Exploring Summer

On Saturday at Ivy Creek Natural Area under cloudy skies and cool temperatures. Mary Jane Epps a Ph.D. candidate in botany led us on a nature walk unlike any other. From a discourse on the hackberry tree and its leaf and bark structure to a lengthy talk on wingstem and its unusual flower structure. Later on the walk she talked at length about mushrooms including the peppery milk-caps and the cinnabar chantelles. There were so many wildflowers I lost count but it included white vervaine, false nettle, and buttonbush. We also saw one solitary spring peeper walking from one grass blade to another. Overall, a morning not to be missed!

Animal Tracking

With Hub Knott’s help we located a recently chewed walnut shell, probably by a squirrel in the middle of the red trail, carefully bounded by two trees for a quick escape. Later in Martin’s Branch stream we saw some clear tracks of another squirrel. Further on we saw the unmistakable tracks of a green heron next to a pool of minnows. A short distance away were the unmistakable signs of crows. Lower down we saw very faint and rare wood frog tracks. Rare because of the very fine imprint they make. Just about everywhere in the streambed were raccoon tracks. Finally, we saw opposum tracks. So many times I had made them in the sand table for children but these were my first set of natural ones. As help Hub recommended Mark Elbroch’s Bird Tracks & Sign, also his Mammal Tracks & Sign, and finally Peterson’s Animal Tracks for the frog.

Butterfly Walk, Sunday, August 9th

Here is the rundown from today’s walk

Spicebush Swallowtail – 2
Tiger Swallowtail – 2
Great Spangled Fritillary – 1
Hackberry Butterfly – 1
Harvester – 1
Spring Azure – 1
Silver-Spotted Skipper – 1
Sachem – 1
Roadside Skipper – 1

We saw a Red-Spotted Purple at the kiosk on the way out and then I saw a very beat-up Comma on the tree in the parking lot.

Wildflowers on August 1st

The wingstems and horsemints have popped! You can see the wingstems along the red trail in the south and north field. The horsemints are primarily at the beginning and end of the north field, on the purple trail. By the education center the wild geraniums continue to blossom.

First Saturday Bird Walk in August

Monticello Bird Club and Ivy Creek Foundation cosponsor a walk each month at 7:30 am on the first Saturday at Ivy Creek Natural Area. This month we saw an abundance of blue gray gnatcatchers, brown thrashers, towhees, cardinals, and robins. We also saw a smaller number of indigo buntings, scarlet tanagers, and bluebirds. Additionally, we heard woodpeckers. Counting all the sightings we saw 27 different species, not bad for an August morning.

The next Ivy Creek birdwatching activity will be on August 25th at 6:30 pm for nighthawk migration. We’ll watch their acrobatics as observed in aerial feeding on hunting circuits from the reservoir to native grass field. We’ll start in the parking lot.

Wildflowers at Ivy Creek Natural Area

We walked from edge through field into woods with Tim Williams a long-time naturalist with a Ph.D. in Botany and deeply familiar with Ivy Creek Natural Area. Starting at the Education Center and heading towards the south field on the red trail we saw wild petunia, trumpet creeper, maypops, queen anne’s lace, wingstem, autumn olive, horse nettle and beggar ticks. For each plant Tim had something interesting to say and helpful to remember for identification. Stepping into the forest we saw wild bergamot, black raspberry, foxgrape, st. john’s wort, yarrow, red clover, path rush, buckwheat, pennyroyal, deer tongue, lobelia, cranefly orchid, indian pipe, rattlesnake fern, dad nettle, little brown jug, and ebony spleenwort. All in all it was a special time to be out and about at Ivy Creek. We’ll meet again on August 29th at 9:00 am by the Education Center.

Nature Photography Contest

The Ivy Creek Foundation invites all photographers to enter ‘Celebrating the Nature of Virginia’ photography competition to benefit the preservation of the Ivy Creek and Ragged Mountain Natural Areas in Charlottesville, VA. Winners will have images exhibited at the October ‘First Friday’ artist walk at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville October 2nd, 2009. First place in each category will receive tickets to see Nick Nichols speak at the Paramount the following Friday October 9th, 2009.

To find out more about entries, deadlines and rules download this document.

The Orange Trail

At Ivy Creek Natural Area the Orange Trail travels through the northwest corner. It begins to the east of the old field just beyond the 220 year old oak at the intersection of red, brown, peninsula and orange trails. It heads north and out above the reservoir through yellow poplars, red and white oaks, cedars and Virginia Pines. In the winter the primary wildlife seems to be squirrels and woodpeckers. In short order the orange trail loops back to cross the peninsula trail and head uphill into the forest with big views overlooking Ivy Creek and the wooded islands from the silting process. Leaves are quite deep in many places along the trail. The trail heads to the western edge of the Natural Area before sweeping south and then back east. There is a short loop trail which connects to the red trail. However, staying on the orange trail brings you downhill to the western edge of the old field and the red trail and a short skip from the brown trail which is the shortest way back to the parking area.

The Green Trail

On a slightly warmer day I resolved to walk the green trail, one of the longer loop trails at Ivy Creek Natural Area. It loops off the red trail in the southernmost corner of Ivy Creek. It starts by continuing to follow Martin’s Branch upstream after leaving the red trail behind. The remains of an old fence line can be seen along the stream. Very few people use this trail as evidenced by the thick, very lightly flattened leaves covering the trail. Thank goodness for trail markers!

Eventually turning away from Martin’s Branch the trail travels through extensive oak/hickory/poplar forest. Most of trees have very few low branches so the feeling is very open especially so in the winter. Nearby  houses on private property are quite visible. However, after you turn north and cross over a tributary streambed (dry in the winter) much of the feel is that you are far out in the wilderness. This meditative feeling continues until you come across the power line cutting through fairly low overhead. Virginia pines start to become more and more common. Then suddenly the green trail is finished where it meets the red trail at the top of the hill of cut through for the gas pipeline. During the entire hour long walk I met only one other person on the green trail. Next up the orange trail.

Winter at Ivy Creek

The trails look a lot different now that the last of the leaves have been blown down or soaked off. Trails that seemed secluded and closed in are wide open. Vistas are open in the woods that were unknown in the warmth. On the red trail heading down to Martin’s Branch and the white trail, there are open views of the stream feeders to Martin’s. You can almost see the yellow trail on your left. This is where the first Louisiana Waterthrush will return. I continue down the red and I step off onto the green trail. The green trail is almost invisible because of the wet dense mat of leaves. So few people walk the green that it is hard to tell where the trail goes and where it doesn’t. The cold wind makes me change my mind about a nice long walk and turn back instead for only an hour’s walk.