We had a great wintry outing, with eleven Woodlands of Bedford regulars in attendance, plus two dogs.  Ice was present, both on the waterfalls and in the form of needle ice.  There were also places with thin ice sheets, with no water beneath due to the receding water.  Here are some pictures to view of this most enjoyable hike.

• Frank’s Photos
• Fred’s Photos

Yesterday, we had a great ‘Winter Season’ experience, exploring the area around Sagamore Creek.  Although expected seasonally cold temperatures weren't present to freeze the waterfalls, the area was still quite beautiful.  We enjoyed the day very much and look forward to the April Woodlands of Bedford, when we will return to see the same area during the Spring Season.  Below are a few items of interest.

• We noted a juvenile Great Blue Heron in the waterway and observed it catching and eating a small fish.  Here is our full eBird checklist.
  
• We were able to investigate three very interesting plants, all ferns or relatives.  On the upper trail, just west of Alexander Falls, we discovered Shining Clubmoss, Huperzia lucidula.  On an elevated area, just east of where the trail hits Sagamore Road, we discovered both Bronze Fern, Sceptridium dissectum obliquum and Fan Clubmoss, Diphasiastrum digitatum.
  
• The sap exuding from the entire lower section of the Black Cherry Tree, Prunus serotina, is called Gummosis.  This sugary sap is almost entirely polysaccharides and can be caused by many different conditions such as insects, fungal infection and others.  A good writeup on the subject was published by Purdue called Causes of Gummosis in Black Cherry.
• Many thanks to Frank for sharing his Flickr Album of photos with us.

I hope to see everyone on Saturday, February 22, when we will explore the winter landscape along Tinker’s Creek terraced woodland environment.  See the Bedford Nature Calendar for details.

The photo above is the view from the former 18th tee, truly a beautiful overlook.  It shows the partly cloudy, pleasant December conditions, with wind being at a minimum.  What you can't see, is the American Black Duck swimming along in Tinker's Creek below.

• Frank's Photos
• eBird Checklist
• iNaturalist Observations

We noted changes from December 2018 when we had a similar adventure.  The group was birding focused, but we did look at plant remains and new growth of biennials such as Common Mullein, Common Motherwort and Garlic Mustard.  We also greatly appreciated looking at an ancient Burr Oak, Quercus macrocarpa.

In addition to enjoying a wonderful sunny autumn day, we were mostly focused upward:

• Looking at two bald eagles, one adult whitehead and one second year bird
• Seeing beyond a towering sycamore tree at a winter rainbow
• At awe over towering trees such as Scarlet Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak, White Oak and Tupelo
• Fixated at the Cleveland Shale of a high remote waterfall

Our group had an excellent time exploring the site of the old Girl Scout Cabin and beyond.  We even rescued a lost dog, which had escaped its concerned owner!

Here are Frank's photos and Fred and Brian's photos to share.

We enjoyed a great fall outing!  The trees were not prime color, but we still had fun exploring all the beauty that autumn has to offer.  We covered 1.5 miles including a 300 foot climb.
The photo on the left shows the Pontius Dam of Power's Mill.  Review the Summit Memory link below for artwork showing Power's Mill from the 1920s.
We especially appreciated the beauty of a newly emerged mushroom called Sulphur Shelf Mushroom.  Visit the link below for more details.
Thanks to Frank for sharing his photos!
​

For additional detail, please visit the following web content.

• Frank's Photo Album from the Hike
• Summit Memory - Artwork of Joe Jesensky
• Mushroom Expert - Sulphur Shelf Mushroom

We had a great outing this past Saturday, enjoying the weather and the company of fellow hikers all interested in the magnificent forest we have in Bedford Reservation.  Thanks to Frank for sharing his beautiful photos.

• Frank's Photos
• Fred's iNaturalist Observations
• Fred's eBird Checklist
  

​I hope to see everyone next month, when we will return to the same area, but there will be a lot more color to the leaves.

It was a great day to walk Hemlock Creek, both for the water level and the weather.  We all enjoyed this summer outing very much!  Thanks to Frank for sharing his beautiful photos with us.  Also, thanks to Andrine for pointing out all the wonderful fossils.

• Frank's Photos
• Fred's Photos
• Fred's iNaturalist Observations

We certainly encountered many wonders of nature.  Looking at details after the hike, it was clear that the small tree was Honeylocust.  The leaves on Honeylocust can be doubly compound.  In addition, the injured caterpillar was a Five-Spotted Hawkmoth, which has another name Tomato Hornworm.

Although we were saddened to see thunderstorms pass just before the hike started, we persevered by targeting a smaller creek.  I consider Sagamore Creek to be a mini-version of Tinker's Creek and it did not disappoint.

• We cooled off in a swimming hole where the culvert exits from under the bike path.  Given this respite from the heat, and the general coolness of the creek, the extremely hot temperatures were nicely avoided.
  We visited two waterfalls and the confluence with the Cuyahoga River.  Below you can see the 6.5 mile route we followed over our seven hour adventure.

We enjoyed many natural pleasures but the insects were among the most interesting:  a Horntail Wasp, two Striped Fishing Spiders, pair of mating Bumblebees and many parasitic wasp cocoons on a Catalpa Spinx Moth caterpillar.

Here are some additional information from this very enjoyable creek walk.

• Frank's Photos
• Fred's Photos
• Fred's iNaturalist Observations​

I hope to see everyone next month, when we will explore Hemlock Creek.

We had a great outing visiting The Arch, studying  geology and looking at plants and wildlife in the area.  During our two mile hike over 3.5 hours, we also visited a beautiful secluded waterfalls as a bonus.  Here are links to detail that can help you appreciate this outing.

• Frank's Photos
• ​Fred's Photos
• Geology and Habitats of CVNRA

I hope to see everyone at next month's Tinker's Creek Stream Walk.  For more detail, see the Bedford Nature Calendar.  Happy Summer!

For early May, the butterflies were cooperative, with seven species being noted.  The group was engaged with many additional subjects including plants, mushrooms and birds.  Thanks to Frank for posting these beautiful pictures to add to our overlook group photo.

• Frank's Photos
• eButterfly Checklist
• eBird Checklist
• iNaturalist Observations

I look forward to next month, where if the weather cooperates we may travel through The Arch!