Fogwell Forest, Allen County

http://www.acreslandtrust.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=44551&PID=630213

     The latest stop on our nature preserve tour was Fogwell Forest in Allen county, near Roanoke, Indiana.  It was an easy walk, a good pick for my tired, borderline fussy kiddos as the trail was only 1/2 mile long.  However short, our hike was quite diverting.

     One of the first sights that met my eye were what appeared to be these magical glowing red leaves interspersed among the leaves of a normal looking tree.  Upon further investigation, it turned out that these leaves were not, in fact, glowing. Big surprise.  The sun was simply reflecting off of them in a way that highlighted their dynamic, rich redness.

     The magical red leaves were part of this stand of trees that were growing so close together that all their leaves appeared to be "mixed up," into one green-and-red-leafed conglomeration.  Pretty beautiful if you ask me.  

My kids just don't get it when I get excited about photographing things it seems only I can see.

     One of my favorite things to teach in my art classes is color theory: how and why the colors are arranged on the color wheel, and how colors relate and interact with each other.  The kids love it too because it's, well...colorful! Colors are easy to see and understand and are very relevant to everything we do in art.  Anyway, one of the color concepts we investigate is complementary colors, or color opposites.  

Red and green sit opposite each other on this color wheel. 

     The 12 basic colors are arranged in a circle called a color wheel.  Since there are 12, everyone has an opposite color, it's "complement."  Even though they are opposites, when seen together complementary colors "compliment" each other by providing contrast and are generally pleasing to the eye.  

Red-violet and yellow-green are complementary colors.

     I love finding examples of complementary colors in nature.  It's as if nature knew long before man which colors would work the best together and be the most eye-appealing!  The red and green mixed-up trees above are just one example of nature's complements.  If you open your eyes to complementary colors, you can find them all around!  

The red and green complementary pair is quite prolific in nature.

Orange and blue (I doctored this photo a little, I confess.) These teasel pods were photographed at Bock Nature Preserve in Kosciusko county.

     Complementary colors aside, we passed many other eye-catching artworks of nature on our walk.  

I love how the sunlight illuminates the interior of this trail entrance, as if it is beckoning us to enter.

An interesting  juxtaposition of shapes and colors.

I've been seeing these green berry things at every preserve we've visited, always
curious as to what they are.  They are the fruit of the dogwood tree. It turns out
we've had three of them growing in our yard for years!

Yarrow, also called "nosebleed plant" for its ability to stop bleeding.
It is said that you can apply the leaves of the yarrow plant directly to an
injury and it will staunch the flow of blood.
 I'd still recommend a nice clean band-aid. 

This patch of Sensitive Fern creates a nice pattern of lines and shapes. 

     When we started our hike, Hank and Evelynn were grouchy and tired.  They tend to fight a lot on any given day, so you can imagine the interplay of dirty looks and sneaky swats aimed at each other as we approached Fogwell Forest. But nature has a way of calming one's soul. It's nothing new...a slow leisurely walk surrounded by dappled shadow, cool breezy air, and the calming green colors of dancing leaves and plants will improve your mindset in just a few minutes.  There's actually word for this..."forest bathing."  This is the English translation of the Japanese term, "Shinrin-yoku," which means to literally surround yourself with forest air. According to research, the airborne natural chemicals that plants emit to warn off insects and strengthen their immune system has benefits for humans, too. The forest air leads to lower concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol, a lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure, leading to a much better attitude!  Even for tired, grumpy kids.

It works!

See you next time!

LIttle Wabash River Nature Preserve, Allen County

http://www.acreslandtrust.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=44551&PID=635629

     A recent nature hike took us to Little Wabash River Nature Preserve in Allen county, near Roanoke, Indiana.  This area is former farmland, but you'd never know it now.  The former owner created a pond and hand planted many different varieties of trees.

A panoramic view of Little Wabash's pond and surrounding trees.  All of this was created on farmland  by the land's previous owner.

What was once perhaps corn and soybeans is now a well developed woodland.

Look at the variety of leaves in this photo!
This preserve contains cedar, cottonwood, willow, birch, oak, maple, spruce, basswood, hickory, beech, elm, tulip, black cherry, sweet gum, dogwood, sumac and cypress.  I wish I had known about this place when doing that pesky leaf-identification project in 5th grade!!

One of the only signs that this forest was planted by man - this cedar lined entrance path.  

      
      Even though this land no longer produces commercial crops, my little band of hikers found something to harvest...

Legend has it that the Greeks discovered raspberries in the 1st century BC, when they noticed them growing on a mountainside in Turkey. But people didn’t grow and eat raspberries back then like they do today.  Instead, the roots and blossoms of wild raspberry plants were used to make eye ointments, astringents, and teas for stomach and throat problems.

Raspberries made their way to America by the late 1700s, and commercial production of this tasty fruit was soon on the rise.  Today, people can’t seem to get enough of the them, like Hank here!  

Hank does't care that raspberries aren't considered a true berry, he just cares that they are tasty! Unlike true berries which have a single pericarp (the edible outside layer), raspberries are an "aggregate fruit" since they are actually a collection of smaller seeded fruits called "drupelets." A single raspberry has an average of 100 drupelets, each with it's own tiny seed inside.  

     With our tastebuds satisfied for the moment, we trekked on through the woods hoping to catch a glimpse of the deer this area is known for.  This preserve is commonly a crossroads for white-tailed deer, and is actually closed from November through January for permitted deer hunting.  But alas, we saw no deer today.  

Ferns near to the edge
the border, the field, the wood
the dappled shadow

~A haiku by Raymond Foss

     Perhaps our next journey into the nature of Indiana will bring us closer to seeing the illusive white-tailed deer.  Our hopes are high!  Come along with us...