Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Fall 2021 Nature Trail Report

Fall is "prime time" on the SFL Nature Trail, and
after I spent the morning doing a little sprucing up,
the trail is eager and ready for visitors. Only classes
should go during school hours, but the trail is open to
the public when school is not in session. What a way
to get some light exercise and soothe your spirit.
Enter here and follow the self-guided tour with no
risk of getting lost.

I did a little trimming to make sure the path is wide
and welcoming. My Stihl gas hedge trimmer has made
the occasional trimming task much less rigorous.

Here's a recent change. One of our oldest trees, a
blackgum, is now leaning so much that it rests a
thick branch on the ground. Its days are numbered,
but as long as it's alive and its roots are in the ground,
the end is not yet here.

The sign was level one year ago, so you can gauge
how much more it now leans.

This is the stump of the massive white oak that
fell two years ago. Note how Japanese Ivy has begun
to grow over it. Such is the way of nature.

As you proceed along Andy Paris' Boardwalk you'll
that Old Man Poplar still lives.

Even with plentiful healthy leaves, you can also see
that the Old Man is leaning more than ever.

For several years, it has leaned against this much 
younger sweetgum tree, and you can see the scars
as it slides further down the trunk each season.
Stay alert when you pass under these leaning trees.

There are not many Black Oaks on the trail, but
this specimen replaces a larger one that was killed
by Hurricane Florence three years ago.

Virginia Creeper is making its way up this White Oak.
Some vines can actually kill a tree, but I'll keep an eye
on this one. In the background is the Slingshot Tree.

Never pass this way without a "howdy" to old friends
Jack, Will, and Tom.

The next portion of the trail was "created" by 
Hurricane Florence, during which many trees were
uprooted. "Low Bridge" is just ahead.

Whenever living things die in the forest, new growth
is allowed to spring forth. Poisonous pokeweed is
one such opportunistic plant that has established itself.

The berries are good for birds, but deadly for humans.

Royal Fern, the tallest that grows on our trail, is
bending over after a long summer and will soon
begin to die down and decay.

Netted-Chain Fern and Cinnamon Fern are still
in good health, but October will see them fade away.

Can you help identify this beautiful and delicate
flower that has sprung up along the route to the stream?
Report your findings to me for extra credit!

Here's a close-up if it will aid you in your search.

The bridge remains in stable shape after some major
"shoring-up" a year ago. It is anchored and has a
strong stump supporting its middle.

I found this old Mason jar in the stream. But it wasn't
the first time I'd found it. A couple of years ago I laid
beside a large tree at streamside. It's still unbroken after
who knows how many years, and I've placed it beside
another tree to see what happens. The stream regularly
overflows these days.

My biggest project today was not trimming the trail.
Armed with my Stihl trimmer, I undertook to get in
the stream and clear away low-hanging tangles of
catbrier (also known as Smilax-- by scientists-- or
greenbrier). It was quite a chore, and I have scratches
on my arms and legs to prove it. Though school groups
are not going to do stream-hiking, that's one of my 
favorite activities. Let me show you a few still
photos of the work area from the bridge to Big Rock.
Then you can take a "virtual" stream hike with me.

Before clearing, you would have had to crawl through
the section.

This isn't just a log. It's a stump of a tree that once
stood at this very spot. No doubt the course of the
stream was different at that time, possible going 
around one side of the tree. When the tree died, erosion
permitted the stream to chart a new course.
It's our latest icon to be named.
I call it "The Lone Ranger." Let's see how long it lasts.

This large log is NOT naturally occurring. It's yet
another remnant of when Duke Energy Progress
heedlessly dumped logs directly into the creek bed 
several years ago. Even worse, they had unnecessarily
cut a beautiful Sweetgum tree in clearing for a
power substation near Farm Life School Road.
That's progress??

The stream is fairly cleared all the way to Big Rock.

This view is from behind "The Diving Board," which
fell across the stream several years ago, and which
has now died. 
The following video was taken in the stream from
this point down to the bridge. The sloshing sounds
are not the Loch Ness Monster. It's just your friendly
videographer. All in the line of duty.


Back out of the water, let's continue our journey.
This small boardwalk is primarily to keep mud off
of shoes. This has historically been an area slow to dry
after heavy rains.

Here's the view of Big Rock from the shore. This
area is being encroached on by ferns and other plants.
That's NOT a problem, though I'll keep it clear enough
to get near the water.

For as many years as I can remember,  a mulberry
tree has tried to establish itself growing right out of
Big Rock. I'll give it a fighting chance.

Proceeding on, I came to one of the largest specimens
of Jack-in-the-Pulpit on the trail.

Not only was the plant itself large, but this is the 
largest cluster of berries I've ever seen on our trail.
No wonder Jack-in-the-Pulpit is more plentiful every year!

Any guesses where these dried up sweetgum seedpods
(we call them "sticker-balls") are located?

Why, they're in the Wishing Well tree, where a few
hundred SFL students have deposited them after
making a wish. There's always a ready supply on
the ground nearby, so make a wish next time you 
pass by.

Nearing the end of our walk, we pass by Jack, Will, 
and Tom on the upper trail. Remember this trail has
some short loops, which allows you to vary your route
as well as to adjust the distance to your needs. But the
entire trail is not so long. But to study it and get to know
the individual "residents" takes much, much longer.

