Outdoor enthusiasts spent a pleasant afternoon exploring the grounds of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary during the “Learn Your Trees” walk led by Dr. Chris Sacchi on Saturday, April 27. The walking tour, which covered the walking paths around the sanctuary and a short hike to the Southern Outlook, included an emphasis on identifying native plants by examining leaves, bark and other characteristics.
Sacchi, a biology professor at Kutztown University, began his laid-back tour by identifying a Eastern Hemlock near the visitor’s center. This tree was named the state tree of Pennsylvania in the 1930s.
“Most books say the hemlock is not very useful as a lumber tree,” Sacchi said, “because it is very knotty. But it turns out they’re very good for building log cabins.”
As he examined the tree, Sacchi noted that a friend used the knotty but durable hemlock boards to build a beautiful cabin. He pulled off a small stem to show the group evidence of the hemlock woolly adelgid, a threat to the Hemlocks accidentally introduced in Virginia that has spread outward in recent decades. The insects will kill a hemlock in three to ten years, he noted, but can be effectively combated with horticultural oils.
Sacchi pointed out other trees such as the gray birch, characterized by lines, or lenticels, on its bark; the black birch, with a distinctive smell of wintergreen when scratched; the red and white oaks, with their characteristic leaves and acorns; and evergreens like the white pine. Pointing to a budding tree, Sacchi identified it as “the native magnolia. It’s considered a very primitive plant. The flowers they produce have a very strong, pleasant aroma but no nectar.”
Also noted on the walk were native bushes (including the mountain laurel, which produces the Pennsylvania state flower) and wild flowers such as the blood root, which is related to the poppy plant, and the delicately-flowered dutchman’s breeches. At a creek bed, Sacchi discovered groups of may apples, with umbrella-shaped foliage that almost hide a beautiful bloom in summer.
Many of the plants are known by multiple names, including the service berry bush, also known as the shad bush or June berry. All of these names have meanings: the bush tends to flower around the time the shad run in June, which was also the time itinerant preachers began holding services in years past.
“That’s why the scientific names have such value,” Sacci added.
More than 20 people, including children, teens and adults, took the walking tour. As the afternoon progressed, they learned to differentiate between trees and shrubs, and how to use identifiers such as the scent of scratched bark or torn leaves to identify a plant. Sacchi dispensed advice on picking native plants to grow in home gardens.
Sacchi also provided information on how many plants have been used in medicines and tonics. However, he cautioned, it is unwise for amateurs to try and ingest most of these plants. If not harvested and prepared properly, or if too much is taken in, they can be quite toxic.
The professor also advised his group to be cautious in purchasing native plants. Some sellers are unethical in how they obtain sought-after native plants, sometimes culling them from forests and upsetting fragile ecosystems. Sacci said gardeners should look for plans labeled “nursery propagated.”
Gardeners were able to buy suitable plants at the Native Plants Sale at Hawk Mountain on May 16 and 17. The raptor sanctuary also has a wide range of activities planned in May, including children’s activities like “The Caterpillar and the Polliwog” on Saturday, May 23.
For details on all Hawk Mountain programs, including trail fees and participant costs, visit the sanctuary’s website: hawkmountain.org. Hawk Mountain is located at 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton.
