CHES Students Get an Introduction to the Nature Trail

After getting rained out over the weekend, I was

able to reschedule a special nature hike for this past

Tuesday, which turned out to be a beautiful day.

In addition, numerous plants on the trail displayed

themselves much more prominently than a mere four

days earlier.  

Because Moore County Schools were out for Spring

Break, Christian Home Educators of the Sandhills

had free run of the trail. We made the most of it, with

students up to 5th or 6th grade, down to kindergarten,

plus some siblings even younger -- two in strollers!

Because parents were also included, I had on-the-spot

permission for a few activities not normally included.

More about that later.

Let's begin our tour.
(Note: Most pictures of my guests are near the end)

Before the families arrived, I scouted out the trail.

There had been two days of severe weather since last Friday.

I'm happy to say Old Man Poplar was still standing.

There's plenty of evidence of life the the Old Man.

Just since Friday, an abundance of Jack-in-the-Pulpit has burst forth.

Not only was there more of it, the leaves were larger and a
few exhibit its trademark hooded greenish flower.

A beautiful shrub of the trail is Wild Azalea, or Pinxster Flower.

The debris on the bridge was proof of the flood stage waters during
the two days of severe weather.  The water had receded by Monday
and the trail had dried to a great extent by our Tuesday afternoon walk.

All streams are prettier when free-flowing and alive.
Ours is no exception.

Horse Sugar is another plant found only on the south side of the
stream. As its new leaves begin to emerge, the old battered ones
seem to "bow down" in homage.

Horse Sugar has spread greatly over the years.

Smooth Solomon's Seal is an interesting herb found only on the
south side (off school property). This is the first specimen I had
seen there in years.

Christmas Fern is one that never completely disappears.
It's fronds can be found 12 months out of the year. Here the
old fronds have fallen over, replaced by healthy new ones
that are still shooting up taller.

The tiny fern at center is Ebony Spleenwort. You guessed it --
it's found only on the south side.

I had to search diligently for this bracken fern, one of a few
varieties that prefer the dry uplands over the wetlands where
other varieties thrive.  Counting these, we can find SEVEN
distinct fern species in a ten minute walk!  Our trail is a really
special place.

What's this? A vintage 1985 sign post from our original nature trail.
It was Post # 29. Read its fascinating tale below in this excerpt
from the 1983 trail guidebook.
. 

This fallen yellow blossom is a sign of Carolina Jasmine
blooming far overhead. It is one of many vines that are
quite at home on the trail.

Wild Ginger was shown in my previous blog. But on this day, we
found a record-setting number of pignuts on this specimen. See if
you can count from 7 to 9 pignuts. They're well hidden.

Because of all the pebbles that two fall hurricanes lifted from
the stream bed and dumped on a trail, we must christen our
trail to the bridge.  How about Rocky Road? Or Path of Pebbles.

The "Rainbow Tree" that has fallen across the creek still shows
itself to be healthy as new leaves are sprouting all along its trunk.
I would still classify it as "disabled."

These are the star-shaped leaves of this sweetgum tree.

These seedpods are from the same sweetgum tree.

Concerned parents asked about poison ivy on the trail.  I do a
minimal amount of spraying to keep it OFF the trail.  But if you
wander off the trail yourself you may encounter it. Though some
people say "Leaves of three, let it be," note that kudzu, Jack-in-
the-Pulpit, and other plants have "leaves of three." Better to study
pictures of Poison Ivy and Poison Oak (same species but with
variations) until you can confidently identify them.

All of these herbs, ferns, and wildflowers I've been showing are
loving the filtered sunlight they get in early spring while the
tall trees of the canopy are not fully leafed out.  But they also
do well in the full shade of summer, which protects them from
excessive heat.  This summer, take an evening stroll on the trail.
I think you'll find it at least five degrees cooler than most spots.

The remaining pictures feature the wonderful kids

and parents who spent this glorious afternoon with me.

The first view of Jack, Will, and Tom is always breath-taking.

"I can see all the way to the top!"

The moms liked it as much as their children.
And that's a very good thing!

We've crossed the stream twice and are on the way to Big Rock.

"No, it has nothing to do with Rock Candy.  Sorry."

At Big Rock, several brave students sat on a bench directly
beneath the heavily-leaning Rainbow Tree.  I as much as promised
them the tree wouldn't fall today.
And that's when the BENCH fell!
Even hickory will rot after a few years.

This area beside Big Rock is a designated teaching station, with
plenty of notable items nearby.

I and several students had gone several feet past this tree when
we were called back by excited voices.  A very tiny but alert
young lady had spotted a green snake coiled in this tree.
It's in the exact center; can you find it? A great example of camouflage.

Sorry my closeup is blurry, but the short video below is better.

A harmless green snake is very desirable on a nature

trail. This is the second one I've seen there in 40 plus years.

These folks are holding up Sourwood leaves.  Just one week ago
they couldn't have had a Sourwood snack; the leaves had not yet
come out enough.  But there were plenty today, and the enthusiasm
was terrific.  One older boy asked me if you could buy this at any store.
You can't, but I showed him a sure-fire way to identify it.  Normally,
I discourage any tasting on the trail, but this is an exception.

