https://www.kiakimamuseum.org/files/original/e348034674bf9235b698e0a9ca341845.pdf 9bd830ea5ef6bde6ad649b4a140c2b6c PDF Text Text PECKER WOOD NATURE TRAIL CAMP CURRIER �MfMPHl5 ' fltfL( �. PECKERWOOD NATURE TRAIL -The Peckerwood Nature. Trail is located in Scout Camp Currier, property of Chickasaw Council, BSA. The camp is ' off Mississippi Highway 304, just west of Eudora·. See map. The Trail starts and ends i at the Tomahawk Dining Hall on the main central road. You may park in this area. The Trail is approximately 3 miles long, in a loop. Allow 2 hours hiking time. The Trail is marked with a Wolf's head painted on trees. The first half .of the Trail will introduce you to tree identification. The second half will quiz you on these same trees. Other points of nature lore will be described but not quizzed. I:: ;;,a rticular, changes in the environment due to natural forces will be observed. Use this Trail as a Nature lesson. Snakes are not often seen in Camp Currier, but do be careful. Everywhere you will see Poison Ivy. It grows as a small plant, a bush, or as a vine. Learn to identi fy it. The leaves are in 3's as: POISON IVY VIRGINIA CREERER Any plant with white berries is to be avoided (poison ivy and poison sumac}. Any tree with red berries is safe to touch (dogwood, hol ly, shiny sumac, staghorn sumac). "Berries white, poisonous sight." You should identify also Virginia Creeper everywhere. It is a small plant or vine with leaves in groups of 5's, smaller and darker than poison ivy. Look for it on the ground and growing up trees. It is not poisonous. Let us begin. Immediately across the road from the dining hall is a line of Oak trees. The leaves are deeply notched. The points between the notches are pointed in the Red Oak and rounded in the White Oak. :L �WHITE RED OAK A much smaller tree along this roadside is the Sassafras . Many very young ones are growing in a cut-over area right at the roadside just across from the front door of the dining hall. Notice the leaves are of three shapes: The leaves, bark, stems, and roots have a distinctiv e, smell. The roots were once very root beer. You will encounter used Sassafras trees throughou t the YELLOW POPLAR SASSAFRAS Soon on your right, just as you enter the meadow, you will see a very big tree at the edge of the forest. This is a Yellow Poplar or Tulip Poplar tree . The trunk is very straight. In younger specimens the bark is smooth. The l eaf is shaped lik e a tulip. In the spring there are tulip-shap ed blossoms of green, yellow , and orange. This is the State Tree of Tennessee . Before the arrival of civilization , the Yellow Poplar was the most common big tree east of the Mississip pi River. This particular specimen is not as straight and wellformed as most. The large hole in the trunk shows · that it was injured by fire when it was young . 2 �Look closely for rows of small holes made by woodpecke rs. SWEET GUM In the clump of trees at the head of the meadow, by the concrete slab, are several trees to learn. One has leaves in the shape of a S-pointed star. Boys are usually familiar with the seed-burr or gumball. This is the Red Gum or ~ -- - - . Sweet Gum. Some specimens will ~ have cork "wings" along the stemslook for them. A smaller tree in this clump has heart-shap ed leaves. This is the Redbud (remember heart-shap edred blood- redbud). Early in the Spring these trees produce a bright purple blossom, seen best in cultivated varieties in the city. A tall tree in this clump is the Persirrmon . It has long, smooth, slightly irregular leaves. Note the "ch~ckP.t"board " appearanc e of the bark. The wood ir very hard. In the Autumn a fleshy orange fruit is produced which is a favorite of the opossw~1 and other animals. fltD 8C4 0 PERSIMMON 3 �Also in this clump you will find a big American Elm. The leaves are smallish and have a sawtoothed edge. AMERICAN ELM Follow the Trail into the forest. Soon on your right you will find a Red Maple marked. Look around , you will see a number of these trees. The leaf is more-or -less star-sha ped , but the edge has deeper , smoothe r notches than the Sweet Gum you learned earlier. OOGWOOD RED MAPLE Jus t past the Maple, you should find a small Dogwood Tree. You will see ma~y and larger specimen s in the forest , but this is a good one to look at the leaf. The rounded leaves with promine nt veins o::cur in pairs- remembe r the pairs as "Buddie s". You are familiar with the lovely