During my fall break I finally visited Crane Lake for a hike on a beautiful autumn morning. There was not a cloud in the sky and the colors were really popping. The hike was just perfect and I had several interesting wildlife encounters, including watching a Bald Eagle nearby along the shore as soon as I left my car. The primary tree in this image is the short-leaf pine, the only native pine of the Missouri Ozarks and definitely a characteristic species of the St. Francois Mountains.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 