Week of September 1, 2024 – September 7, 2024
by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator
Lately, summer has been winding down and making way for fall to begin. Katydids are becoming quieter and slower with their nighttime songs, the air is cooler, and leaves are even beginning to change to flaming colors of red, orange, and yellow. Fall is also a time of change for us humans as kids return to school, we put on cozy flannels, and we think about fall traditions like apple picking or trips to see the fall foliage in the mountains. For those of us who love the fall, it is an exciting time to have new places to explore.
Here at Baltimore Woods, there will be a great new opportunity to take in autumnal changes starting next week. Close to two miles of new, beautiful trails will be officially open to the public, with updated trail maps available to guide your adventure. The trails meander through and around a variety of habitats including meadows, an abandoned quarry, and forest edges.
As you begin your early September journey on the Meadow and Bluebird Trails, you’ll be greeted with a huge field of bright yellow goldenrod. Look closely at the flowers and you might discover bustling communities of insects and spiders. These flowers are a sure sign of early fall, providing a crucial food source for pollinators like butterflies, bees, wasps, and beetles (such as the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle pictured here). Watch your step as grasshoppers, locusts, and leafhoppers spring ahead of you in all directions. Tiny gardens of puffballs dot the trails, soaking up moisture from the late summer rain.
Reaching the other side of the field, you’ll be presented with two options (and of course, you might do both!) You could continue into the Schoolhouse Field, where children played back in the 1800s and more fall wildflowers abound. Or you could follow the yellow and black pickaxe and shovel trail markers to hike around a huge abandoned quarry. This Rim Trail provides opportunities for stunning views, and it’s a great place to look for migrating birds like warblers and sparrows among the shrubs and forest edge habitat. As you pause to enjoy the landscape, you might take a deep breath of the crisp, cool air. Listen to the crickets and take in the peacefulness of your surroundings as you inhale, and release any stress you may be feeling as you exhale.
We hope that these four new trails will bring years of joy to adventurers at Baltimore Woods. They are the result of many hours of dedicated work thanks to our stewardship staff and volunteers. This fall is just the beginning for the trails, and we can’t wait to hear stories of what you find as you explore them throughout the seasons.