Glacial Park

Last summer I was back in my home state of Illinois, and discovered what for me was a new shooting spot: Glacial Park.

Located in McHenry County, this 2800 acre area, known by some as the "crown jewel" of the McHenry County Conservation District, is truly a wonderful destination for landscape photography. Better yet, it's only 15 minutes from my sister's home.

Here's some background on the park's wetlands: Though a rarity in such a small area, Glacial Park contains all three types of kettle lake remnant wetlands- fens, bogs and marshes. The park has an elevated fen, and well-developed stream, bog, and marsh ecosystems.  It also has prairie and oak savanna ecosystems. Many plant and animal communities flourish here, with wetlands being the prime ecosystem. (Illinois Geological History website)

Running through the park is the Nippersink Creek. Beautiful! I made the image below on a late afternoon in July 2010 as a storm was moving in.