ABOUT THE SCAVENGER HUNT
Thank you for walking the trails and doing the scavenger hunt! If you wish, email your pictures to [email protected] and we will post them on our Facebook site!
We hope you had fun on the trail, Now you'll find out what you found on the trail in the content below.
George Haun Trail
Here is the map of the Bass Lake Preserve and the George Haun Trail. The letters on this map corresponds to the actual pictures that were on the scavenger hunt page. You may have found the same plants in other locations, in fact you may have found the same plants everywhere along the trail. That's good especially if it is a native plant and not so good if it is an invasive plant. The Friends of Bass Lake are working to make the preserve free of invasive species. See below to find the explanation for each image.
Here is the map of the Bass Lake Preserve and the George Haun Trail. The letters on this map corresponds to the actual pictures that were on the scavenger hunt page. You may have found the same plants in other locations, in fact you may have found the same plants everywhere along the trail. That's good especially if it is a native plant and not so good if it is an invasive plant. The Friends of Bass Lake are working to make the preserve free of invasive species. See below to find the explanation for each image.
A. Milkweed – this native plant is the favorite food for Monarch caterpillars. If you see a black, yellow and white caterpillar, or a pretty green or gold chrysalis, a monarch butterfly is in progress! This isn’t the prettiest flower, but it has a beautiful fragrance.
A. Milkweed – this native plant is the favorite food for Monarch caterpillars. If you see a black, yellow and white caterpillar, or a pretty green or gold chrysalis, a monarch butterfly is in progress! This isn’t the prettiest flower, but it has a beautiful fragrance.
B Buckthorn – this invasive tree is all over, unfortunately. It chokes out native trees and provides no food or shelter for our native bugs and birds.
B Buckthorn – this invasive tree is all over, unfortunately. It chokes out native trees and provides no food or shelter for our native bugs and birds.
C Mama duck and ducklings – you’ll see ducks all throughout the Bass Lake preserve, but they really seem to like the area we call “duck city”, right across from the Sunset bench. You may even spot a Wood duck or two, although they are much shyer than the mallards you usually see.
C Mama duck and ducklings – you’ll see ducks all throughout the Bass Lake preserve, but they really seem to like the area we call “duck city”, right across from the Sunset bench. You may even spot a Wood duck or two, although they are much shyer than the mallards you usually see.
D The ‘black bag forest’ – this is a study Friends of Bass Lake is doing for buckthorn eradication. Buckthorn is very difficult to get rid of permanently. By covering them with black bags, we’re preventing the leaves from getting sunlight, without the need to pull them out or use herbicides.
D The ‘black bag forest’ – this is a study Friends of Bass Lake is doing for buckthorn eradication. Buckthorn is very difficult to get rid of permanently. By covering them with black bags, we’re preventing the leaves from getting sunlight, without the need to pull them out or use herbicides.
E Woodchip trails – Friends of Bass Lake created woodchip trails so you can safely walk through the area that has been planted with native flowers, shrubs and trees from Prairie Moon nursery. This area will take 3 more years to fully mature, but if left undisturbed, the vision is that this will be an area of native plants that will support our native insects, birds and animals.
E Woodchip trails – Friends of Bass Lake created woodchip trails so you can safely walk through the area that has been planted with native flowers, shrubs and trees from Prairie Moon nursery. This area will take 3 more years to fully mature, but if left undisturbed, the vision is that this will be an area of native plants that will support our native insects, birds and animals.
F The Arum-leaved Arrowhead is a native pond plant. It should have pretty white blossoms in July.
F The Arum-leaved Arrowhead is a native pond plant. It should have pretty white blossoms in July.
G The Great Blue Heron is tricky to spot! They stand very still in the water, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by; then you may see them suddenly strike into the water and come up with a fish in their beak!! We’ve seen them most often in the area of Bass Lake closest to the tennis courts – but we’ve also seen them perched up in the trees.
G The Great Blue Heron is tricky to spot! They stand very still in the water, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by; then you may see them suddenly strike into the water and come up with a fish in their beak!! We’ve seen them most often in the area of Bass Lake closest to the tennis courts – but we’ve also seen them perched up in the trees.
H The Weir – this is the new weir that Friends of Bass Lake campaigned for, when the old one became choked and no longer effectively controlled the water level in Bass Lake. If you stand near, you can hear the water rushing underground toward Lake Bde Maka Ska.
H The Weir – this is the new weir that Friends of Bass Lake campaigned for, when the old one became choked and no longer effectively controlled the water level in Bass Lake. If you stand near, you can hear the water rushing underground toward Lake Bde Maka Ska.
I The stone bench – there are a couple of benches located off the woodchip paths, for people to relax and enjoy the cottonwood forest. You’ll notice several white sticks in this area, like the one in the foreground. These mark where native trees and shrubs have been planted.
I The stone bench – there are a couple of benches located off the woodchip paths, for people to relax and enjoy the cottonwood forest. You’ll notice several white sticks in this area, like the one in the foreground. These mark where native trees and shrubs have been planted.
J The Sunset bench and Prairie garden – the prairie garden was designed by Pasque Design and planted by Friends of Bass Lake, using native seeds and plants from Prairie Moon Nursery.
J The Sunset bench and Prairie garden – the prairie garden was designed by Pasque Design and planted by Friends of Bass Lake, using native seeds and plants from Prairie Moon Nursery.
K The See-Through Stump – You won’t see dead trees left in parks or in most yards, but they are a vital part of the ecosystem. To you, it looks like a dead tree, but it’s home to other plants, insects, and animals that don’t live anywhere else. In fact, it’s been said that there is more life in a dead tree than in a living one!
K The See-Through Stump – You won’t see dead trees left in parks or in most yards, but they are a vital part of the ecosystem. To you, it looks like a dead tree, but it’s home to other plants, insects, and animals that don’t live anywhere else. In fact, it’s been said that there is more life in a dead tree than in a living one!
L The Pileated woodpecker – These birds feast on all the yummy things they find in dead wood. When looking for these birds, remember that a lot of the dead wood in the Preserve is on the ground. This picture was taken when we found a Pileated sitting on a fallen log, right next to the trail!
L The Pileated woodpecker – These birds feast on all the yummy things they find in dead wood. When looking for these birds, remember that a lot of the dead wood in the Preserve is on the ground. This picture was taken when we found a Pileated sitting on a fallen log, right next to the trail!