Russell Hudgens and his group of eight from Oklahoma stopped by South Fork on Saturday, May 9, on their trip to study cave biology at Blanchard as well as to learn about activities at the Ozark Folk Center and to learn from the out-of-doors about ecology of the area.

Instruction from the classroom back home came to light as discussion and hands-on work took place at picnic tables by the Riddle cabin using hand lenses and the marker board hung outside on the cabin wall. Flower structure, and even a few pollinators along with tiny thrips having a pollen meal, was seen up close and personal…students were able to answer questions on the subject posed by the teacher regarding study they had done previously.

A walk on the trail out around the bridge over the seep area, one of the unique ecosystems at South Fork, afforded a view of developing buckeye fruits that only a few weeks earlier had been an elongated cluster of bright red flowers.

Following lunch, the day ended all too soon as the van was loaded up heading west around noon…and the class spoke of a return visit next year!