white blossom seen early each Spring. A red berry appears in the Autumn. The bark in older trees may remind you of "alligat or skin". The Dogw.::>-:>d has the hard est, heavies t wood in the forest . Soon on the right you will find a ~ l ump of cane . You will see it again in the forest. It usually grows on hillside s near water. The wood is e xtremely tough. The Indians had many uses for cane- arrows, baskets , mats, roofing, blow guns and darts. Soon beside the trail you will see patches of vines some are as tall as you. The ones with th ~ thorns are Blackbe rry. The smooth vines are Ho.1ey3u ckle, a native of Asia that is now establis hed thro'.1gh out this country. 4 �a stand of Pine trees. Note that On the left is one of the largest fell during an ice storm in the Winter of 1 78- 79~ It will decay and return to the soil, becoming fertilizer for the next generation. There are 4 kinds of Pines conunon to our part of the country: Shortleaf, Longleaf, Loblolly and Spruce Pine. 1 Further along the trail you will find another large White Oak. The bark and wood are paler than most oaks. The leaves are notched and have round points. Growing at the base of this White Oak is a small Sweet Gwn. Note again the star-shaped leaf and the cork wings on the stems. The smooth-barked tree with the feathery fem-like leaf is the Mi mosa . A native of Africa , it is seen often in the city but is unconunon in the forest. c Do not leav e the T rail , but wa tch down the hill t o your right fo r a marked tree. This is the American Beech. The leaves are similiar to the Elm famil y. The bark is smooth and is often damaged by carving . Don ' t do it! The beechnuts are favorites of squirrels and other animals. You are now at Peckerwood Point , a landmark at Camp Currier. When long-term Summer camp was at Currier, the Craft Shack was here. Listen for ~he tapping of wo8dpeckers. There are 7 species of woodpecker in our area. The Redheaded is on the Trail Patch. The Pileated is as big as a Crow and has a crest. You may see the Red-bellied, the Hairy, the Downy, the Yellowshafted Flicker, or the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Stay to the left side of the trail. On the right side of the trail there is a bee-tree. This red oak has a hollow which is occupied by a hive of honey bees. Do be careful. Looking out over the lake you should ide ntify turtles. The swirling water in the shallows marks the s p a wning beds of blue gill bream. �~---x x-- - .... '., ........ - ......... __ .... w . ;... I / ·... N_lllc:..\ ,: /Nlo .:..-x-------,:-_:~·----- --iI . · ' )- ·-::''\ \ .. . . .. . ·" I /l\ f • ', "'N.9) · '../w .:. - '\ "~ · N7c, \ ·: ll!J / A// . . :. ":'"'. >" NIS / ,,,'A,.,'9 1c1:1:; ~ W I\ , . : ,. · . '\ · - ·.> .S~ t:. i I \o;. '· /IS . " :- ,..... _. ..,. : I N;; : :. CAMP CURRIER CHICKASAW COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS of A~l.ER I CA LEGEND w s Adi rondock Gobin a Troo:> No. EorrnOom ==:==G rovel rood Snolfor ---- Dlfl rood F1c9~olt · ········Fool !roil ....._.. ' • lnletm.""'°"' ~!:'; 8offiCOdt Cemetery 0 Wood' ...__ -. Swor.'\;> Com~s · t• - -- - L ,_, W016r Snowor ,. H p >--< ,,, ~ ', ;:;~;.::p . ,. . ... ,,,t>'l~'l Swim.Po~.{;,_,.~ ·· . . . ~ '·I . .. . • h ~ · ... ....... :.· 5 6. 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This lake was made by man damming streams. Beavers do the same thing. Across the lake to the right of the dam you may make out the remains of an old beaver lodge. It looks like a pile of poles and was the home of a beaver family. Later you will see Shepherd Lake, just off Scout property. Hemker Lake was once as beautiful as Shepherd Lake. The Trail goes steeply down hill and then cuts back sharply to the right following the old shoreline. Just at the turn, notice a Water Oak. Just past the Water Oak is a stump showing how bea\ters cut down trees. Follow the trail carefully along the face of the ridge until you find the crossover through the meadow. The predominant plant in this meadow is the Jewelweed. Its leaves crushed and rubbed on the skin will stop the itch of poison ivy or sunburn. It bears a bright orange blossom in the Summer and Autumn. If you do <lot see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds today, come back in September. This meadow collects a large flock of the beautiful little hummingbirds who feast here on the Jewelweed nectar in preparation for flying across the Gulf of Mexico