Minerals – wildeherb.com

Fisherman’s Trail at Little Buffalo State Park Newport PA

August 14, 2012April 18, 2010 by wilde

Little Buffalo State Park is easily accessible from Route 322 in Perry County, Pennsylvania. Take Route 34 south through Newport and follow the signs to the state park. Turn right onto Little Buffalo Road and about a mile down the road, take a left onto State Park Road to get to the Day Use Area, where Spring ephemeral wildflowers can be seen.

Map of Fisherman's Trail at Little Buffalo State Park, Newport PA

The Fisherman’s Trail is a one mile trail that begins near the Day Use Area. It is a difficult trail for a short piece that takes you up and over some really big rocks. You’ll have to be able to climb the rocks or stairs to take the upper part of the trail.

To get to the Fisherman’s Trail from the Day Use Area parking lot, head toward the playground and continue south past the entertainment pavilion. Cross the small stream and pass the Way Car No. 12, which is an old narrow-gauge railroad car.

Wide trail at Day Use Area of Little Buffalo State Park.

From the wide trail near the old railroad car follow the hiking sign to get to the Fisherman’s Trail.

Signpost for the Fisherman's Trail at Little Buffalo State Park

From the trail sign the terrain gets steeper and rocky.

Fisherman's Trail in the rocky section near the Day Use Area.

In places it’s not too obvious where the exact trail is so just keep following the yellow tree blazes to stay on the Fisherman’s Trail.

Yellow blazes mark the Fisherman's Trail.

Rocky terrain and the yellow blaze of the Fisherman's Trail.

Glaciers deposited these big rocks and piled them up lke so many pebbles.

The lower section of the Fisherman's Trail is an easy walk.

After the rocky and hilly section the trail runs downhill and flattens out to the lake level. From here the trail is an easy walk.

The end of the Fisherman’s Trail empties out into a picnic area right off the lake. There are plenty of picnic tables and a few grills, too. A bathroom is near this end of the trail, but it will only be open during the summer months, not in April or out-of-season.

Follow the lake side a little further and you’ll come upon the area where you can rent paddle boats. This area of Holman Lake is for boating, fishing, and watching nature and people. Besides rowboats, canoes or kayaks, only small electric motors are allowed on the 88-acre lake. No swimming allowed at this spot. If you want to go swimming at Little Buffalo State Park, check out their fantastic pool which is just beyond the boat rental and more easily reached from the Main Picnic Area gate on Little Buffalo Road.

I saw a couple of common loons drifting across the lake today. This is a great place to see migrating ducks and other waterfowl.

The Fisherman’s Trail was a nice trail and it got me breathing heavy in the beginning of the trail down by the dammed end of the lake because it’s really quite steep and rocky. After you climb up and over and then down the rocky area the trail widens out to a relatively flat pathway that follows the edge of the lake.

There are no wildflowers on this trail, but I did see lots of moss on fallen logs. The only interesting plant I found was Ground Pine, Lycopodium tristachyum, an evergreen, low-growing perennial of shaded woodlands. It’s also called Ground Cedar because the leaves are very small and flat and grow in rounded, fan-like shapes. Look for these “miniature pine trees” on the lower part of the trail near the dam.

Returning to the Day Use Area you could follow the lower section of the trail closer to the lake’s edge, which is more like a footpath, instead of taking the higher part of the trail through the rocky section.

Watch for rocks on the Fisherman's Trail near the lake.

This section of the trail has a lot of rocks and roots to trip over!

Once you come to the dam you have two options. Either take the steps up to the Fisherman’s Trail, where you’ll have to go by a few rocks getting back to the trail head, or cross the dam and take the steps down toward the parking area.

Steps take you back up to the rocky section of the Fisherman's Trail.

48 steps up to the top!

View from the dam of Lake Holman, Little Buffalo State Park, Pennsylvania

View from the dam end of Holman Lake, an 88-acre lake in Little Buffalo State Park, Newport, Pennsylvania.

The scenery was rugged and beautiful at the top of the trail and serene under the hemlocks and pines near the lake. Didn’t see one single wild flower anywhere on the Fisherman’s Trail on 3 April 2010, the day these photos were taken. At Little Buffalo State Park the best views of wild flowers are along the Mill Race Trail.

Icy Rorschach on Wood

March 7, 2011January 30, 2008 by wilde

Today’s weather could be described as topsy-turvy. Starting out with light rain the snow was disappearing slowly until the sun came out later in the day. We don’t have much snow left now, but what remains is changing over from hard ice to a slushy mess.

High winds had the trees really swaying, especially early on today. I’m still surprised how much the trees sway without any leaves on them. I would have thought the surface area of just the woody parts would not be able to catch the wind so well. Their swaying in the wind can sound quite loud! I never knew trees could be so animated until I lived among them.

Up here on the ridge the temperatures at ground level must have been near freezing, especially in the shady areas. On the north side of the house, which is in constant shade, we might have crusty snow all winter long until a thaw occurs.

The wind and the cold together made for some pretty cold wind chill temperatures, so when I let the dog outside to do his business he wanted back inside real fast.

Can we go in now, pretty please?

Can we go in now, pretty please?

It was then that I spotted these wild flowers growing on the deck. Of course it takes a little imagination, but I think Rorschach would be proud. What do you see in these icy images?

Shepard's Purse

Shepard’s Purse.

Dragon's Fern

Dragon’s Fern.

Lone Coconut

Lone Coconut.

Mossy Lichens

Mossy Lichens.

Fleeting Spagnum

Fleeting Spagnum.

It took barely an hour for my little icy formations to disappear into nothingness. Be on the lookout for more surprises from Mother Nature!

Wilde Perseid Meteors Showered the August Night Sky in 2007

August 12, 2007August 12, 2007 by wilde

Quite a few years ago I had the pleasure of observing a fantastic display of meteors. As I came in late one night in August I saw one, then two shooting stars. I waited and looked for more and was totally shocked when I saw them.

Cranking my head up to see the night sky for more than a minute or three was not too comfortable, so I climbed up on my vehicle and reclined back on the windshield. A perfect viewing position! Ever since that meteor show I have looked forward to the 10-11-12 of August to see the Perseids again.

I couldn’t say how many times the viewing conditions were less than ideal. Either clouds obstructed the view, or moonlight filled the nighttime sky with too much light, or I couldn’t get to a dark enough area away from the light pollution of the city to see much of anything.

This week promised to change my meteoric luck. Three days ago we saw two shooting stars as a prelude to last night’s performance. Two days prior we lucked out and had rain, so the chance of more clouds in this season of drought was hopefully slim. And on top of that the 12th of August was slated for a New Moon!

Our house in the country is surrounded by mature oak trees but they don’t ruin the view of the starlit sky overhead. After midnight we assembled ourselves on the back deck with blankets and sat down facing Cassiopeia – the lazy W constellation – in the northeastern sky.

After our eyes adjusted to the darkness the light display began. First, we saw the Milky Way stretch across the sky and many, many brighter stars everywhere. Then we saw a streak of light zip across the sky. Wow! We kept watching and more of the Perseid meteors showered the deep night sky with trails of white, yellow and amber streaks.

The brightest meteors sped across a long path overhead. Others were short, faint streaks that left you questioning whether you had seen a meteor or not. We convinced each other that we did!

The oohs and aahs we let out paid tribute to Mother Nature’s wonderfully natural fireworks display. Laying back on the picnic table we got the whole sky in view and every few minutes exclaimed “yeah!” or “beauty!” upon seeing another one.

It’s not so much the little flashes of light across the night sky that draws me to meteor watching, it’s the whole experience that I enjoy. The sights and the sounds and the peace.

If you are still and listen to the night, you can learn a lot about your surroundings. Last night we were serenaded by hundreds of cicadas high in the trees. Their monotonous “zzeeep-zzzeep” only quieted when the dog barked back. Their sound was not as loud of a droning sound as the 17-year locusts we had a couple years ago, but they were still quite loud.

The dog barked to his neighbors in the north and southwest. I wondered what they had to say to each other. After the dogs quieted down we wondered if we heard some coyotes a little further to the north. Their calls seemed like they were yapping or yowling to each other, not like the barking and coon hound howling we heard earlier.

The most impressive sounds came from the foxes all around us. We counted five different voices at one time, but I suspect there were more foxes near to us than that. In the middle of the night their haunting calls sound like a wailing child. Once the dog started barking the eerie fox cries fell silent. Since I’ve only seen wild foxes in a field here and there, or running along a road or crossing one, I never contemplated that they might actually live in the forests.

In between seeing the shooting stars we listened to the sounds of the night and had a fabulously wilde time enjoying nature. Maybe next year you’ll join us!

Quite a Blooming Difference in 500 Miles and a Week!

May 16, 2007May 10, 2007 by wilde

Returning last week from a holiday spent in North Carolina, we couldn’t help but notice that the trees are mostly in full leaf now. Departing a week earlier we saw the oaks just coming out of their winter buds and a few other tree’s leaves still bundled up tight, like the elms and mimosas.

The dandelions that were left blooming are now dusting their fluffy seeds wherever the wind will carry them. Probably more fodder for next year’s early spring ham and dandelion dinners that are popular around here in central Pennsylvania.

Driving south through Maryland we relished the sight of red bud trees in full bloom. On the return trip north the same trees were full of greenery and barely showed the beautiful purple-violet blooms from the prior week.

In eastern North Carolina the azaleas and dogwoods already finished blooming before we got there, thanks to a cold snap, while our PA azaleas have just enlarged their flower buds so that the color is showing, yet the blossoms are not quite open. Dogwood blossoms are out in their full glory.

Traveling 500 miles one-way is a long trip no matter who is driving or whatever the route. We celebrated our safe journey by visiting with dear friends, tasting some really fantastic grouper and triggerfish, and finding a car load of marine fossils that date back at least a million years.

If you’d like to find your own fossils and have an opportunity to be in eastern North Carolina, stop by the Aurora Fossil Museum where you can see a nearly complete ancient whale, lots of shark’s teeth, and many more fossils from this locality. On May 26, 2007 the annual fossil festival over takes the town with a parade, a pageant, fossil collecting, music, food, and even an auction. Visit the museum’s website to see the auction items, including a marvelous Carcharocles megalodon tooth that is being raffled!

Spring in North Carolina

April 28, 2006April 18, 2006 by wilde

Looks like we’ll be lucky this year and experience two Spring bloomings! Vacationing in North Carolina last week we saw dogwoods, azaleas, lilacs, oxalis, violets, buttercups, wild strawberries and vincas in full bloom. The timing was too early for the garden roses, although there were buds present, and we were just in time to see the first garden iris bloom.

This beautiful iris just opened to greet the sunrise.

On our next trip to North Carolina I’ll get a cutting of this gorgeous Formosa azalea — its blossoms are probably two to three times the size of a typical azalea bloom.

Beautiful Formosa azalea practically shouted — It’s Spring!

A wildflower that caught my eye was the Star-of-Bethlehem which appeared in the lawn. The white blossoms contrast nicely with its bright yellow stamens. It has a habit much like the oxalis in that its blooms open in the sunlight and close without the sun. It took until about noontime on a sunny day for the blooms to fully open. The Star-of-Bethlehem has basal leaves that are entire and have a pale midrib. The white petals have a distinctive green stripe on the backside.

The white blossoms of Star-of-Bethlehem open only in the sunshine.

We stayed with friends on our vacation to collect marine fossils from sediments that date back to over one million years. Their very affectionate cat, Squeaky, found a great place to soak up the morning sun as he lay near the pink azaleas in full bloom.

Squeaky soaks up the sun!

We had a fantastic time on our trip and can’t wait to repeat it. During the recuperative days when we were not crawling around on our hands and knees looking for fossils, we enjoyed our time visiting with our friends and watching the hummingbirds chase each other from the sugar water feeders. The plentiful flowers attracted many swallowtail butterflies like this female on a lilac blossom.

A female swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from a lilac.

Thanks to Pat and Ken for a fantastic vacation! See you again real soon!!