To the Editor:
As someone who doesn’t naturally gravitate toward “nature walks” and is somewhat embarrassed to walk among a crowd of “bird weenies” with their binoculars all pointing in the same direction, up a tree, I was persuaded to go on a “Bog Walk” last Thursday at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson.
This group didn’t disappoint, with their bug hats, hand lenses, frog net, and soil auger, but once I gave in to it, I found it to be a fascinating and wondrous adventure. I felt like a kid exploring nature for the first time.
Our guide knew all kinds of tricks for identifying species such that I am actually able to remember a few things I learned, like the difference between a cinnamon fern (has a cinnamon stalk in the middle), Christmas fern (has leaves that look like Christmas stockings), Interrupted fern (has seed pods that interrupt the stalk), and New York fern (has a shape that is fat in the middle, get it?).
I learned about the three types of grasses and how to tell them apart: grasses have joints, sedges have edges, and rushes are round. Cool! Looking at the seed pods of a flowering bunchberry through a hand lens was as thrilling as the first time I saw the moon through a telescope.
When we finally got to the bog, I was over the top with enthusiasm. Thanks to a grant, HVNC has built an incredible boardwalk over the bog so that you can actually walk out onto it and see the amazing insectivorous plants, that is, plants that eat insects, as well as three varieties of orchids.
HVNC is not just for cross-country skiing in winter. It’s worth the trip all year round with almost 25 miles of hiking trails and three huts for overnight camping. Check them out www.hvnc.org.
Natasha Salvo, Newcastle