When you arrive back at Old Man Poplar, you know
you're almost home. As you pass under, be sure to
give him a helpful lift. It's only through the efforts
of countless students passing by and doing just that,
that the Old Man is still above ground.

Now is the time to put a fall nature walk on your
MUST DO list. You won't be sorry!

 

Monday, May 3, 2021

2021 SFL School Heritage Day

 Sandhills Farm Life's 2021 Heritage Day arrived last
week, and I was privileged to be invited to take all 2nd
and 3rd graders on the SFL Nature Trail. The weather was
perfect, and even better on the trail.


The trail is in excellent shape for spring visits. And
when school is out, it's open to the public.

A year of healthy rainfalls has led to a lush, green,
and healthy glow to our trail.

There were a variety of activities for Heritage Day,
but this dairy activity was the one closest to me.

With my father having grown up on a dairy, I was
fully supportive of the message of this presentation.

At 8:30 I had my first group of eager learners on
the trail. This group has just gotten closely acquainted
with Jack, Will, and Tom, our iconic 3 in 1 poplar tree.

Up and around, then back to the main trail gives
everyone a good look.

And no one should miss looking skyward like this.
An amazing view.

As a group leaves the trail, they can't help but look
back and wish they could stay a little longer.

Everyone also has to do their part to try to elevate
dear Old Man Poplar. And when I say everyone, that
includes Principal Julie MacPherson. In her first year
she has already proven herself an avid supporter of
the nature trail and the learning it can foster.

It may seem futile to hope we'll ever straighten Old
Man Poplar's bent back, but he told me he appreciates
the effort.

One look is all it takes to see how The Slingshot
Tree got its name. It's a blackjack oak, one of several
varieties on the trail.

This crew has just ducked to come under Low Bridge,
one of several trees that fell in storms that swept through
our area in 2020. 

This is another feature of Low Bridge that was just
christened on the day we hike: The Copperhead.
Can you see it? Look for the eye and the open mouth.

We christened another new feature in the same area.
Our trail has its very own Traffic Circle, where you
can go round and round to your heart's content. Once
you make up your mind where you want to go, pick
your "exit" and proceed in any direction on the trail.
I usually head for the stream.

The plant varieties change gradually as we approach
the stream. This cinnamon fern is an eye-catcher. We
saw four fern varieties, and there are seven in all on
our trail or slightly beyond.

This fern thrives on some prime real estate just across
from Big Rock, where it is well watered.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit is another interesting plant the
children enjoyed meeting. This one has a pale green
hooded flower, with "Jack" standing inside the "pulpit."

This young scholar isn't moving on until he sees
"Jack" face to face. Good for him!

Here's a bonus. A small percentage of Jack-in-the-
Pulpit have a recessive gene that gives them a deep
purple flower. If you find one, you're likely to find
more nearby, something like four-leaf clovers.

I haven't yet identified this beautiful flowering shrub,
but it's right beside the trail. I told the children that
it's easy to miss things that are right in front of us if
we're not paying very close attention. And the students
pointed out numerous things that they saw before me.
Especially "snake holes."

Though our 1985 nature trail did include territory 
across the stream, it was never school property. Now
there is still a bridge, but only with teacher or parent
supervision should children cross the stream at any time.

The tour doesn't include sitting on Big Rock, but
with parental supervision, it might be permissible.
Warning: slippery when wet OR dry!

Yet another new attraction is "The Diving Board",
adjacent to Big Rock. Just two years ago this tree
was still alive, after falling across the stream. Now
it had begun to rot, so I "pruned" it to remove the
hazard of having to walk under it.

As we left Big Rock and The Diving Board, I suggested
that all students who wanted to make a wish should pick
up a "stickerball," the seed containers of the sweetgum
trees. Here, they toss it in as they make their wish.

Green and Gold is a simple name for a simply breath-
taking wild flower that grows near Jack, Will, and Tom.
Every year it spreads, but blooms only for a few days.

It took a little research to identify this baby. It's a
gall, or growth created when a wool sower wasp lays
its eggs on a white oak tree. Some students in Texas
saw some and said it was a Truffula tree from Dr. Seuss's
book "The Lorax." Before you know it, the story was
on CBS News! Well, don't tell everyone-- that's not the
publicity we're looking for! 

This is Sourwood Sally, one of many juvenile sourwood
trees along the trail. There was only time for the last class
to have a brief sourwood snack, chewing a juicy, but sour
leaf. The other classes had a schedule to keep. Like all treats,
it isn't for everybody.

In 150 minutes, every 2nd and 3rd grader got a 
brief but enriching intro to the trail. Most expressed
a desire to come again and stay longer. Mrs. MacPherson
and my niece and former student Ms. Emma Short pose
with me for a parting shot. Emma is a perfect example of
how the nature trail is not something for one year of school.
It's multi-generational. Children and grandchildren of
students I taught since 1975 are already sharing their
experiences with a new generation. I invite you to come
for your "next" visit or your "first" visit, whatever applies.

By the way, Emma presented me with a gift of jellybeans.
How appropriate.
I took them home and immediately planted them, hoping for more!