Tranquille Trail
We hiked up the Tranquiile Trail and back. There are some cottonwoods and willows, then a flooded area, then a sagebrush-grassland area, and then another cottonwood forest zone. The flooded area is because the water plant upstream diverted water downstream by pipe to Tranquille. That pipe is about 2 feet in diameter (it is exposed at 2 points). It is now fully broken and all of the escaped water has created a marsh, a run-off area, and a riparian zone.
As we hiked we spotted several flowering and fruiting plants like sumac (Rhus glabra), American vetch (Vicia americana), white clematis (Clematis lingusticifolia), prickly lettuce (Lactuca sp.), tall beggarticks (Bidens vulagare), and goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). Click an image for a lightbox/larger view and a caption/ID.
Also spotted on this hike were sow-thistles (Sonchus arvensis), white prairie aster (Aster ericoides sp.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa).
With several ecozones alongside the trail, there are always new surprises along the Tranquille Trail.