These pictures will give you a glimpse of
some spring highlights on the trail. Don't miss
the ending. Spoiler alert: Sergeant Stripes is
a legless reptile.
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| These dainty bellwort plants thrive at the base of Jack, Will, and Tom. |
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| Lady ferns were emerging in April. |
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| See how they've thickened up by May. But dainty Lady Ferns will never grow as tall as a couple of other types of ferns we have: Cinnamon Fern and Royal Fern (the latter have not appeared yet). |
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| Netted-chain fern |
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| Cinnamon fern, one of the taller and more rigid varieties unfurl their fronds. |
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| These maroon "fiddle-tops" are new ferns and will soon turn green. |
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| A view of the trail's canopy, not yet filled with leaves. |
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| Spiny smilax, or catbrier, sends up tender new shoots. They will harden with age and give a painful prick. |
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| Everyone can identify dogwood when it's blooming. Learn to recognize it by its paired leaves and you can find it year round. |
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| Sweetgum sends out new shoots and leaves. This tree recently made a top ten list of what NOT to plant in your yard. This is due to the spiny gumballs. But in the wild, it contributes to the marvelous blend of greenery. |
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| Carolina Yellow Jasmine is one of numerous vines apparent on the trail in spring. Virtually all the flowers have now fallen. |
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| A view looking straight up at Old Man Poplar, our leaning landmark. |
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| In this panorama of the trail you can see Old Man Poplar leaning at the left. Note that the forest canopy is only beginning to fill in with leaves. |
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| Wild ginger, a low-growing herb, is actually only found across the bridge, which is technically not on our trail. |
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| The brownish green flower, called a pignut, is quite elusive, often found under a light layer of leaves. Its main pollinator is ants, so it doesn't have to attract flying insects. |
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| This healthy ginger boasts several of the pignuts, which I sometimes refer to as "little piggies." |
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| Just across the old bridge, bushes of Horse Sugar have two sets of leaves. The old, leathery ones seem to be bowing down to the new tender ones. Plants that keep their old leaves until the new ones appear are called semi-deciduous. |
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| Christmas fern is another plant found only on the far side of the bridge, not on our marked trail. It's interesting that the stream itself seems to be a barrier that prevents some plants from spreading more widely. |
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| Just to the side of the footbridge is a beautiful shrub called Pinkster Flower, or Wild Azalea. I've located four specimens of this bush. They bloom only for a brief time during early spring. |
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| Another Pinkster Flower near the stream. |
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| Jack-in-the-Pulpit, a favorite, is a late arrival, but is starting to pop up everywhere. |
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| This Jack-in-the-Pulpit is shooting skyward. Some of the healthiest specimens grow quite tall. |
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| This fallen poplar branch shows both leaves and flowers. |
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| The yellow-orange blossom of the poplar is one of the prettiest in our common nature trail trees. |
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| Near Jack, Will, and Tom, the wildflower known as Green and Gold mingles with the five-leaved vine Virginia Creeper. |
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| Green and Gold has been in bloom for a full month. |
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| This spot is off the trail. It is where our stream comes under Farm Life School Road in a bubbling swirl. The stream has not run dry this year. |
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| Just across the stream from that spot (you may view it from a car when passing), is this unusual tree. Yes, that is a natural hole in the middle, where a tree divided into two trunks, then grew back together. Any suggestions for a name? I thought of The Holy Tree. |
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| Have you visited the trail to try out the comfortable new benches? |
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| It was wisely suggested that I add a center support to the benches so adults wouldn't make it sag. That task has now been accomplished, so have no fear. |
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| We love to point out how the trail is in a constant state of change. This moss-covered log is one of the few remnants of a giant tree that fell near the water's edge at least 20 years ago. Most of it has now decayed, enriching the soil for other plants. |
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| Part of the same tree is now on shore. It lay across the stream for many years, but had rotted to the point that heavy rains washed it into the creek. Scouts helped give it a "permanent" home overlooking the stream, so people wouldn't be tempted to walk on it and be injured. Of course, in nature nothing is really permanent. The rest of the log will gradually rot away. |
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| This is the trail's canopy in May, about five weeks after the earlier panorama. Quite a difference. |
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| The trail is a shady, cool refuge now that the canopy has filled in. Most of the time it will feel several degrees cooler than unshaded areas of the campus, and there is often a breeze. |
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| One plant that I try to control but not eliminate is poison ivy. I try to contain it to areas where those sensitive to it will not accidentally come in contact with it. But it's a good reason not to touch every thing you see on the trail. Those berries remind us that it will spread when allowed. |
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| Learn to identify if, whether you think you're allergic or not. You may be able to save a friend or yourself from painful itching. |
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| The old adage "leaves of three, let it be" has long been a warning about poison ivy. But it is not sufficient and may keep you from enjoying other harmless and pleasant plants. The plant pictured here is KUDZU (the plant that wants to take over the world). Though I will try to control its spread, I cannot eliminate it. It's another example of how man has affected nature by bringing non-native plants into our environment, with unexpected and unpleasant results. Our little favorite, Jack-in- the Pulpit, also has three leaves. Study hard to learn the differences. |
Now to meet our new trail resident.
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| A new black rat snake has been painlessly removed from a chicken house in Wedgewood to a new home on our trail. |
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| He had recently eaten a large hen egg, and you can see the bulge in his middle. As a constrictor, he is comfortable twining around my arm. I have a firm grip on his head. |
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| The same evening I captured-- or rescued-- him, I released him on Old Man Poplar. |
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| Rat snakes are great climbers. He uses the muscles which line his entire length to cling to the rough bark. |
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| I have handled hundreds of black rat snakes, and this one, more than any other, seems to be a hybrid. His markings resemble those of a corn snake as well as a black rat snake. He could be quite a rare specimen. |
I decided to call him Sergeant Stripes, due
to his highly visible markings. Here is a
40 second video of his release on the trail.
Don't let uneasiness about snakes keep you
away from the trail. Chances are slim you'll
see one, but even if you do, it will most likely
be a harmless one. Instead of making an excuse
not to visit the trail, why not find a reason TO
visit the trail. And soon. This is prime time
on the Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail!
