RSS FeedApril 07, 2008
Reflection Riding Spring Wildflower Festival & Native Plant Sale
April 11-13, 2008 in Chattanooga
Friday, April 11, 2008
9:00am to 5:00pm Native Plant Sale
11:00am to 12:00noon Hummingbirds Join Chris Mahoney, RR Volunteer and representative of Wildlife Habitat Yard Services for an informative talk on Hummingbirds and how to attract these wonderful creatures to your garden. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
1:00pm to 2:00pm Garden for the Senses Join David Hopkins, Reflection Riding Executive Director and Suzanne Goodemote, Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Riding Caretaker, for an update on the Garden for the Senses project, which is currently in the early stages of construction in front of the Humphreys House. This talk will meet at the barn entrance.
1:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Michael Green (meet at barn entrance)
2:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Kyle Waggener (meet at barn entrance)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
9:00am to 11:00am Photography Walk Join Paul Grant for a morning of photography. Paul will guide participants around Reflection Riding, highlighting various areas and assisting participants in setting up the perfect picture. This mini workshop is open to all levels of expertise, but you must bring your own camera. Workshop will meet at the barn entrance.
9:00am to 11:00am Gardening With Natives Join Master Gardener Lynne Finnel for a brief discussion on native plants that adapt well to residential living. Lynne has been in the Master Gardeners since 2002. For the past 4 years she has led spring wildflower hikes and she has been gardening in Red Bank for the past 7 years. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
10:00am to 11:00am Southeastern Natives: Underused Trees and Bombproof Perennials Lisa Lemza, certified as a master gardener in 2002, will cover certain underused deciduous and evergreen trees of various sizes, and a few tough-as-nails perennials for the same. Lisa is an appointed member of the Chattanooga Tree Commission and Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
11:00am to 12noon Brown Leaves to Black Gold (Composting) Master Gardener, Bud Hines, will lead this open and interactive discussion on composting. A recent retiree, Bud joined the Hamilton County Master Gardeners in 2006 to get a better understanding of plant needs in our area. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
11:30am Guided Wildflower Walk led by Christine Bock (meet at barn entrance)
12noon Fabulous Ferns Miriam Keener, owner of Dancing Fern Nursery, a subsection of Sequatchie Cove Farm will lead a walking tour and discussion on how to identify and grow ferns. She will also bring with her a selection of ferns for purchase. Copies of her recommended book Fern Finder will be available at the Reflection Riding Promo Table. Be certain to pick up your copy before her walk. This talk/walk will meet at the back of the barn.
12:30am Hike the Profile Trail This hike, led by Jeffrey Hunter, Riding Caretaker will follow the Profile Trail around the lower perimeter of Reflection Riding. This is an easy hike around the property. Hike will meet at the barn entrance.
1:00pm Hummingbirds Join Chris Mahoney, Reflection Riding Volunteer and representative of Wildlife Habitat Yard Services for an informative talk on Hummingbirds and how to attract these wonderful creatures to your garden. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
1:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Christine Bock (meet at barn entrance)
2:00pm to 3:00pm Right Plant for the Right Place Join Pat Lea of Cumberland Landscape Design, and former Reflection Riding Board Member, for a discussion on sun, shade, drainage and which plants are best for which areas. Pat always has great information and uses specific RR natives to enhance her designs. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
2:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Michael Green (meet at barn entrance)
3:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Ray Zimmerman (meet at barn entrance)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
1:00pm to 5:00pm Native Plant Sale
1:00pm Hummingbirds Join Chris Mahoney, Reflection Riding Volunteer and representative of Wildlife Habitat Yard Services for an informative talk on Hummingbirds and how to attract these wonderful creatures to your garden. This talk will meet at the back of the barn.
1:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Michael Green (meet at barn entrance)
2:30pm Guided Wildflower Walk led by Bill Haley (meet at barn entrance)
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2008
Identify That Southern Appalachian Wildflower - Final Update!
