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.
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| The trail is in excellent shape for spring visits. And when school is out, it's open to the public. |
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| A year of healthy rainfalls has led to a lush, green, and healthy glow to our trail. |
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| There were a variety of activities for Heritage Day, but this dairy activity was the one closest to me. |
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| With my father having grown up on a dairy, I was fully supportive of the message of this presentation. |
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| 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. |
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| Up and around, then back to the main trail gives everyone a good look. |
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| And no one should miss looking skyward like this. An amazing view. |
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| As a group leaves the trail, they can't help but look back and wish they could stay a little longer. |
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| This fern thrives on some prime real estate just across from Big Rock, where it is well watered. |
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| 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." |
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| This young scholar isn't moving on until he sees "Jack" face to face. Good for him! |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| The tour doesn't include sitting on Big Rock, but with parental supervision, it might be permissible. Warning: slippery when wet OR dry! |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
