near Cairo, Illinios

View east to bald cypress in Horseshoe Lake from the Miller City Road. HorseShoe Lake is an Illinois State Conservation Area.  The lake was formed by the main channel of the Mississippi River and is now a large abandoned meander.

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Another view east from the Miller City Road to HorseShoe Lake.  In addition to bald cypress the lake is host to tupelo gum, swamp cottonwood and wild Lotus. This lake provides the farthest northern habitat of these tree varieties.

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Another view east from the Miller City Road to HorseShoe Lake. This lake is approximately four feet deep throughout. The depth of the lake is controlled by a spillway built in the 1930's.  Before the spillway was constructed the lake would evaporate during the summer months or in dry weather.

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Another wider view of the previous image.  At the time of this image in February of 2005 the lake was slightly over it's normal depth.

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This is a similar view southwest from The West Side Drive within the Wildlife Area.

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This is a close up view of the previous image.  The state appears to be changing the name of the "Conservation Area" to a "Fish and Wildlife Area".

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This is a view south from The West Side Drive within the Conservation Area.

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This is a view west from The West Side Drive within the Conservation Area.  The white line near the horizon is a huge flock of white geese that had just landed.  These geese are mostly white but have black feathers at the wing tips.  This flock is apparently a portion of the 150,000 geese that winter in the Conservation Area.

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This is a view northwest to open fields from The West Side Drive.  A flock of black birds are landing just beyond the two trees in the foreground. The white line in the distance at the ground plane is the flock of white geese from the previous image.

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This is a Lewis and Clark Expedition plaque installed in a small kiosk at the junction of The East Side Road and Promised Land Road.

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