Tom and Jane Dustin Nature Preserve, Allen County

      The husband/wife nature hike continues as my special hiking companion, hubby Sherman,  accompanies me to the Tom and Jane Dustin Nature Preserve in Allen County.

http://www.acreslandtrust.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=44551&PID=697595

      If you visited my last post, you know my husband, Sherman, is my hiking companion today, and we started our hike at the Robert C. and Rosella C. Johnson preserve which is immediately adjacent to the Dustin preserve.  

A peek at Cedar Creek

      By now, we know we've crossed over into the Dustin preserve because we have reached Cedar Creek. Cedar Creek forms the southern boundry of this preserve, and is a State Scenic and Recreational River.  There are only 3 rivers in Indiana with this designation. (The others are Wildcat Creek in Tippecanoe and Carroll counties and the Blue River in Harrison, Crawford, and Washington counties.)

A perfectly sunny day.  I love how the reflections of the trees in the water
look almost as lifelike as the real things.

      As the roadside sign says, the Dustin preserve is also the home of the Acres Land Trust office. Much of this preserve, including the house which is now Acres' administrative office, was originally owned by Tom and Jane Dustin.  The Dustins were eminent conservationists who helped pass many of Indiana's most significant pieces of conservation statutes, including the Nature Preserves Act and the Natural and Scenic Rivers Act.

Ready for duty.
Visitors to many Acres Land Trust preserves will see birdhouses like this  placed in strategic locations, providing bird habitats for nesting and raising birdie families.  I found these lined up on a shelf outside the Acres Land Trust office

This little guy was the only one working today at the Acres Land Trust offices.  

      Growing outside the office building we found several species of beautiful summer flowers.  I snapped away with my camera while Sherman sat on a bench and, well, texted.

Tiger lily.  We all drive by scads of tiger lilies growing along our roadsides all summer long.
But did you know... Native Americans used this flower for food, and tiger lilies are still dried, boiled, baked, or roasted and added to soups and stir-fry dishes in some regions of the world.  The Chinese have used tiger lilies medicinally for over 2000 years. The roots of the lily contain antibacterial, anti-parasitical, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic properties.  In herbal medicine, a tincture made from fresh tiger lily can be used in the treatment of uterine-neuralgia, congestion, and nausea.  Other uses include treatment for heart problems, eye problems, and for symptoms of menopause.
No longer will I take this common orange ditch flower for granted!

Crown Vetch
This invasive summertime wildflower is actually an herb in the legume family.
 That means it is a relative with peas and beans.  These flowers are very attractive to
 bees and butterflies, and as it turns out, poisonous for horses.  

Chameleon plant, or fishwort.
 This plant is native to Japan, Korea, southern China and southeast Asia.  One of the traditional asian terms for this plant is yúxīng cǎo which literally translates to "fishy-smell herb."
I guess we now know why it is also called "fishwort."

      After threatening to steal Sherman's cell phone away and toss it into the nearby Cedar Creek, he finally agreed to put it away for a while.  Long enough to hike back to the car, anyway. And it's a good thing, for if he hadn't stowed it away how could he have found these enormous, century-old trees? Trees that were no doubt here during the occupation of his own Native American ancestors.  Read more about tree growth, age, and how they've joined together here.

It's official!  Sherman is a tree-hugger!

      And how could we have witnessed this quintessential summertime vista together?  Dancing leaves silhouetted against an azure blue sky as perfectly white puffy clouds float by. I prefer this view over a text message any day!

"That beautiful season the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
And the landscape lay as if new created
in all the freshness of childhood."
-  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

      We should all lay down our cell phones once in a while, and enjoy the natural splendor that surrounds us, wherever we are!  See you next time!

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!

Cypress Meadow Nature Preserve, Allen County

http://www.acreslandtrust.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=44551&PID=630202

     We've hit the trails again!  This time our nature explorations took us to the Cypress Meadow Nature Preserve in Allen County.  This preserve contains a lovely little pond surrounded by bald cypress, willow, and cottonwood trees.

I'm loving the panorama feature of my new camera!  Fuji Finepix S4250

Once you step foot into this preserve it is easy to forget that it's quite literally across the road from a major highway, I69!  

     As it's name implies, Cypress Meadow contains both cypress AND meadow.  The trails leading away from the pond take you to an open meadow where you can find young white oak, ash and walnut trees. 

A twisty trail walled with cypress and willow trees.

The "meadow" of Cypress Meadow.

      The meadow provides a suitable habitat for several native wildflowers.

Oxeye Daisy

Prairie Wild Rose

Hawksbeard

Hemp Dogbane

     I am always on the lookout for interesting visual compositions of shapes, textures, and colors on our hikes.  I am collecting many wonderful photos which I will ultimately use to design the stained glass panels for my Lilly Teacher Creativity fellowship project. Remember, that's why I'm taking all these nature hikes. You can visit my very first posts here and here to be reminded of my grant proposal and goals. 

I love the fierce directionality in the lines of this tall grass as it blows in the breeze.

