Exploring Cumberland Knob
BRDC Cumberland Knob field trip, May 26
th
, 2010
Front row (L-R):
Eric Pratt, Jacob Pratt, Ben Pratt, Molly Widener, Filson Williams, Krista Shaw
Middle row (L-R):
Matthew Rose, Abigail Williams, Cassidy Williams, Claire Gleason, India Williams, Alli Worrell
Back row (L-R):
Michael Rose, Bill Perkins, Dr. Bob Perkins, Scott Jackson-Ricketts, Jason Shaw
Coordinating with Lisa Shaw, Southwest Virginia Home Educators Administrator, BRDC conducted a field trip at Cumberland Knob from 9AM until noon.Fifteen kids strong, with several parents, broke into two groups and hit the trail.Guiding for BRDC were Robert Perkins and Scott Jackson-Ricketts.Bob brought his brother Bill along, who helped keep an eye on the scramble into the woods.
Cumberland knob has a 2½ mile loop trail, and though we did not traverse it entirely, one group headed uphill and one down, with paying attention to all that was seen or heard on the agenda.
Hardly a log or rock went unturned, (and all were replaced), as we searched for hiding creatures, various forms of fungi, any evidence of former or current inhabitants, various seed pods, and such.We compared ground cover in opened-up areas to full canopy, stages of rotting logs, the visible differences based on slope orientation, and habitat in general.There were opportunities to discover the basics of camouflage, mimicry, and other techniques of survival.
It was noted that not long after nine, birdsong began to drop off in volume and intensity on the edges around the big field.
But the deeper we went into the woods, the more we heard, causing us to wonder if the woodland birds were more active later in the day…perhaps because the morning light was just finding its way into some of the denser parts.
I assigned one young person in each group to be the keeper of the list.
Following are those documents:
Claire Gleason recorded the birds seen for Bob’s group:
brown thrasher
red-eyed vireo
American robin
blue jay
wood thrush
blue-gray gnatcatcher
white-breasted nuthatch
American crow
pileated woodpecker
scarlet tanager
black vulture
blue-headed vireo
Bob added (though all were not seen or heard by the entire group):
oven bird
cedar waxwing
great-crested flycatcher
tufted titmouse,
...as well as these butterflies:
Eastern tiger swallowtail
cabbage white
red-spotted purple
silver-spotted skipper
Scott’s team assigned Michael Rose who recorded the following in order of appearance:
red-eyed vireo
turkey vulture
black vulture
wood thrush
brown thrasher
white-breasted nuthatch
blue bird
chickadee
ovenbird
sapsucker*
scarlet tanager
black & white warbler
American robin
Northern cardinal
red-bellied woodpecker
red-spotted purple butterfly
*I don’t recall this, but we did discuss the evidence of the sap wells
And Scott adds:
American toad
slug
brown-hooded cockroach
flat-backed millipede (everywhere along the trail)
bold jumping spider
some kind of woodland grasshopper
robber fly that mimicked a bee or wasp
wood boring beetle of some kind
mouse or vole (I did not see it)
monarch or viceroy butterfly
The grand finale was Terry Gleason’s copperhead find.
Though our group had already assembled at the picnic tables to begin our sketches and field notes, when alerted to this news we all ran back into the woods.
The evidence of the impression this snake had on the crowd is self-evident.
Sunning itself about 20 feet off the path on the fat end of a fallen tree, it seemed quite unaware of us, thus providing everyone the opportunity to get a long studied look.
As we prepared to disperse a little after noon, we agreed to plan a fall butterfly and insect foray for the home schoolers.
When the date and place are finalized, we will let everyone know.
Many many thanks go to Lisa Shaw for helping BRDC put this together, as well as Bob and Bill for the guiding efforts.
And finally, a big round of applause go to Claire and Michael for keeping the lists.
-Scott Jackson-Ricketts
2010 Crossroads Event, Galax, Virginia
Thank you for sharing your art!
Sharing the wonders of nature with others is a great way to spread knowledge and awareness.
April 22, 2010
-A summary of the Crossroads event-
After a successful morning guiding kids at the Dunson Farm,
Devin and Scott returned to the western side of Grayson County to perfect their terrariums, snack and further prepare for the evening event at the Crossroads Institute in Galax. Leading up to both the farm outing and the evening demonstration, Devin had brought ID card booklets that Shannon and family had assembled, display towers that Brent constructed, and tools for exploring and drawing. As well, he managed to catch three spring peepers the night before at his parents' pond. During that previous day Scott spent nearly all of it on his knees, rooting around in the woods and streams for snakes and salamanders, turning over rocks, logs, peaking into spring heads, and lifting up sheets of old tin...the result of which were two black rat snakes, one black racer, one ring-necked snake, three slimy, one spring, one dusky and one not-so-sure-about salamanders.
White-spotted Slimy Salamander, Plethodon cylindraceus
Made evident at the Dunsons' was how powerful a draw are live critters. That evidence was repeated indoors that evening. Joining Devin and Scott was Allen Boynton in tow with both box and painted turtles. We set up in a designated room, lining up the tanks with critters...including tadpoles, one spotted sunfish, and dragonfly and damselfly nymphs gleaned from the Dunson ponds.
Given that it was a school night
, and that we were the only kid-oriented thing going on, we had no idea if any kids would be on hand. Perished was that thought, as we began to see a steady stream of young folks show up, usually with a parent, and all the interest one could handle. Devin managed one end of our presentation with attention to both critters and kid driven artistic documentation of what they were seeing. Following through, he captured the sketches with camera (see the
). On the other end, Allen and Scott managed critter preservation while allowing the kids to catch the aquatic beasts over and over again, including heavy turtle attention.
Most of the younger crowd
was between the ages of 3 and 10. However, it is important to mention that people of all ages took more interest as the word got out. We heard some tall tales from those who have had a variety of (snake) experiences, and kept open the door to the full range of interests shown. The set-up lasted for three hours, and just guessing, BRDC hosted at the least 25 kids and 15 adults. What was especially telling were the repeat 'customers'...those that would go but could not stay away. One boy spent most of his time with the box turtle. One girl kept dragging her mother back from other ongoing activities, to return to the aquatic tank. Her fascination with what the murky waters held defined her mother's schedule.
BRDC thanks
Felicia Hash, who wears many hats for the Grayson County office, and Kathy Cole, whose work with the Crossroads intersects that of Felicia's. If it had not been for the two of them, we would have not had this great opportunity.