Blatchley Nature Study Club

04/25/2026

Great day for the annual Wildflower Walk!

04/19/2026

Got a chance to take a stroll around the sanctuary today...checking out the current status of wildflowers as we approach our upcoming "Late Bloomers" Wildflower Walk...Saturday, April 25, 1:00-5:00 pm!!

While many of the blossoms from last weekend are gone, we have some new ones on hand for round 2 of our walk! And, as many of us know, sometimes its not only about the "flowers", but about the ephemeral plants that grace our property each year!!

Here are some of the beauties I saw today...

1. Large Flowered Trillium
2. Star Chickweed
3. Mayapple
4. Jack in the Pulpit (with binoculars for scaling)...this is a
HUGE specimen!!

Hope to see you out at Blatchley this upcoming weekend!!

03/31/2026

Getting things ready for our upcoming annual Wildflower Walks, the crew put nearly all of the finishing touches on the new Roberts Family Trail boardwalk!! Should be good to keep you out of the "wet zone" in that area of the sanctuary, and allow everyone to get out on a trail...without lots of hills and valleys to conquer!!

And the wildflowers are beginning to pop up...lots of Bloodroot, Mayapples, Trout Lily, and Cutleaf Toothwort!!! More to come as the weather gets warmer and we get some of those famous "April Showers"!!!

Come out and see us on Saturday, April 11 or Saturday, April 25 from 1:00-5:00 for a guided tour of one of the best natural settings in central Indiana!!!

03/21/2026

Update to the update...the Roberts Family Trail boardwalk is coming along nicely!! Ramps have been added on both ends for easy on/off access...no big step needed to walk the "walk"!! Even some old fashioned construction techniques used by our "craftsmen" to get the job done!! The railing system will go up around the end of the month...when all of the materials are available!!

With the warm weather that keeps showing up, the wildflowers will be popping up soon!! Come on out and see Mother Nature at work!!

Blatchley Annual Wildflower Walks...April 11 and 25, 1:00-5:00!!

03/19/2026

Here's your Roberts Family Trail Boardwalk update...

The boardwalk is done...railings to be added soon!!

Come on out and enjoy a wonderful walk in the Blatchley Sanctuary and try out the newest addition to the structures that make our land more accessible!!!

Here's the view from both ends of the boardwalk!!

03/15/2026

The new boardwalk on the Roberts Family Trail is coming along nicely. It will be in place and ready for the annual Wildflower Walks on April 11 & 25 1:00-5:00.

03/12/2026

After a walk through the sanctuary with our Building/Grounds head honcho (Phil Cartwright) and member Mike Major to see what needs some attention for this upcoming season, it was time to do a little "spring cleaning"!!!

Fired up the leaf blower, and hit the trail(s)!! Trails are clean and doing a bit of drying out (until the next rain), but at least we can see where the path leads!! With spring just around the corner, it's time to get out and see what Mother Nature has been up to for the last several months!!

Spring has sprung!!!

Pix include...
-Clean trails
-Salt and Pepper
-Snowdrops
-Yellow Fairy Cup Fungi

02/19/2026

02/18/2026

One of the projects for 2026 at Blatchley Nature Study Club is to rethink and rebuild our "backyard"...that area directly outside our backdoor at the clubhouse! Tasks suggested include the writing of a major grant to help fund this project, survey our membership to see how they would like to see this area developed, and ultimately upgrade the area for more use by our members and guests!

Today, one of the main parts of this project...removal of the old "observation deck" area...got a huge boost!! Thanks to the "Wrecking Crew" (Culy, Towle, Crosley, and Towle) for the efforts to make this happen!!! Before and after pix below!! More work ahead, but so glad we got to take advantage of a beautiful "1st False Spring Day" to tear things down!!

A reminder to all members...Emma sent out a "survey" for you to be able to voice your thoughts and opinions about how you would like to see what this project will provide for our club!!! Don't forget to fill yours in, mail it or bring it to our next meeting (Feb. 26), or reply to the questions via email so we can hear your thoughts!!

Thanks so much!! Looking forward to a super improvement to the facilities at BNSC!!

01/11/2026

Blatchley meeting schedule for 2026. Monthly meetings start at 6:30 for social time and meeting with a presentation on a nature topic at 7:00.