Photo take December 14, 2007 in Jocassee Gorges by John Ray
Can you identify this species of wildflower found blooming in Upstate South Carolina late last week? Please submit your guesses in the comment box below. I'll identify the species in a few days.
Good luck!
UPDATE: Still wondering what this flower is? Well, so am I! I looked through my field guides, and couldn't definitively identify this flower. So I am posting a higher resolution photo of the flower. I hope to have this positively identified soon!
1/3/2008 - Final Update: It appears that this flower is a Bloodroot. According to Heyward Douglass, former President of the Foothills Trail Conference, and wildflower enthusiast, the Bloodroot tis the first wildflower to bloom in upstate SC. Since the weather had been warm in December, it looks like this one popped up to look around. While the leaf associated with the flower doesn't look like Bloodroot, some have suggested that the flower is the first to appear, and the leaves in the photo are associated with another plant!
Thanks to all who ventured a guess!
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 05:15 PM | Comments (3)
December 28, 2007
And an Opossum in a Persimmon Tree
Persimmons are Visible in the Tree - if you Look Carefully
Lately there have been a lot of coyotes around our cabin. As a result, we're being extra attentive with our pets. Our 15 year old dog Sandy is hard of hearing and his sight is fading as cataracts cloud his vision. Our oldest cat Chuka had a couple of coyote encounters a few weeks ago, and has refused to venture outside since!
Last night while surfing the web, I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting just outside the cabin. I made my family aware not to let the cat out, as there was a predator in the area. A few hours later - just before bed, I grabbed the flashlight and took my dog out for his nightly walk. While scanning the trees for an owl, I came across an interesting sight! Up in our Persimmon Tree was an Opossum! No turtle doves though.
Now, I'm not unaccustomed to seeing Opossum. We had them in the Hudson Valley in New York, but that is towards the northern end of their range. The Opossum in New York often had frostbitten ears and tails, because with no hair to protect those extremities, they are susceptible to the freezing weather.
Back in the tree, my light caught the critters eye shine. I went back inside and summoned the family to take a look at the little feller. After snapping a few photos, I left the obviously shaken marsupial alone to forage in the tree. This morning I thought I'd share a couple photos with you.
I also found a Native American legend entitled Coyote the Hungry that I thought I'd share with you. It involves an Opossum, a Persimmon Tree, and a hungry Coyote. Enjoy!
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2007
Red Wolves in Chattanooga!
An Interview with Wildlife Curator Tish Gailmard
Red Wolf pups at 5 week - Photo provided by Chattanooga Nature Center
Chattanooga, Tennessee is home to many great places for people to visit and to hike. One place that is little known outside of the Scenic City is the Chattanooga Nature Center.
Situated on the flanks of Lookout Mountain, the nature center is home to 11 endangered Red Wolves. The Red Wolf is one of the most endangered mammals found in North America.
Today I spent some time talking with Wildlife Curator Tish Gailmard. Tish and I had a nearly 20-minute conversation about Red Wolves. To learn more about these amazing animals, please click here to launch the interview. (9 MB)
To view the Red Wolf pups live on webcam, please visit the Chattanooga Nature Center website. After learning about the wolves, you might want to consider making a trip to see these beautiful and critically endangered mammals live and in-person. While you're there, you can hike on more than 50 miles of trails on National Park Service property, or on the adjacent Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden.
Happy Trails!
Red Wolf pup on examining table - Photo provided by Chattanooga Nature Center
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 03:21 PM
April 30, 2007
Photos from the Benton Mackaye Trail
Yesterday was the annual Benton Mackaye Trail walk through. This is a day when volunteers walk the entire trail to inventory maintenance issues. Benton MacKaye Trail Association volunteer Diana Ristom sent me some photos that she took out on the trail in SE Tennessee. I'm sharing them here with you!