to winter in South America. In the meadow across the stream is a clump of small trees. Most of them ' are Staghorn Sumac. They have compound leaves and in the Fall and Winter they show a clump of dry red berries. The berries are edible or can be made into Sumac-adebut not very tasty. Sumacs are one of the first trees to colonize an open area and thereby are pioneers in plant succession, the conversion of a meadow to a forest. l 4 �~ In this clump are Cotton wood and Sycam ore trees . Both like to live near water . The Cotton wood leaf is large, rough ly triang ular, with jagged edges . The seeds are f loated on a puff of cotton , hence the name. The Sycam ore leave is very large, like a giant maple leaf. The seeds are like dande lion seeds but in a puff ball. On older trees the bark peels off Jn many layers leavin g a white skinne d trunk . In this area look for severa l small Box Elder s. The leav es look exactl y like poison ivy b~t the plant, here a small tree, grows to mediu m-big tree size. Leavin g the meadow , foll01n· t he Traii to your left along the old sho r eline toward the dam. Before reachi ng the dam you should l ocate the pile of s ticks and limbs w~1ich was the roof of th~ house (or lodge) of the b ea ve r . Walk along the darn to the place where it is broke ~. In Spring 1980 the beavers return ed and b~ilt a small dam here . This ha s ra ised the level of the lake. You wi ll find a medium tree before you get to the beave r h~t ch , and anothe r like it, the last tree on the dam, rig':Jt a t tho: stream and beave r dam. This is the Pri ncess tree. The leaves are very big and h ea rt s haped . Purple blosso ms appea r in the . Spring and cluste rs of brown seed- pods a re seen all Winte r. This native of China is well estab lished here. Care ful ly c ros s the break in the dam right at the water line . The Trail go es up hill back into the forest . Look for large grape vines near the top. Do you see Beech trees? In the middle of the Trail is a repre senta tive Red Maple . Look around , you will 7 �see several more. The leaf is more-or-less starshaped but the edge has deeper smoother notches than the Sweet Gum you learned earlier. Further along the Trail and to the right you will see a large tree which has many woodpecker holes. The largest were made by the Pileated Woodpecker, a rare woodpecker as large as a Crow. It is black with a red, black, and white face, and a red topknot. On this section of Trail you will see two trees with similar names and similar leaves. The American Hornbeam has very smooth bark and the trunk looks like it has "muscles" (remember "Arnericanmuscles" . The Hophornbeam has long thin strips of fine bark which will "hop" off the trunk if you rub it . The bark of these trees is the best way to identify these two. The leaves are very similar and l ook just like an Elm leaf. As you reach the top of the hill, the clearing, and the road, you will have the opportunity to show what you have learned. How many kinds of Pine are common in the Mid-South? The next tree has star-shaped leaves and a rough ball. What is it? This tree has smooth b a rk and muscles. What is its name? This tall tree has a leaf and blossom shaped like its name. What is it7 Stop for a rest at the Troop 27 cabin. _ You will see several evergreens with red wood and a distinctive smell. They are Redcedar trees. Proceed along the old road (this is the West Road) until you come to a cleared area on the right. In this area are Adirondack shelters, named after the mountains where they were developed. They are open and cool in the Summer. In the Winter the reflector fireplace warms the shelter but lets the smoke escape. Go in to the cleared area, the Trail exits at 8 '· �the far end. Along the right edge of the clearing you should indentify Sweet Gum, Yellow (Tulip) Poplar, Dogwood. The Trail leaves the clearing at the marked shelter. Follow the Trail downhill. In the soft ground at the foot look for tracks of deer and raccoone The Trail goes up to the left to the Shepherd Lake overlook. Below you see Shepherd Lake. A man-made dam produced this lake. Hemker Lake was once this beautiful. Stay away from the steep banks. Shepherd Lake is a private lake outside the Camp Currier property. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRY TO APPROACH IT. This area is overgrown with Kudzu. Kudzu is a vine from Asia. It covers the ground (and everything else) and prevents it from washing away. Kudzu prevents erosion but kills all other vegetation in its path, even mighty trees. Kudzu dies with the first frost. While overlooking Shepherd Lake you may identify a tall dead tree to the right of a large clump of trees. This is a favorite haunt of ttie Redheaded Woodpeckers. Look for th2ir red heads and black wing with white patch. Listen for the thin high voice of the Peewee as it calls its name to you. Watch for Cardinals everywhere in the forest. Look for an old chimney. The Trail resumes here and returns to the West Road. We will go several hundred yards on the West Road (to your right) to a turnoff that goes to the right. Follow this, taking its left fork, passing Troop 34 ' s cabin, and down the hill to Clay Cliff. Notice how steep this bluff i s . The stream has eroded its base . Erosion is relatively you:-ig here. You should see fish and frogs i n the stream. Backtrack to West Road. Just before reaching the ranger 1 s house, you will find on your l eft anothe r specimen of the State Tree of Tennesse e . What is it? In front of the ranger 1 s house, take a left on the gravel road, down and up th2 hill. Take the left fork at Indian Meadow, a favorit e camping area Along thr::! road, by the water pump, yo:.i will find 9 �several trees with smooth leaves and checkerb oard bark. Their orange fruit is called· what? Indian Meadow is a favorite haunt of the Red-head ed and the Red-bel lied Woodpec ker,· s o ke~p your eyes and e ars open. Cros s Indi a n Meadow to the Pavilion ·and fo llow the Trai l thro ugh t~e camps ites back in the corner, and then down the hill to Nature Lane. Follow Nature Lane to your right to Suicide Cliff. Along the way you will see several kinds o f fern. The easiest to learn is Christm as Fern. It is a n e vergre e n and used f o r decorati ons at Chris tmaa . Each leaflet is shape d like a little Christma s s tocking . A l arge y ellowish -gree n fern i s BROAD BEECH Fe rn. Maiden- hai r Fern and Polypody Fe rn are along the trai l. t Fo llowing Nature Lane, take a left across the s tream to find famous Suicide Cliff. Twenty- five y e ars ago this wa s steeper than Cl ay Cli ff seen earli e r. Er osion h as worn it down. The dirt from Suici de is now part of t h e meadow that was once Hemke r Lake. Backtrac k to Nature Lane and find the ma rked T ra il that goes up the hill. Past the clearings you will find a water pump and the main central gravel road. To your left, within sight is Tomahaw k Dining Hal l where you started. Before boarding your ca ~ , check all your Scouts for ousand ticks carries the ticks. One in one hundred germ of Rocky Mountain Spott~d Fever. The tick must feed on a human for several hours before it can transmi t the germ, so if you get the ticks right off now, you should have nothing to worry about. The Peckerwo od Nature Trail is a Volunte er project service to The Chickasa w Council . We hope you en joyed the Trail and learned alot. An attracti ve Trail Patch is availab le for $1.50. Order f r om: P eckerwoo d Nature Trai l 1 3 4 5 Hi ckory Ridge Co ve Memphis , Tn., 38116 10 j �NOTES �0 ~ 0 Cl> < <» � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Camp Currier Description An account of the resource This collections contains pictures and documents relating to the Chickasaw Council's camp in Eudora, Mississippi. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document PECKERWOOD NATURE TRAIL CAMP CURRIER MfMPHl5 ' fltfL( . PECKERWOOD NATURE TRAIL -The Peckerwood Nature. Trail is located in Scout Camp Currier, property of Chickasaw Council, BSA. The camp is ' off Mississippi Highway 304, just west of Eudora·. See map. The Trail starts and ends iat the Tomahawk Dining Hall on the main central road. You may park in this area. The Trail is approximately 3 miles long, in a loop. Allow 2 hours hiking time. The Trail is marked with a Wolf's head painted on trees. The first half .of the Trail will introduce you to tree identification. The second half will quiz you on these same trees. Other points of nature lore will be described but not quizzed. I:: ;;,articular, changes in the environment due to natural forces will be observed. Use this Trail as a Nature lesson. Snakes are not often seen in Camp Currier, but do be careful. Everywhere you will see Poison Ivy. It grows as a small plant, a bush, or as a vine. Learn to identify it. The leaves are in 3's as: POISON IVY VIRGINIA CREERER Any plant