At trail's end, we made the obligatory effort to straighten

Old Man Poplar.  I'm sorry to say that our task was not

made easier by having several of the older (stronger and

heavier, too) students climb atop the giant poplar. 

I didn't really mind.  In fact, I asked their moms if it was okay.

They readily took responsibility (WHEW!).

I asked the moms if they had ten more minutes.
They did, so I treated them to an extended "Fake
Snake Show", similar to what I showed the second
graders last week.  It wasn't all joking around, though.
Lacking a nice five-foot black rat snake, I used a
rubber snake to demonstrate how I have captured
many a non-poisonous snake with a snake stick and a
few common sense tricks.

It was a great day and I've already invited my friends
back next year.  I'm inviting YOU, too, to take a
hike sometime soon.  The Sandhills Farm Life
Nature Trail is there for the whole community.
Please just respect school hours when planning your visit.

Teacher Orientation and Farm Life Heritage Day

The last seven days have been the busiest on the 

Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail that I can recall.

On Wednesday, April 10, 8 hardy staff members

accompanied me for some in-depth training on the

trail. Here they are with iconic Old Man Poplar.

This guide was prepared for teachers to maximize

the resources our trail offers.  The same tips are

readily adaptable for parents who wish to use the

trail for a family learning experience.

Before the teachers arrived to join me, I had a feeling

it would be a successful afternoon when this glorious

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly patiently posed for me.

This is one of my favorite nature photos ever.

Two days later was Farm Life Heritage Day and

Mrs. Kim Hilliard invited me to tour all second

graders on our nature trail.  The weatherman appeared

not to know of our plans, and it was supposed to rain

all morning.  WRONG! Aside from an early morning

mist, the rain held off and 120 children on six separate

hikes got to be outdoors after all!

Here's an informational sheet Mrs. Hilliard prepared for
groups that toured the campus all through the morning.

The first group began at 8:00 and strolled under

Old Man Poplar.

Look!  It's a bird -- it's a plane --
no, it's Old Man Poplar making funny faces at us!

See if you detect any funny faces in these two photos.

Anyway, Old Man Poplar thinks WE look peculiar!

Old Man Poplar leans a little more every year, but his roots are
still drinking up life-giving water and nutrients.  Still, in his far
upper portions, peeling bark and this dead limb are ominous signs.
I check him out after every strong storm and he's holding his own.

We will see more of Old Man Poplar a little later.

Here's the famous Slingshot Tree. Students imagined attaching
a giant rubber band to see how far it might shoot one of us!

Children are stepping up to meet Jack, Will, and Tom, our
3-in-1 Poplar tree(s). That umbrella soon closed.

This fascinating view never gets old.

Mathematically, you might think these trees would grow toward
a single point as they approach infinity.

A zoom in shows that they may grow taller, but each with a
personal space.

Later we examined Big Rock and discussed the interesting
geology of little trail.

Adjacent to Big Rock is a leaning sweetgum tree.  Like Old
Man Poplar, this tree still has its roots in the ground and a sturdy
branch is propping it up. We may call it "Robin Hood's bow" or
maybe The Rainbow Tree.

Near Big Rock, I had children collect one sweetgum "sticker ball"
each to throw in a nearby Wishing Well tree. We discussed how
these are actually seed pods that "explode" with seeds when dry.

Children carefully consider their wishes before tossing.

The Wishing Well is pretty full after being visited by
120 second graders.  A few teachers may have made wishes, too.
I know I did.

Now, back to Old Man Poplar.

Of course, each group that passed through had the obligatory
but futile attempt to straighten Old Man Poplar.

We may have had little success, but gave it our best.

These students are convinced they moved it at least an inch.
Maybe they did!

This young man even attempted the feat solo!

Somehow, I think the Old Man appreciates our efforts.

Here are just a few "herbal highlights" from that day.

Students loved this dainty white flower.
It may be in the violet family.

Here, some fern fiddletops are popping up beside some
lichen-covered logs.

This patch of cinnamon ferns was a little further advanced.

Here are some more "fiddletops."

Oddly, wild ginger is found only on the south side of the stream.

Its well-camouflaged flowers, called pignuts, hide beneath dead
leaves.  Ants crawl in and out, pollinating as they go.
Can you find the "little piggies"?

Several healthy Christmas ferns are also found on that side
of the stream. Their old fronds are now prostrate, while new
ones are just emerging.

These lovely pale yellow flowers are Bellwort.
A vast patch of it was blooming all around Jack, Will, and Tom.

Green and Gold is the simple, but suitable name for these wildflowers.

As an added treat, I performed a brief snake show

for each group at the conclusion of our hike.

I assured them I had NO live snakes and would NOT

attempt to frighten anyone.

Students were introduced to the Chain Snake, the 

Wiper Viper, and many more.

Though the sack says "Snakes Alive," there was no live snake today.

Students are holding a Coachwhip Snake, a Sidewinder, and
even a Baby Rattler

There was nothing to fear from our friendly Stick Snake, Hose
Snake, Pretzel Snake, or Black Racer -- er, Eraser.

I'll be doing a separate blog one day about my

entire Fake Snake collection. There's a story . . .

School Heritage Day was a grand success and I 

was thrilled to once again be a part of it. 

In my next blog, I will share a totally separate

adventure with CHES, Christian Home

Educators of the Sandhills.