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Fern Unfurling closeup by Diana Ristom
Jack in the Pulpit by Diana Ristom
Pink Ladyslipper Orchids by Diana Ristom
Dead Yellow Rumped Warbler on trail by Diana Ristom
Cinnamon Ferns by Diana Ristom
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 04:10 PM
March 03, 2007
Lunar Eclipse Expected Tonight
A total lunar eclipse, photographed on Oct. 27, 2004, from Palm Beach
Gardens, Florida. (Photo Credit: Doug Murray)
When the full moon rises this evening in the east, it will be in full eclipse here in the southeast. For more information about this phenomenon, you can visit John Tierney's TierneyLab blog at the NY Times.
I plan to try and watch the eclipse this evening. I'd like to hear from folks who watch the eclipse, and find out how it looked in your neck of the woods.
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 03:15 PM
October 08, 2006
Saturday at the Hawk Watch
Yesterday I decided to head up to the Soddy Mountain Hawk Lookout - just north of Chattanooga. When I arrived, a fellow by the name of Harold Birch was sitting alone in a lawn chair eyeing the sky with his binoculars. The weather was beautiful with bright blue skies and temperatures in the low 70s.
Although the weather was gorgeous, bright blue cloudless skies are not ideal for hawk watching. Ideally, some white puffy clouds create contrast that allows you to spot the birds high in the sky. In two hours we saw several dozen birds including Sharp Shinned Hawks (aka "Sharpies") and two juvenile Red Tailed Hawks. The Red Tails were an unexpected surprise because they generally don't start migrating until late October or November - usually after a cold front that brings some of the season's coolest temperatures accompanied by stiff breezes out of the north or northwest.
Hawk watching takes both patience and practice, and when it comes to bird watching (including hawk watching!) there is no substitute for time spent in the field. After spending time birding - preferably with someone who can teach you some identification tips - things start to come together. Many birders can identify a species at a quick glance - just by sizing up a birds GISS (pronounced GIZ). According to the New Jersey Audubon Society:
"GISS is a brand of identification that borders on magic and allows practitioners to pin names to birds that are flying at the limit of conjecture. But its not magic. Its foundation is anchored in the corporal world and the words underlying the acronym. GISSGeneral Impression of Size and Shape. Add the element of motion, the idiosyncratic manner in which birds fly and you, too, will be able to amaze your friends with your skills."
If you have an interest in learning more about hawk identification, there are two excellent books on the subject. The first and best guide is Hawks in Flight by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton. Another resource is a new publication entitled Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors in Flight by Jerry Liguori.
What does all this have to do with hiking? Well, the Soddy Mountain Hawk Lookout is just a stone's throw from the Cumberland Trail! Come back and visit tomorrow for information about that great trail. In the meanwhile, for more information about birding in Tennessee - visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society website.
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 12:46 PM
October 06, 2006
Fall Hiking? Keep your eye on the sky!
Current map showing cold front moving through the southeast
So you enjoy hiking and are thinking about talking a hike this holiday weekend. What next? Well, first you'll want to select a place to hike. Then, you'll want to check the weather. That'll help you select your clothing and other gear that you'll bring along with you.
In addition to helping you understand the temperature, chance of precipitation, and the UV Index, the weather forecast can also help predict your chances for seeing migrating raptors (hawks, falcons & eagles). This is especially true in the fall.
In fact, today is a perfect time to illustrate how weather can impact hawk migration. Take a look at the weather map above. Notice the cold front (low pressure system) that has just moved through southeast Tennessee? This will create cool, crisp weather, with winds out of the north - which is what raptors look for in October and November. These birds don't want to expend a lot of energy. They prefer to ride a gentle tail wind as they migrate along the ridges on thermals - or warm bubbles of air rising off of the Blue Ridge Mountains or the Cumberland Plateau.
So now you're probably wondering...
Continue reading "Fall Hiking? Keep your eye on the sky!"
Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 10:35 AM