No Fishing - Family Day at Black Bayou NWR

Wasn't able to get away this weekend.  The weather and other things got in the way of fishing.  But that made a great excuse for getting the girls out and visiting a place we hadn't been to since last year (about this same time).  Black Bayou NWR, north of Monroe, LA, isn't far from our house. For some reason, I haven't found the time to fish it but the trails through the park are great for families.

As you can see from the pictures, it's an easy walking path cut through some flooded timber and full of wildlife for viewing.  There's no end to the number of waterfowl, insects, and occasional alligator you'll see.

Very direct and to the POINT!!  Didn't see any to not feed.

On this trip we were reminded of a special day we experienced back in June 2014.  Along the trail are signs with descriptions of plants, trees, and other things you find in the refuge.

On one of these signs, we found a picture of the Luna Moth.  In June, we came across a Luna resting beside our front door.

Not something you see very often, my oldest grabbed her field guide and w/in a few minutes, was informing us that it was an endangered species and to stay clear of it.  We left it alone and used the side door the rest of the day.  The following morning it was gone, but found its way back into our lives 7 months later.

It was a chilly 39F today and the girls (all 3) were, more or less, humoring me as I led them through the park.  But after spotting the Luna, they got pretty fired up and really enjoyed the visit.  They were running from sign to sign, reading as fast as they could.  After about 45 minutes, we had covered the trails and decided it was time to leave, really they were ready to go shopping and that was part of the deal.  It was a great day, can't wait to do it again, minus the shopping part of course.

Links to check out (canoe rentals, educational activities, tours, children's programs, etc):

Black Bayou NWR
Friends of Black Bayou

Don't forget your kids...it's never too early to introduce your children to your interests but support their interests also.  Don't wait until their older...start now...and be creative!  They may not take to everything, mine don't like to fish (not this year anyway), but they love insects and nature.  My wife (hates insects) started this bug collection and it's a family event now, as long as I, COLLECT, everything they find!!!  They're still girls.

They don't fish, but maybe fly tying is in their future!!

While all this family bonding was going on, I couldn't help but notice the lake looks fishy.  It has a nice kayak/canoe launch with plenty of parking.  Added to my list!

Here are a few more pictures from the refuge: