Friday, March 1, 2024

Edwin Warner Park


The Susanne Warner Bass Learning Center at Edwin Warner Park

March has arrived...the mid-spring month 
Click here to see why I call this Mid-Spring.
This is the time to look for the first wildflowers of the year.  
A great place to do this is at the Warner Parks in Southwest Nashville.  



To the left of the Learning Center is this area (photo below).
There's a little pond ecosystem on the right that kids love.
To the left is a kiosk with maps.
Turn left here to take a look at a map of the trails.




I walked the Harpeth Woods Trail (in blue), today.
Click the photo to get a closer look at the map.



This is the trailhead for all the trails at this park. 



Cross the bridge to see
spring's natural wonders;
Edwin Warner Park.



View from the bridge.




Go straight to get on the Harpeth Woods Trail.  
If you turn left here you will go to Percy Warner Park.

Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Click any photo to enlarge it. 

As you begin your slow ascent over the hill you'll notice a
large patch of daffodils, also called jonquils.  For some
reason people call them buttercups, but they are NOT.
So, please don't perpetuate that misconception.
Daffodils or Jonquils, but NOT buttercups.



Daffodils.




This trail goes over the large hill to the picnic area on the other side.
Follow the blue.

These are very tiny flowers.  The blue ones are Veronica and
the white ones are Chickweed.
Spring wildflowers;
Must be on my hands and knees
To see these beauties.



The yellow flower near the center is a Buttercup, which is surrounded by Cress.  
There are many species of buttercups; this species has a flower with tiny petals.

At this time of the year Cress is growing everywhere.
The name comes an old French word, creste, 
meaning the top of the hill, where many of them grow.
If you follow this Cress plant to the base of it's stalk
you will find a basal rosette of leaves. 

Close-up of Cress




Continue ascending to the left up the long winding trail (blue arrow).




A beautiful Field Pansy (a violet) surrounded by Chickweed. 
Chickweed flowers have only 5 petals.  Each petal is split down the middle making
it look as if it has 10 petals. 


A perfect day for a walk in the woods. 
When walking always listen for the voices of the earth...
wind, flowing water, limbs and leaves rubbing other
limbs and leaves.



And always keep an eye and an ear out for birds.
This is migration time for many species, especially the warblers.

We have 2 species of vultures that live here year round,
the turkey vulture and the black vulture.
A Black Vulture with its conspicuous
white wing tips and short tail.
When you think of plants you think of organisms that have green
leaves and undergo photosynthesis.  Below is a plant that does not 
make its own food (not photosynthetic).  
The seedpods of a strange plant called Beechdrops. 

So, where do beechdrops get their nutrients if they can't make them?  
A fungus is in the soil connecting the beech
tree with the beechdrops.  The fungus takes the nutrients from
the tree and shares some with the beechdrops. 
So, why do we call it a plant?  It makes flowers and seeds, which only plants do.



This is the time of the year when all species are reproducing...
rabbits are producing young, chickens are laying eggs, etc.
(Ever wonder why christians celebrate Easter with bunnies and eggs)
The ancients celebrated this time of rebirth, 
long before there were christians.
Everything is reproducing...including these Mosses.  You can see their spore cases.
Soon they will open, releasing their spores, which will grow into new moss plants. 


Mosses in spring;
Producing spores and
Holding them high.



Remember that flowers are reproductive structures.  Many plants
are reproducing at this time, also.  The flowers make the sperm
that fertilizes the eggs, which develop into seeds.
Red Nettle (also Red Dead Nettle).




The long winding trail...uphill continues.  Take it slowly...explore with each step.




Harbinger of Spring...one of the first wildflowers of the year.

Close-up of Harbinger of Spring



A Dandelion surrounded by Chickweed and Veronica.
Its name comes from Dent de Lion (lions teeth), which refers to the
toothlike leaves, surrounding the flower. 

You can eat all parts of the dandelion plant(except the stem)!


Dandelions;
In spring, picking a young leaf
And eating it raw!



Finally, the top of the hill.  Take some time to explore a small area off of the trail to see 
what you can find.  Listen for birds and other animals.  
Then you can begin a slow descent to the picnic area.  


This stick is being decomposed by two different kinds
of fungi...Jelly Fungus and Stereum.  Their mycelia are
growing in the woody tissue consuming it. Soon the stick will be gone.


Cutleaf Toothwort, which will be growing all over the place in a few days. 




Once on the road go to the right and get back on the trail, continuing your descent,
The trail is hidden by the tree on the right. 




Spring Beauty.




Continuing downhill.


Resurrection Fern  growing on a limb.
This fern gets its name from the fact that during periods of no rain
the plant shrivels and looks dead, only to revive at the next rainfall.



At this point you are on the other side of the hill at the Little Harpeth River picnic area,
a great place to take a break. Walk down to the river and explore.  
Eat the snacks that you brought.

Take a well deserved break here at the picnic area.  The 
Little Harpeth River is nearby.  Look for aquatic creatures and
watch the birds try to attract one another.  



Look at the map and view the rest of the Harpeth Woods Trail.
You can see that you'll be going around the hill that you just climbed over.  

After you've taken a nice long break go back here to the trail
and take the trail to the left (blue arrow).  This part of the trail
will take you around the hill you just climbed over and back to the Nature Center.


This part of the trail was extremely muddy.




Eventually you will come upon the Natchez Trace.  Take this trail to the right
and it will lead you to the Center.




This plant, Saxifrage, can be found growing on the sides of rocky outcrops (cliffs).




From here it's a straight, level path all the way to the Nature Center.
Walk slowly and observe the plants and animals along the way.



Mosses tend to grow more densely on the north side (the side with the shadow), but they can grow anywhere on the tree.  
Which direction is north?




I took this picture in the direction from which I just came, after I crossed the bridge.
Take some time to look in the water for salamanders and crawdads.

This part of the trail runs next to the south side parking lot.


Continue on this trail until you see the Nature Center on your left.
This trail is considered a moderate hike, because of the climbing
you have to do, so take that into mind when you are deciding
which trail to take.  

There are many trails to walk in this park and the adjacent
park, Percy Warner Park, and this is a perfect time to take
a walk.  It's not too hot and not too cold;  there are many
wildflowers and birds.  

So, get out and explore!

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