Young Trail Blazers

Saturday, October 11, I had the privilege

of leading three eager young folks on the

Farm Life Nature Trail.  It was a perfect day

for a hike.  Parents enjoyed it as much as the

kids, and it was nice to have the informality

of a small group for a change.

The next few weeks should display an
increase in fall colors, with maples, poplars,
sourwood, sweetgum, and more leading the way.

This was actually a few minutes before our
walk began.  Here we have 4 year-old Hunter,
6 year-old Noah, and 5 year-old Brianna.

And we're off!  First question: Who do you think
made the nature trail?
YOU did!
Nope, sorry.  GOD did!  We just made a path through it.

A massive white oak tree was uprooted this summer.
Shallow roots and saturated soil are a deadly combination.
This gives a new meaning to "standing UNDER a tree."

I'm calling this new attraction "Quarry Cave." It's not
really a cave, but it would be a good hiding place for
an animal with a predator in pursuit (quarry).  I also
dug a few shovelfuls of soil from under this tree to fill
in erosion on the trail.

To confirm that this was a white oak, I had
to clamber around the gigantic roots, emerging
on top to surprise the kids.

Next stop was the unusual "Jack,
Will, and Tom" poplar.  Brianna
loves the view.

Hunter leans way, way back.

Noah sees some blue sky far beyond
the three tall, straight trunks.

The first of many ferns we encountered were the
delicate Lady Ferns.

Similar in shape, but much larger and
not so delicate, is Cinnamon Fern.

Noah is impressed to see a fern that's
almost as tall as he is.  And he's taller
than Bri and Hunter.

Young scientists using their five
senses to examine.  No, don't eat it!

Noah sees that Netted-Chain Fern is
named for an unusual pattern on the
back of its leaves (fronds).

Brianna snaps a picture of Royal Fern, one of the most
lovely, but rare on the trail.  Bri, next time we hike to
our stream I'll show you our Royal Fern, by the waterfall.

The bridge was a turn around point, but not until we
took a good look at the stream.

50 yards upstream, I was able to hop across to a
sandbar so Bri could get up close to Big Rock.

It was slippery, but we held on to each other tight.

Hunter's turn.  I had one little slip, but he was never
in danger.  I promise!

We survived!

Noah doesn't need a hand crossing the stream.
Amanda Talbert, did you teach him that move?

King of the Mountain

Near Big Rock is a new plaque that illustrates how
the rocks we see are formed underground and may
be part of a huge rock formation.  Big Rock is part
of the McLendon Fault that runs for miles under this
part of Moore County.

A seemingly ordinary plant that grows near the stream
is yellowroot.

The children wait patiently while I scrub the root clean.

Bri's expression says it was worth waiting for!
It's neon!

And worth a picture, too.

As the trail began to rise once more, we stopped off
at The Wishing Well.  We didn't throw money in, just
leaves.  But we made our wishes!

"I wish the nature walk could go on and on and on."

Some people just can't wait for
more leaves to fall.  So they lend a hand.

Bri, I hope you don't get whiplash!

There's something new along the trail.  Hmmm.

It's Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Bri
has found the cluster of red berries.

We'd like to welcome everyone to
the nature trail, but we have one 
unwelcome visitor.  Kudzu!

Noah sees this invasive vine as a real threat, and
he's right.  Thank goodness the first frost will stop
its advance until spring.

This 15 foot vine would like to keep on growing.
But no way!

It's become a ritual for all trail
visitors to make an effort to straighten
Old Man Poplar.  Sort of like
"The Sword in the Stone," perhaps.

Hunter's giving it his all.
And that's a lot!

Noah, I think it budged.
Well, maybe.

By special request, I demonstrated how to "pop" a
poplar leaf.  I've wondered if that's how it got its name,
but I don't think so.

Popping the leaf is a nice little physics lesson, too.

Here we have a sourwood leaf.  After that long hike,
who's ready for a sourwood snack?

Ball it up . . .

Insert in mouth, and bite into the juicy leaf.  Until
you just can't stand it any more.  Noah tried it, but
the jury is still out on whether this is a good taste
or a bad idea.  It is non-toxic, but you MUST make
sure you can identify sourwood.  Exercise caution!

