Categories

A wide range of observations can be made by hiking and forest bathing. Every path to nature has its own validity, but sometimes, setting limits expands our vision. A short walk along the entrance parking lot to the Arboretum’s Spring Peeper Meadow invites visitors to look deeper into the landscape.

On a visit last summer, I noticed turtleheads (Chelone) growing in this area. Now that the vegetation has died back, much more is revealed. I can see a shallow depression that has created a space for water to pool. A detailed Arboretum webpage drills down into the soil types that exist in the meadow. 

From a high point close to the entrance of Spring Peeper Meadow, multiple habits are within eyeshot.

A short, four-square walk can reveal many secrets. As you stand on the rise looking towards the parking lot with 82nd Street to the right and Highway 41 to the left, you can see a mosaic of habitats. Ephemeral wetlands, oak savannah, Minnesota Big Woods and sedge meadow can all be seen from this spot. While I looked across the habitat mosaic, a field mouse kangaroo-hopped across the packed snow path, leaving no tracks on the icy crust.

The edges of a turkey tail feather blend into savannah colors.

Further along, at the foot of a smaller bur oak tree, a frazzled turkey tail feather blends in with the colors of the oak savannah. Turkeys roost in trees at night to escape predators, preferring taller trees in the adjacent woods. Turkeys are at a disadvantage on the open prairie or savannah. The stripe colors on the feathers blend in with the understory of the woods.

The colors on this turkey feather blend into dappled shade patterns.

A lichen colony living on a broken branch of a bur oak.

Lichens hold water in place in the savannah and provide habitat for small insects. 80% of lichens are not visible. These lichens are nitrogen-tolerant and common in agricultural areas. A lichen colony living on a broken branch of a bur oak, living cheek-to-jowl, tussle for living space, in a slow, lichen way. The orange color provides UV protection to the organism.

Dried bracts of New Jersey tea wait for spring vacation.

Just a short, slow walk gives so much insight into a habitat. Looking across the same habitat over the different seasons is also a revelation. The turtleheads, the New Jersey tea, the bur acorns, the turkey and a glimpse of a hopping mouse all told the story of the complex habitat in only 100 square feet. 

Zan Tomko is an artist, horticulturist, Minnesota Master Naturalist Instructor and a co-founder of the iNaturalist Minnesota Lichen Map Project. More information about the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program is available on their website