The Beech collection began in 1954 with just four specimens of European and American Beech. Since that time the collection has expanded and now features 18 different species of Beech. There is a great deal of variance among species in the Beech collection, from purple or multicolored foliage to slender, weeping, pendulous, or contorted forms. […]
Natures Notebook: The Leaf That Refuses to Fall
This time of year I like to take a leisurely hike through the woods whenever the weather permits. I find the forest to be uniquely beautiful and peaceful. The pace of many of the animals has slowed, the wildflowers have stopped producing their bouquets, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. Except, some haven’t. […]
Tales from the Bent Twig Trail: More Barking
In my post last week I wrote about several of the trees that you can easily identify on the Bent Twig Trail by their bark. However, I forgot to include one of the most common on this trail: the Amercian Beech, Fagus grandifolia. Often growing in association with maple trees, our native beech trees have […]
Tales from the Bent Twig Trail: Bridging the Gap
I’m thinking about bridges today, perhaps because Bent Twig Trail has several of them. Each one spanning the ephemeral creek that snakes its way in this small forest fragment. In my role as the Interpretive Programs Manager for Bernheim, I have the great fortune not only of working in a beautiful place, but I also […]
Tales from the Bent Twig Trail
While beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) are often prominent shade tolerant trees found in moist hardwood sections of Bernheim, they seem to be proliferating even in some dried upland areas of the forest these days. Beech trees are easy to identify by their gray bark, which is usually silky smooth but occasionally very wrinkled to resemble an […]