A parting view of the canopy of
hardwood trees, which have yet to
show much color.  There's plenty of
time for YOU and your family to visit
the trail as the colors intensify in the
coming week.  And as always, remember,
it's YOUR TRAIL!

Summer Surprises: TWO Big Trees Go BOOM on Nature Trail!

Don't worry!  Old Man Poplar is not one of

the trees that took a tumble on the nature trail

this summer.  As you can see, my able daughter

Amanda (center) and my Georgia nieces Lindsey

(left) and Brantley (right) are in full support of

the Old Man.

But there are definitely things happening or

not happening on the trail these hot summer days.

For one thing, the stream has run dry.  If you 

care to do some dry stream hiking, now's the

time.  Unfortunately, you must watch out for

sharp objects in the stream bed.  Perhaps I'll

give it a good check before school starts.

One plus of a dry stream is that iconic

Big Rock is easily accessible.

Lindsey, Brantley, Amanda, and I took time

to document our visit-- and treacherous climb!

When we walked the trail Friday, we were

stopped short by a fallen tree across the trail

to the old bridge.  So today, I headed to school

with my chainsaw to re-open the path if possible.

I knew there was a strong chance of rain, and I

had just begun cutting when a steady rain began.

I was a long way from any man-made shelter, so

I took refuge UNDER the roots of this giant

tree which had fallen earlier in the summer

(not to be confused with the newly fallen tree).

Here is the view looking out.  I'm going to 

prune some of the low-hanging roots so hikers

can comfortably and safely walk under it.

As it was, I got a lot of dirt in my hair.  But

it served its purpose just fine.

The first shower ended and I got the path

open once again.  Then a much heavier

rain began.  I covered my chainsaw, but

decided to proceed with clearing the limbs.

I was thoroughly soaked, but at that point

it didn't really matter.

 The former "top" of the tree still extends

far across the trail.  I intend to clear the

area enough so that hardy adventurers can

walk it (at their own risk)!

 The "root" end of the tree had

been on the north bank of the

stream.  Its fall and uprooting

widens the channel of the stream

by several feet at that point, and

could have a lasting effect on the

stream's course.  I'll be watching.

I took this photo from the dry stream 

bed where the tree had toppled.  I'm 

sure many other trees are vulnerable

to the same fate, but that's part of nature.

Another observation I made is that kudzu

has run rampant over the summer months.

In places where it has sent out runners, but

hasn't attached, I can prune it and fight back.

But I have found sprigs of it in locations far

from the main source of kudzu, suggesting

that some has been spread by wind, rain,

and animals.  It's worth fighting to stop the

Evil Plant that Wants to Take Over the World!

The one thing in my favor is that the first

frost will arrest the onslaught of kudzu.

But that is a long way off!

Kudzu is not the only vine that relentlessly

seeks to extend its territory.  Here, honey-

suckle sends out several runners.  Some

vines are more problematic than others.

You may have seen galls such as the one

below.  They contain an adult gall wasp.

Read about the fascinating life cycle of the

gall wasp here.

I have not yet tried to identify the bright

yellow fungus I found around these alder

plants.  Maybe you can beat me to it.

Last spring, many students saw the distinctive

hooded flowers of Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  In the

fall, red berries will be found.  But for now,

the berry clusters are green.

I did treat myself to a sourwood snack

after working for a good while.  Some of

my brave hikers sampled it last week--

with few comments.

Two years ago, the Cub Scouts constructed

this makeshift dam to help with erosion

control.  Today, I saw that stronger measures

will be needed (as I already knew).

Rain run-off from the school parking lot

quickly became a small lake.  Perhaps a

strategically-placed drainage ditch will be 

our next project.  The scouts had proposed

a short boardwalk over the portion of the

trail where the problem exists.  We'll see.

Here's the drainage problem via video.

If you've only seen the nature trail in fall

or spring, or perhaps never at all, why not

work in a relaxing and refreshing evening

hike before summer is over.  I'll be sprucing

up the trail between now and the start of

school, but it's ready for hiking and seeing

the unexpected any time.