June 8

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi.  However, Remi was at home and I was leading a nature walk for participants in the annual JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) event just south of Alma. The early morning weather was mostly sunny with a temperature of 55 degrees and no wind. We gathered by a large cherry tree where everyone sprayed themselves well with mosquito repellent and headed down a path into a mature hardwood forest. One of the first things I pointed out was some poison ivy just off the trail. Next, we stopped at a Prickly Ash tree where I had the kids break off a leaf and smell the pungent aroma. Then, we gazed up and I pointed out some basic leaf shapes including white and red oak. We continued along the trail where I pointed out the leaves of Witch hazel and explained that the bark and leaves of this tree are used in ointments and creams to treat a variety of skin conditions. I noted one use in particular is as an anti aging agent for reducing wrinkles. One gentleman in the group recalled when he was a boy, his barber applying Witch Hazel to his hair after a cut. Further along, someone noticed the abandoned nest of tent caterpillars. I explained that the caterpillars had crawled away and would soon change into moths. As we hiked along, I continued to look up in the canopy where I pointed out the Basswood leaves filled with holes from the leaf miner beetle and some Chinquapin oak leaves. Next, I pointed out the difference between a simple leaf like red maple and a compound leaf like ash. Speaking of ash, I showed them a Pileated Woodpecker hole in an ash tree that had been devastated by the ash borer. Next, I pointed out a variety of tree trunk types including cherry, shagbark hickory and beech. Also, I called their attention to some old, hard bracket fungi on a dead birch trunk. Finally, I focused on the ground where I pointed out a decaying log with some turkey tail fungi growing on it. Also, I showed everyone some moss and mushrooms on a decaying stump. As we completed the circuit, I pointed out some Morning Star sedge and Cinnamon Fern. After we bid farewell, I headed to the car for my trip home.

Come along on a nature walk
Watch closely. Do not talk
Do you hear the call of a frog?
See centipedes under the log?
Follow me on a narrow trail
Listen closely! Hear the rail
Come along the water’s edge
Reach down touch the sedge
Move along, look up and see
Wren sings in a maple tree
Hike is over. It’s time to go
I hope you enjoyed the show

D. DeGraaf