Tree Walk



On November 5th, the Tricities Nature Club spent the afternoon on the Lakeshore Trail at Warriors Path State Park. The theme for nature study was trees, and we made many discoveries along the way. This post includes some of them.





 This is a twig from the winged elm tree...it looks like this because of the "corky expulsions".  A very unique twig!



Evidence of beavers!

We can also tell that woodpeckers have been finding tasty insects inside this tree...

 

The beech trees are so majestic standing on roots that sometimes resemble bird feet. They have been standing tall along the lakeshore for a very long time. We measured the circumference at 115 inches, which we divided by PI to approximate the diameter as 36.6 inches. Multiplying this by a growth factor of six (specific to the American Beech tree), we approximate the age to be 220 years. This means that the tree might have been a sapling in 1792, when Rocky Mount was the US Territorial Capital of the Southwest Territory.

This huge beech tree trunk is a beautiful example of God's art!

We saw sap oozing from some fairly large and interesting formations on some of the trees probably caused by galls.

The leaves were fun to identify, and this leaf held a special treasure. The formations on this oak leaf are probably galls of the cynapid wasp, and you can read more about them HERE.




The fungus growing on this tree trunk is called false turkey tail. If you look closely, you can see how it got that name!



Along the trail, we saw some gorgeous late purple aster.



This beautiful evergreen plant called Lycopodium is also known as "ground pine", or "creeping cedar"...







Pennsylvania smart weed was seen growing among the leaf litter, along with wild ginger. These plants were used by the Native Americans. Children chewed on the ginger root because it tastes like licorice, and the leaves of the smart weed were rubbed on children's thumbs to discourage thumbsucking!



Freshwater mussel shell...

This grasshopper didn't have as many lush kudzu vines to jump into, and was captured long enough for us to get a good look at him up close!

Spotted wintergreen is another beautiful and interesting plant we saw on the trail. The Native American word for it is "Pipsissewa", which comes from pipsiskeweu, which means "it breaks into small pieces" ~ it was used to treat kidney stones.

We found several tracks on the beach...these look like they could have possibly been made by a heron.





These tracks look like they were made by a tiny fawn!

 



It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson