These fun fungi photos were taken by our president, Janet Miron, during a recent trail tour.

By Don Culwell
The 2006 study of plants at SFNC by Theo Witsell and Brent Baker documented a unique ecosystem on the grounds of South Fork, one that showed little sign of disturbance during the recent past.

About three quarters of an acre in area, the upland depression wetland holds shallow standing water during wetter months; massive hummocks of several species of moss, including Sphagnum, cover much of the ecosystem floor. Hot summer weather leaves the site dry. This area, more commonly seen in the Gulf Coastal Plain, supports high bush blueberry (Vaccinium fuscatum), Drummond’s red maple (Acer rubrum var. Drummondii), maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina), and several orchid populations as well as a diversity of sedges (two of which are of conservation concern) and partridge berry (Mitchella repens). Restoration and maintenance of this ecosystem requires considerable opening of the canopy increasing the available light, future controlled burns.

So, the first step in this restoration is removal of the many Eastern red cedars that have grown tall as well as a number of tall sweetgums and hickory species. This tree removal became a Saturday project on May 14 when 12 anxious and dedicated workers (SFNC docents, Board members, and friends) gathered early in the morning for duty. Chain saws whined loudly as trees came thundering down; ten foot cedar logs good enough for fence rails were cleaned and saved while the brush and undesirable trees were burned. A welcomed rest and lunch at noon at the picnic tables beside the cabin was a fine idea…leaving only the feeding of the two huge fires with the ends of burned logs and branches. By 3:00 pm all was quiet, save only an occasional pop and crackle of the fires. If one were to listen carefully, an ever so softly spoken word could be heard from the heart of the ecosystem being restored… “Thanks for giving me light again!”

(For documentation of this ecosystem, see “A Comprehensive Floristic Inventory, Habitat Assessment and Plant Community Classification of South Fork Native Plant Preserve, Van Buren County, AR, 2006” by Theo Witsell and Brent Baker…noted on SFNC web site under “Reports.”)

Saturday, June 18, 2016
The 6th annual butterfly program at South Fork Nature Center was attended by about 65 interested people. It included dressing children as butterflies to review insect anatomy, learning about and observing the life stages of 8 species of local butterflies, and releasing 8 adult butterflies and about 50 Monarch eggs and caterpillars on their milkweed host plants.

During the segment about Monarch butterflies, 18 people from the audience were given butterfly weed seedlings to take home and plant in their yards.

A highlight of the event happened at the very end when a Pipevine Swallowtail adult broke its chrysalis open and crawled to a spot for wing expansion and drying. It always feels like such a privilege to witness the beginning of the adult stage of a butterfly’s life.
Ruth Andre

June 10, 2016…the day 55 summer school kids K-8 under the direction of Kathi Beavers, the manager of the Clinton program, arrived at the South Fork kiosk for a day of fun, learning and games. Nine docents took the kids, divided into age groups, out on the trails to see, hear smell, and touch nature.

When a log was turned over in the moist leaf litter along the trail, excited kindergartners whooped and hollered at the several flesh-colored earthworms writhing to get back in the darkness of the rich soil under the log. Picking them up the kids noticed the slimy wet feeling and one that “pooped” on a girl’s hand…all very natural. They read the words on the stone signs naming trees alongside the trail (called them “clues”)…oak, red, tree…some recognition crept into their young and inquisitive minds.

Our group of 3rd and 4th graders were each given an identical bag of “natural” building supplies consisting of objects found at South Fork. They hiked the trails as a group talking about the natural habitats of creatures living at the nature center. Fox dens, spider webs, birds nests, carpenter bee infested trees were just a few of the “habitats” observed. After hiking, the students independently worked at creating a habitat for a real or imaginary animal. They used donated pizza boxes as their stage and presented their creations to the group-once again reinforcing what they learned about habitats and the impact humans can have on them. They really did get creative…competition was keen for the best creative art design!

