T.R.E.D. Nature Walk

Sheila and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Mt. Berry Trail with thirty or so fellow ecological enthusiasts on this beautiful Spring day. Our leader was Owen Kinney. The walk was sponsored by T.R.E.D.* Owen did a great job of pointing out all sorts of natural wonders along the way. I will definitely steal a few of his talking points for my walks at Arrowhead. 

We were pleased to see several of our friends along the way, including Rob Innis who took this picture of us...

 

... and two pictures of this bird ...

... that Owen had identified by its call which Owen says sounds like "Peep, You're Weird"

The rest of my photos are from my own iPhone:

I noticed a Great Blue Heron in the pond near the trailhead. Owen talked about what a patient and efficient killer the heron is as it plods about shallow water at the edges of the pond spearing unsuspecting frogs, fish, and even turtles with its huge dagger of a beak.

Several folks, including Owen, used their "Merlin" smartphone app to pick out the calls of several other birds. Other used their "iNaturalist" apps to ID plants along the way.

Owen found an insect gall in a Goldenrod stem and picked it apart.... 

...and passed through the group to show the larva nestled inside.

At the forefront of the group is another friend Marilyn Lindholm (in the green blouse). Marilyn is a fellow member at Trinity United Methodist Church and also a fellow storyteller.

Owen found another example of an insect implanting its offspring in a host -- this time a leaf. Here he shows it to Sheila.

These muscadines have put on a lot of fruit...

... I'll keep an eye on these as they mature!

Woolley aphids on a blackberry cane

This was a fascinating little demo. Owen picked up a Daddy Longlegs by its head. He applied slight pressure to it and it produced an excretion that smelled like chocolate! This is an adaptation intended to repulse predators. No permanent harm to the arachnid!
Here is an article with some interesting Daddy Longlegs info.

On the walk back we noticed that silt from spring flooding was head high in the leaves of this Sweetgum.

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* T.R.E.D. = Trails for Recreation and Economic Development of Rome/Floyd County