The dark background behind these flowing, willowy branches really makes their
 color pop, and accentuates the curly, twisting lines.

     Another aspect of any nature walk in the Indiana summertime is the occasional tag-along guest...

These are American Dog Ticks. At one time on our walk, there were 6 ticks hitching a ride on Evelynn's shoe laces!   Later at home, we found 14 ticks making our dog General their new home.  Even as I sit here typing this, I'm beginning to get a case of the creepy-crawlies!

     Ticks or no ticks, they make great hiking companions!  Join us again next time, won't you?!

Dygert Nature Preserve, Whitley County

     The true name of this site is the Evelyn and Wendell Dygert Nature Preserve.  So my own Evelynn was my sole companion on this outing.

http://www.acreslandtrust.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=44551&PID=635752

By the end of our hike, Evelynn was vowing to never hike with me again. Ever.  More on that later.

One of the many picturesque trails running throughout this preserve. 

This steep sided ditch has water running through it.
I was glad to see that ALL the water in Indiana hadn't yet dried up!

     As Evelynn and I explored the trails and paths running through the preserves, a common theme kept popping up...food!  (It didn't help that we had not yet had lunch.)  One of the first things we happened upon was a cluster of cherry trees, ripe for the picking.  

So red and looking delicious!
Unfortunately most of the cherries were already claimed by the little white larvae worms of the Western Cherry Fruit Fly. In the spring, adult flies lay eggs under the skin of the cherries, and in a larval form, the maggots feed on the meaty insides of the cherry. 

     My family is full of anticipation for the opportunity to collect the season's first haul of ripe black raspberries.  Soon...

 Wild Black Raspberries.  Give these another week or so and Dygert Preserve will have some very happy birds and critters!

     This Stiff Dogwood bush was covered with clusters of pretty blossoms...providing yummy nectar for lots of bugs!  (Although Evelynn and I agreed they smelled pretty stinky to us.)

I didn't see him at first, but this cluster of flowers is providing a smorgasbord for a tiny beetle. (He is near the lower right of the cluster.)

This Giant Swallowtail butterfly appreciates a helping of the Stiff Dogwood as well.

     Our own rumbling tummies kept us painfully aware of the evidence of eating going on around us. 

This Red Admiral butterfly enjoys a sip of Prairie Fleabane nectar.

These squiggly whitish lines are created as the larvae of a leaf mining insect eat their way through the interior of the plant's leaves.  

The bark of this Ash tree has been ripped away by birds desperately seeking to make a meal of the Emerald Ash Borer insects inside.  

The Emerald Ash Borer has eaten his fill of this tree.  This small D shaped opening is his exit hole.

Even this tree appears to be eating a strand of barbed wire.  Yum.

      I am certain this lovely Scarlet Catchfly flower would make an appetizing meal for some hungry butterfly or bee.  However, it was in pursuit of an eye-catching photograph of said flower that Evelynn got the chance to test out a recent hypothesis.

Scarlet Catchfly

She was so excited to snap a pic that she threw all hiking-caution to the wind, veered off the path and struck a course toward the flowers...straight through a patch of Stinging Nettles! 

Stinging Nettles are covered with tiny hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on its leaves and stems.  These hairs act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation upon contact with skin.  

     This was not Evelynn's first run-in with stinging nettles this year.  Last time, her Mamaw told her about a simple treatment to take away the nasty sting and itch of the attacking nettles.  So today, Evelynn had the opportunity to test out her hypothesis...MUD!

Evelynn poured her bottle of water out onto a mound of turned up soil, and mixed it to make thick mud.  
She then rubbed the mud onto her itchy, burning, nettle infested legs.

 "Thanks for the tip, Mamaw!"  Much to Evelynn's relief, the mud-method of nettle stinger removal worked!! However, any possibility of hitting the first quality restaurant we passed on the way home was now reduced to fast food drive-through options only!

The theory is that as the mud dries, it shrinks and pulls those little nettle stingers out of the skin.  

     Despite their painful sting, nettles are actually an extremely nourishing leafy vegetable known for their nutrients and pleasant flavor.  When simmered in a little water for ten to twenty minutes, the tiny stingers dissolve leaving a completely edible spinach-like vegetable.  Nettles are rich in protein, iron, calcium, vitamins A, C, and B-complex, and many essential trace minerals.  Even the water used for cooking the nettles can be sipped as a hearty, healthy broth or tea!  Find very helpful Nettles info here... 

http://suite101.com/article/stinging-nettle-a22028     At this point Evelynn wanted no more to do with nettles, mud, or even hiking with her dear old mom.  And still hungry (make that ravished with abominable appetite!) she was ready to eat anything she could find.  And that included sucking the nectar from the florets plucked off the head of this Red Clover. I remember doing this when I was her age. 

Red Clover can be used in many ways, for many reasons.
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/red-clover-herbal-remedies.htm

     We eventually ended our hike, and even though she says she will no longer be my outdoor adventure partner, I think Evelynn will find it hard to stay away.  Especially if she knows there will be Red Clover available!




"Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites."  ~William Ruckelshaus