Pioneer and Wilderness Parks Photowalk

Earlier today, I went back to Pioneer Park in Stayton to explore more of it's 9+ acres to get a better sense of what was there. Now, the first time I went to this park was last Fall to see the covered bridge near the parking lot; and of course the last time was earlier this year when I got a picture of the resident Mallard Ducks and the bridge. This time, I skipped the bridge because, let's face it, the surroundings do not look that great this time of year. As I was walking, I often took the smaller side paths as they tended to get me closer to wildlife where little white butterflies flitted this way and that. On one of those less traveled side trails, I was taken to the west end of a pond that included swimming Garter Snakes and to my best guess, a Western Pond Turtle. Another little side trail took me to the parking lot for Wilderness Park, where I walked across the footbridge and over to the dam, where water was flowing over in a cool waterfall. As always, my favorite pictures are included below.