with white berries is to be avoided (poison ivy and poison sumac}. Any tree with red berries is safe to touch (dogwood, holly, shiny sumac, staghorn sumac). "Berries white, poisonous sight." You should identify also Virginia Creeper everywhere. It is a small plant or vine with leaves in groups of 5's, smaller and darker than poison ivy. Look for it on the ground and growing up trees. It is not poisonous. Let us begin. Immediately across the road from the dining hall is a line of Oak trees. The leaves are deeply notched. The points between the notches are pointed in the Red Oak and rounded in the White Oak. :L RED OAK WHITE A much smaller tree along this roadside is the Sassafras. Many very young ones are growing in a cut-over area right at the roadside just across from the front door of the dining hall. Notice the leaves are of three shapes: very used SASSAFRAS The leaves, bark, stems, and roots have a distinctive, smell. The roots were once root beer. You will encounter Sassafras trees throughout the YELLOW POPLAR Soon on your right, just as you enter the meadow, you will see a very big tree at the edge of the forest. This is a Yellow Poplar or Tulip Poplar tree . The trunk is very straight. In younger specimens the bark is smooth. The l eaf is shaped lik e a tulip. In the spring there are tulip-shaped blossoms of green, yellow , and orange. This is the State Tree of Tennessee . Before the arrival of civilization, the Yellow Poplar was the most common big tree east of the Mississippi River. This particular specimen is not as straight and wellformed as most. The large hole in the trunk shows · that it was injured by fire when it was young. 2 Look closely for rows of small holes made by woodpeckers. SWEET GUM In the clump of trees at the head of the meadow, by the concrete slab, are several trees to learn. One has leaves in the shape of a S-pointed star. Boys are usually familiar with the seed-burr or gumball. This is the Red Gum or ~- - - - . Sweet Gum. Some specimens will ~ have cork "wings" along the stemslook for them. A smaller tree in this clump has heart-shaped leaves. This is the Redbud (remember heart-shapedred blood- redbud). Early in the Spring these trees produce a bright purple blossom, seen best in cultivated varieties in the city. A tall tree in this clump is the Persirrmon. It has long, smooth, slightly irregular leaves. Note the "ch~ckP.t"board " appearance of the bark. The wood ir very hard. In the Autumn a fleshy orange fruit is produced which is a favorite of the opossw~ 1 and other animals. fltD 8C4 0 PERSIMMON 3 Also in this clump you will find a big American Elm. The leaves are smallish and have a sawtoothed edge. AMERICAN ELM Follow the Trail into the forest. Soon on your right you will find a Red Maple marked. Look around , you will see a number of these trees. The leaf is more-or-less star-shaped, but the edge has deeper, smoother notches than the Sweet Gum you learned earlier. OOGWOOD RED MAPLE Jus t past the Maple, you should find a small Dogwood Tree. You will see ma~y and larger specimen s in the forest , but this is a good one to look at the leaf. The rounded leaves with prominent veins o::cur in pairs- remember the pairs as "Buddies". You are familiar with the lovely white blossom seen early each Spring. A red berry appears in the Autumn. The bark in older trees may remind you of "alligator skin". The Dogw.::>-:>d has the hard est, heaviest wood in the forest . Soon on the right you will find a ~ l ump of cane . You will see it again in the forest. It usually grows on hillsides near water. The wood is e xtremely tough. The Indians had many uses for cane- arrows, baskets, mats, roofing, blow guns and darts. Soon beside the trail you will see patches of vines some are as tall as you. The ones with th ~ thorns are Blackberry. The smooth vines are Ho.1ey3uckle, a native of Asia that is now established thro'.1ghout this country. 