings done on the date they occur and there are ways of employing that energy to useful purpose. Picture the earth's shadow moving over the moon like a giant cosmic disposal bin which carries away anything thrown into it to be released into the void of space.

As always, for best results, make sure you are focused and specific with your intentions and close loopholes in your wording. Remember that YOU are the most important component in your spell, since you're the one providing the impetus and the energy and telling the magic what to do. Don't be afraid to clear and emphatic!

Recall also that in any environment, there comes a time when progress cannot occur until harmful elements are removed, stagnation is released, and detritus is returned to a state where it can decay and benefit new growth. Do with this what you will.

The season of greening and renewal is upon us, so it’s time to Ready, Set, GROW!

Happy Worm Moon, witches! 🌕🌱

Further Reading:

Worm Moon: Full Moon for March 2025, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Worm Moon: The Stunning Full Moon of March 2025, The Peculiar Brunette.

Witchcraft Exercise - Dig Through The Ditches, Bree NicGarran.

Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America, in the Years 1766, 1767 and 1768, Capt. Jonathan Carver, London, 1781. (Text available on Project Gutenberg)

Total Lunar Eclipse March 2025, Space.com.

Easter and the Paschal Full Moon: Determining the Date of Easter, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[lost-boy-into-the-upper-heavenly]

Garden of the Gods (Herod)This is the sort of place that doesn't even seem like it is Illinois, these bluffs give you a panoramic view of the Shawnee National Forest. 🇺🇸

[highways-are-liminal-spaces]

Masterpost of Trip Photography Tags

Iceland (January 2019)

Paris, France --> Gavarnie, France --> Spanish Pyrenees

Seattle --> Juneau --> Glacier Bay --> Skagway --> Ketchikan

Iceland (January 2020)

Anchorage --> Deadhorse --> Denali --> Homer

Chicago --> Grand Canyon --> Denver --> Chicago

Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Everglades)

Chicago --> Badlands --> Yellowstone --> Denver --> Chicago

Vermont --> Upper Peninsula --> Superior National Forest

Chicago --> Platte River, Nebraska

Chicago --> Mammoth Cave National Park

Oslo --> Tromsø --> Svalbard --> Greenland --> Svalbard

Boston --> Quebec City --> Toronto (Pearl Jam)

Chicago --> Juneau, Alaska

Juneau --> Deadhorse --> Anchorage --> Yakutat --> Juneau

Juneau --> Chicago

Florida (Disney World)

Minneapolis --> Superior National Forest --> Minneapolis

Estonia --> Stockholm --> Copenhagen

Chicago --> Shawnee National Forest --> Cairo, IL

Chicago --> Missoula, MT --> Indianapolis --> Chicago --> Philadelphia --> Baltimore --> Boston (Pearl Jam)

Chicago --> Thombson, MB --> Churchill, MB --> Chicago

Tblisi, Georgia --> Istanbul, Türkiye

[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.

[herpsandbirds]

Western Mud Snake (Farancia abacura reinwardtii), family Colubridae, Shawnee National Forest, Illinois, USA

This gorgeous nocturnal aquatic snake feeds on aquatic salamanders, like sirens and amphiumas, which it pins down with its sharp pointed tail.

photograph by John Sullivan