They say timing is everything, and our nature walk at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary Friday morning completely missed the rain on an otherwise rainy day. Perfect conditions for a stroll through the forest and lush bottom-lands. Led by Dr. Eric Pauley, SWC hosted nine adults and fourteen kids down the trail, while learning about the fascinating flora in this unique ecosystem. Participants learned how trees tell the story of how the land has evolved over the centuries and why trees and plants that normally grow in the northern tier of North America thrive in the microclimate of these bluffs (hint: leftovers from the ice age!). The abundance of plant species found here is amazing, with hundreds already documented by Dr. Pauley and still counting.
There were fields of ferns of all types blanketing the bottom-land forest, with a widespread emergence of the ephemeral troutlilly popping up for a few weeks. Some of the more curious plants discovered included the Bashful Wakerobin and the Little Brown Jug, with the latter relying on ants to harvest the nuggets of fat on these “jugs” and thus disperse the seeds throughout the forest!
Keep an eye on our calendar and be sure to subscribe to get onboard with more field trips and activities coming up soon. If there is additional interest in this nature walk or you missed this one, please comment or send an email to info@southwakeconservationists.org, as Dr. Pauley has generously offered to lead another one!
South Wake Conservationists 