Seventh and eighth graders examined the emerging milkweed populations planted a year ago to enrich the glade habitats for the monarch butterfly populations in the South Fork area. They ran statistics on the numbers of plants surviving the summer and winter conditions which involved moisture, temperature and herbivore activity.

12:00 noon…time to be back at the Riddle Cabin for lunch at the picnic tables; the warm, humid day caused many iced bottles of water to be opened for a good cool-down. Some lunch-time conversations centered around what life in the 100 year old log cabin, where Granny Riddle had grown up, must have been like (many kids noticed that they could not have plugged in their tech devices).

Lunch being over, one group of kids followed a docent on a trail-side game activity…another group carried the long, 5 foot cross-cut saw (a handle at each end) to the big 16 inch log awaiting saw action. As sawdust fell on each side of the log, students were reminded that the saw had cut through rings of wood growth laid down during times when particular activities of the years had occurred (16 or so rings into the log was when the twin towers in NY had come down…etc.). Trees of the forest continue to put on rings of wood, one or more a year, documenting the history of each year; oak, hickory, pine, each grows ever larger on the forest floor.

As 1:00 rolled around, Mike Wells, their junior high principal and bus driver, noted the time to return to campus…the day was about to end at South Fork…it had been another grand experience out in nature!!

Photos courtesy of Faye Rodgers
Thank you to our special guests at today’s “Handy, Helpful Herbs” workshop! It was a glorious day at the nature center for sharing the joys of our nature trails and learning about historical uses of our native plants from knowledgeable docent, Shirley Pratt.

The programs at the Nature Center every 3rd Saturday of the month are FREE and open to the public. The trails are open year-round, so don’t miss a chance to visit this remarkable facility!

(Photos courtesy of Johnny Sigler)
The 3rd Saturday Morning at South Fork for May dawned bright and beautiful, perfect weather day for a trail walk! Although few in number, visitors arrived with high anticipation for Handy, Helpful Herbs of South Fork, the walk led by docent Shirley Pratt.

The group met at the Riddle Log Cabin for a welcome and introductions and a quick look at a reference list for future research on their own. Then off to the cedar glade trail! Some handy food trees along the trail included white oak for acorns to roast, hickory for nutty treats, pine for flour made from the inner bark. The group discovered some unexpected medicinal qualities of the dogwood, whose bark has been used as a fever reducer; the wild black cherry’s bark was used as an expectorant for congestion; and the eastern red cedar multi-tasked as a strong diuretic, insect repellent, source of vitamin C, as well as a treatment for itchy skin, not to mention fence posts!

Helpful plants on the forest floor were little wild onions, nature’s tasty but powerful antibiotics. Goat’s rue was discovered on a rock ledge, a plant used by Native Americans in stream pools to stun fish for an easy catch for supper. So many interesting plants were encountered! Back at the cabin, the group relaxed around the picnic tables as they were introduced to surprisingly handy and helpful common “weeds” probably growing on their own property! What a great day!

Come out every 3rd Saturday April through November and discover the many faces of South Fork, meet new friends, and learn new things about the wonderful world of nature in your own backyard!

Don Culwell, Programs Director
A walk in the woods for leg stretching, a listen for bird songs, a view of some remaining wild flowers, and (for some of us) a dodging of rain drops. We had it all when the 9th graders, 8th graders, and 7th graders came out (separate in three weeks of April, some 225 students all-told) for a trek in the woods. Groups of 8-12 students from Clinton followed SFNC docents as they walked the trails, talked about ecology and ecosystems, and discovered activities of plant sex as the parts of the flower were examined with hand lenses for their structure and function. The Riddle Cabin stood ready with lantern light, benches, and chairs for students in case a shower interrupted activities.

With only an hour and a half for students to be at South Fork those days, teachers and students alike had a chance to see the grandeur of the out-of-doors and what SFNC has to offer anyone willing to spend a bit of time on the trails alone or with a group anxious to follow a program. Come commune with nature…South Fork invites you!

<a href="https://southforknaturecenter.org/educators/