Woodland Trail

Clearing observations
In the clearing the forest floor is missing small, low plants. The ground cover is only the dead leaves. There is not a lot of light, and it is cooler than the rest of the trail. There are dead trees, and branches in the clearing. The dead branches, and trees are left there to preserve the ecosystem, as they decompose the contribute nutrients back to the soil, and they attract animals and plants that will feed of the decomposing matter.

Interesting Plants

1. Youpon (Ilex vomitoria) Holly Family I first noticed the abundance of the plant on the Woodland trail. They seemed to be everywhere, growing in the shade, with small clustery leaves. The stem was woody, but was smooth, and seemed to grow in the most random way. The leaves were waxy, and small. Overall the plant was medium sized, reaching slightly over 51/2 feet.

2. Post Oak (Quercus stellata) Beech Family I noticed this tree because of the amount of ball moss that was growing on the middle brances. The tree was very tall, and the trunk had a very large girth(I could not wrap my arms around even half the trunk). The bark on the trunk was very rough, and thick. The branches were splayed, the leaves where medium sized. I was unable to see the texture of the leaves because there where no branches near my height. The tree was above the canopy of the trees that where surrounding it.

3. Eatern Gamma Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides) Grass Family This grass was in a clearing, across from a bushes of flowers. I noticed it because of the bright green color, and also the bushiness of the grass. The blades were thin, but long. There were large amounts of blades. The plant was small, not over 3 feet tall. The dead grass from the past growing seasons lays flat at the base of the plant. The grass is a monocot.

4. Cedar Sage (Salvia roemeriana) Mint family I noticed this plant due to it's almost dead looking condition. It was over 5 feet tall, and had rough looking bark, and it was peeling. Most of the leaves were off the plant, so I cannot detail them. The entire tree was knarled looking, and almost sad.


Clockwise from top left: Youpon, Post Oak, Eastern Gamma Grass, Cedar Sage