The unnatural world kept me on the Mac and out of the field this past week, which is okay, since that's where photos from last week's excursion to the Ohio River are stored. I posted new photo albums from our explorations of O'Bannon Woods State Park, Harrison-Crawford State Forest and Post Oak-Cedar Nature Preserve,
Together, these three wild areas comprise 26,294 acres of the Shawnee Hills Natural Region's Escarpment Section, with characteristics largely defined by the Blue and the Ohio. The 24,000-acre Harrison-Crawford includes the 266-acre Post Oak-Cedar preserve. Except for its Ohio shoreline, the 2,294-acre O'Bannon Woods is surrounded by the state forest.
The Blue River -- a state-registered natural, scenic and recreational river -- is widely regarded as one of most beautiful and pristine in the state, if not the most. Its name comes from the aqua blue color it reflects in dry times, like late September. The Blue forms the western border of O'Bannon Woods, formerly the Wyandotte Woods State Recreation Area, and meets the Ohio on the park's southwest edge.