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.
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| The next few weeks should display an increase in fall colors, with maples, poplars, sourwood, sweetgum, and more leading the way. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| To confirm that this was a white oak, I had to clamber around the gigantic roots, emerging on top to surprise the kids. |
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| Next stop was the unusual "Jack, Will, and Tom" poplar. Brianna loves the view. |
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| Hunter leans way, way back. |
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| Noah sees some blue sky far beyond the three tall, straight trunks. |
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| The first of many ferns we encountered were the delicate Lady Ferns. |
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| Similar in shape, but much larger and not so delicate, is Cinnamon Fern. |
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| Noah is impressed to see a fern that's almost as tall as he is. And he's taller than Bri and Hunter. |
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| Young scientists using their five senses to examine. No, don't eat it! |
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| Noah sees that Netted-Chain Fern is named for an unusual pattern on the back of its leaves (fronds). |
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| 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. |
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| The bridge was a turn around point, but not until we took a good look at the stream. |
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| 50 yards upstream, I was able to hop across to a sandbar so Bri could get up close to Big Rock. |
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| It was slippery, but we held on to each other tight. |
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| Hunter's turn. I had one little slip, but he was never in danger. I promise! |
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| We survived! |
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| Noah doesn't need a hand crossing the stream. Amanda Talbert, did you teach him that move? |
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| King of the Mountain |
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| 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. |
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| A seemingly ordinary plant that grows near the stream is yellowroot. |
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| The children wait patiently while I scrub the root clean. |
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| Bri's expression says it was worth waiting for! It's neon! |
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| And worth a picture, too. |
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| 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! |
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| "I wish the nature walk could go on and on and on." |
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| Some people just can't wait for more leaves to fall. So they lend a hand. |
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| Bri, I hope you don't get whiplash! |
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| There's something new along the trail. Hmmm. |
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| It's Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Bri has found the cluster of red berries. |
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| We'd like to welcome everyone to the nature trail, but we have one unwelcome visitor. Kudzu! |
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| Noah sees this invasive vine as a real threat, and he's right. Thank goodness the first frost will stop its advance until spring. |
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| This 15 foot vine would like to keep on growing. But no way! |
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| 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. |
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| Hunter's giving it his all. And that's a lot! |
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| Noah, I think it budged. Well, maybe. |
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| 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. |
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| Popping the leaf is a nice little physics lesson, too. |
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| Here we have a sourwood leaf. After that long hike, who's ready for a sourwood snack? |
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| Ball it up . . . |
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| 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! |
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| 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! |
