Head to the UW Arboretum for some great colors this fall -- before they disappear!

Fall weather means a lot of things to different people. It’s peak time for some sports fans, with the start of the World Series and football season really kicking into gear. It’s also a great time for others to enjoy Pumpkin Spice Latte’s if you’re into that sort of thing.

In Wisconsin, though, there’s one more added benefit: the change in the color of the leaves.

We’re just past the peak leaf change time, so you better get out this weekend if you hope to experience some amazing colors. What better place to do so than at the UW Arboretum.

I recently took a trip here and was just amazed by the brilliant colors I saw. (Click the pictures to enlarge)

The UW Arboretum has a storied history. It was begun as a project of the CCC during the Great Depression. Its development was led by Aldo Leopold, a famed conservationist in the Madison area and beyond.

With more than 1,200 acres of natural space, and a welcoming staff ready to answer any questions you throw at them, now’s the perfect time to go out and experience the changing of the leaves. Hurry though – the leaves will soon be gone!

Parks worth checking out: Edna Taylor Conservation Park in Madison

Madisonians know that they are fortunate to live in a city that has dedicated a huge amount of land towards the preservation of parks space. Whether you’re playing a pickup game of basketball or just wanting to go on a nature hike, Madison has plenty of areas, usually just a brief walk away, that you can get to.

Sometimes just having a place to see nature is itself a rewarding experience. Edna Taylor Conservation Park is one such place. Located on the city’s southeast side (with a convenient entrance and parking on Femrite Drive), the park provides a great place to hike, observe nature, and bask in some pretty cool historical markers made thousands of years ago by native peoples.

Many schools in the area, including nearby Glendale Elementary (which borders the park), often come on field trips to discover what’s living in the park.

...the cattail-rich park is neatly and inconspicuously situated in the midst of frenetic pockets of residential housing and commercial development. Rife with frogs and birds, the hidden gem teems with wildflowers, oak stands, cottonwoods, lily-pads and blue-flag iris. Ponds here play host to everything from egrets and great blue herons to woodpeckers.

Edna Taylor, who was a teacher and a farmer, sold much of her land to the City of Madison in hopes of preserving a place for people to experience nature firsthand.

The park which bears her name has over 1.3 miles of trails, and includes Native American effigy mounds that were built sometime between 700 AD and 1200 AD – almost half a century before Europeans first made it to Wisconsin!

According to the Madison parks website:

The mounds often, but not always, have burials associated with them, but their exact purpose is not entirely understood. Mounds tend to have been built in places with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. The mounds are considered sacred by modern Native Americans and should be treated with respect.

If you’re looking for a serene and enjoyable trek, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Edna Taylor Conservation Park!

Image via the City of Madison