20Apr2008

Sunday, the weather was warm, sunny with temperatures in the sixties. We took 2 hours to do a quick hike to the vernal pool and back.

This was the weekend of the Third Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. After spending 3 days cooking and cleaning for the large crowds, it was refreshing to finally be able to stretch one's legs and rest one's eyes on the wildflowers carpeting the forest floor on either side of the path leading to the hilltop. There were two tours in progress, and we tagged along for a short time before heading up the path at a good clip, destination vernal pool. It was fascinating to witness firsthand how enthralled a group of receptive pilgrims can be while under the spell of a master naturalist.

16Apr2008

I hiked the hill for four hours on 16Apr2008 to collect garbage and find the stone monument that marks the NW corner of the preserve where it approaches the west end of Shoemaker Rd.

Igor and Nanette greeted me while they perched atop the tin roof of the old farmhouse in the parking lot. The white throated sparrows are so plentiful at the farm pond that their dear sweet Canadas were being repeated so often that the individuals' trills often overran each other, ending in an almost constant musical stream. A pair of wild turkeys courted along the footpath.

As I walked up the path, I saw Dutchman's breeches, cutleaf toothwort, yellow trout lily, white trout lily, dandelion, spring beauties, yellow violets, purple violets, rue anemone, tall bellwort, toadshade trillium and serviceberry in bloom. The mayapples are about 4 inches tall, while the bloodroot leaves stand at their vertical posts.

12Apr2008

Spruce Hill Hike of 12Apr2008

The major interest of the group was the archaeological and historical significance of the Spruce Hill stone enclosure but much time was directed towards its botanical wonders as well. The footpath on the upper slopes on either side are covered in ramps, trout lilies, tall bellwort, spring beauties, cutleaf toothwort and trilliums. Serviceberry trees are in bloom, while the red maple has already started dropping its spent blossoms.

27Mar2008

March 27th was an overcast day with a light breeze, temps in the low forties, a great day for birdwatching. There is a brown thrasher and an eastern towhee that frequent the underbrush near the farm pond; they call quite frequently as one walks up the footpath. Trout lily leaves line the path, as do trilliums in bud. Several skeins of ducks and one of Canada geese threaded their way across the gray skies above the vernal pool.

We watched a pair of yellow bellied sapsuckers work a large tree at the western edge of the field. They would fly to their pre-drilled holes, sip, then withdraw their bills to let the hole refill with sap, inserting their bills repeatedly, slowly and silently drinking from their sugary wells.

Wildlife sightings: Brown thrasher, northern cardinal, Carolina chickadee, eastern towhee, northern flicker, Canada goose, yellow-bellied sapsucker.

9Mar2008

Spruce Hill Hike of 9Mar2008, Sunday, 3 hours, temperature approaching 30F, with 10-12 inches of snow.

The appearance or evidence of life takes on an entirely different significance when viewed in the context of the past couple days of blizzard-like conditions and a foot of snow. As we walked along the edge of the hill top , we happened to cross paths with a small, dark brown spider marching along on top of the snow. I would never have thought that spiders venture out in such weather conditions. I suppose they get cabin fever, too.

The surface of the snow cover on the hilltop had drifted and been blown and carved and painted by the wind that had more than likely reached 35-40 miles an hour with so little to stand in its way. The snow varied in depth from about 14 inches to 4 inches from the isthmus to the pond.

Every step along this hike was a three step process in and of itself. It consisted of first lifting each foot high enough to clear the top of the snow, then the sensation of not knowing how far one's foot would travel through the snow, then the eventual settling into the squishy ooze of the thawed, wet soil at some level below the snow cover. Having hiked all the way to the Spruce Hill isthmus cross country from Baum Hill Road, and after skirting the SE edge of the isthmus and southern tip of the pond, we decided to head home. But we did stay on the hill top long enough to see the sun slip behind the western cloud bank with a golden blaze, and that's when the snow took on that deeply-impersonal, evening-blue tint that is so enchanting in the winter cold.

What a great time to hike Spruce Hill! Oh that I had thought to bring my snowshoes!!!

Wildlife sightings: Red winged blackbird, pileated woodpecker, spider

2Mar2008

Spruce Hill Hike of Sunday, 2Mar2008, 3 hours, temperature 30-40, sunny

Purpose was to fine tune boundary markers and enjoy the warmer temps and sunshine. The forest floor leaf mat is quite a bit more compressed than earlier in the year, resulting from the weight of recent snowfalls. The wet mat is soft and squishy to walk on. As I sat in the woods near the isthmus to catch my breath, two turkey vultures swooped low overhead, eyeing me to see if I warranted further investigation. I kept moving.

As I marked more line, I was pleased to find that the huge basswood stump on the western edge is within the property lines of Spruce Hill, along with many more of the large, mature trees than I had thought. Another discovery was that most of the old logging road along this perimeter runs just inside the boundary line of Spruce Hill. Walking north along this edge and peering west, there is a beautiful view of Paint Creek as it veers directly towards Spruce Hill south of Bourneville and joins with the Upper Twin Creek waters. Anyone standing where I stood could easily see any river traffic coming towards the hill.

The pond has water all the way up past the buttonbush grove, with most of it frozen except for near the tree trunks and pond edge. I would estimate the water depth at four to six inches at the buttonbushes. There are two areas where the pond is being drained by field tiles, with many broken tiles at both drainage sites. With the quantity of water being tapped from the top of Spruce Hill by those continuously running 'faucets', I wonder how much deeper that pond would be had it not been tiled.

Wildlife sightings: American crow, northern cardinal, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture

28Jan2008

Spruce Hill hike of Monday, 28Jan2008, 3 hour mid-day walk, with sunny skies and temps in the low forties, patches of snow still tucked here and there on the north facing slopes.

Purpose was to evaluate a recent survey, where it borders Spruce Hill, and also to fine tune the boundary marks along the western edge.

Starting at the southwest corner of the isthmus, I retraced the boundary line along a portion of this line. The wind gets so fierce rushing up the west face of Spruce Hill, that I found a corn shuck deposited amongst the leaves at the very top of the crest. It had to have come from the fields below, whose elevation is several hundred feet less.

There are several small but nonetheless, 'wild' and icy waterfalls along the west face. No wildlife found. I did find a plant that I believe to be a common elder, based on the shape of the umbel. There are many, many rosettes of garlic mustard along this western ridge crest, more than I've seen anywhere else on Spruce Hill. With pleasure, I remind myself that all that green that I see now portends of vats of yummy, garlic mustard pesto to come in the spring.

I'll continue to fine tune boundary markers, with my goal to complete before the April wildflower pilgrimage.