4 On the left is a stand of Pine trees. Note that one of the largest fell during an ice storm in the Winter of 1 78- 1 79~ It will decay and return to the soil, becoming fertilizer for the next generation. There are 4 kinds of Pines conunon to our part of the country: Shortleaf, Longleaf, Loblolly and Spruce Pine. Further along the trail you will find another large White Oak. The bark and wood are paler than most oaks. The leaves are notched and have round points. Growing at the base of this White Oak is a small Sweet Gwn. Note again the star-shaped leaf and the cork wings on the stems. The smooth-barked tree with the feathery fem-like leaf is the Mi mosa . A native of Africa , it is seen often in the city but is unconunon in the forest. c Do not leav e the T rail , but wa tch down the hill t o your right fo r a marked tree. This is the American Beech. The leaves are similiar to the Elm famil y. The bark is smooth and is often damaged by carving . Don ' t do it! The beechnuts are favorites of squirrels and other animals. You are now at Peckerwood Point, a landmark at Camp Currier. When long-term Summer camp was at Currier, the Craft Shack was here. Listen for ~he tapping of wo8dpeckers. There are 7 species of woodpecker in our area. The Redheaded is on the Trail Patch. The Pileated is as big as a Crow and has a crest. You may see the Red-bellied, the Hairy, the Downy, the Yellowshafted Flicker, or the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Stay to the left side of the trail. On the right side of the trail there is a bee-tree. This red oak has a hollow which is occupied by a hive of honey bees. Do be careful. Looking out over the lake you should ide ntify turtles. The swirling water in the shallows marks the s p a wning beds of blue gill bream. 5 - .:..-x------ --,:-_:~·----- --i ~---x x-- / . · ' )- ·-::''\ \ I w . ; ... I . . . . . 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CAMP CURRIER CHICKASAW COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS of A~l.ER I CA LEGEND w W016r s Snowor L ,. Lottit\t ,_, Adi rondock H Snolfor p F1c9~olt >--< 8offiCOdt ~!:'; Cemetery 0 Wood' 5 6. Com~s· t• ~~ 040 Gobin a Troo:> No. =« EorrnOom ==:==Grovel rood ---- Dlfl rood ·········Fool !roil ....._ .. ' • lnletm.""'°"' --.r-.- Crook ...__ -. Swor.'\;> --- - 6J"ndory -w-•- ~t~('l ;r .. ~ t ~ .11..· t~ ~~?~ A:t !),.r.~·l~~·~v ~''"'~·';,;'" ~''? ::; . .. :r· ·" :.-:-::·><-· -)( ~·+xt·.·::\~;-:··----~---:-.------) ., "">';o ;.:r f ~,.,//(}<.> Below you is Hemker Lake. This lake was once beautiful and deep. It has been filled in by silt from erosion. You can see here the process by which a lake becomes a meadow and the meadow becomes a forest. This lake was made by man damming streams. Beavers do the same thing. Across the lake to the right of the dam you may make out the remains of an old beaver lodge. It looks like a pile of poles and was the home of a beaver family. Later you will see Shepherd Lake, just off Scout property. Hemker Lake was once as beautiful as Shepherd Lake. The Trail goes steeply down hill and then cuts back sharply to the right following the old shoreline. Just at the turn, notice a Water Oak. Just past the Water Oak is a stump showing how bea\ters cut down trees. Follow the trail carefully along the face of the ridge until you find the crossover through the meadow. The predominant plant in this meadow is the Jewelweed. Its leaves crushed and rubbed on the skin will stop the itch of poison ivy or sunburn. It bears a bright orange blossom in the Summer and Autumn. If you do <lot see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds today, come back in September. This meadow collects a large flock of the beautiful little hummingbirds who feast here on the Jewelweed nectar in preparation for flying across the Gulf of Mexico to winter in South America. In the meadow across the stream is a clump of small trees. Most of them 'are Staghorn Sumac. They have compound leaves and in the Fall and Winter they show a clump of dry red berries. The berries are edible or can be made into Sumac-adebut not very tasty. Sumacs are one of the first trees to colonize an open area and thereby are pioneers in plant succession, the conversion of l a meadow to a forest. 4 In this clump are Cottonwood and Sycamore trees. Both like to live near water . The Cottonwood leaf is large, roughly triangular, with jagged edges. The seeds are f loated on a puff of cotton, hence the name. The Sycamore leave is very large, like a giant maple leaf. The seeds are like dandelion se eds but in a puff ball. On older trees the bark peels off Jn many layers leaving a white skinned trunk . In this area look for several small Box Elders. The leav es look exactly like poison ivy b~t the plant, ~ here a small tree, grows to medium-big tree size. Leaving the meadow , foll01n· t he Traii to your left along the old shor eline toward the dam. Before reaching the dam you should l ocate the pile of s ticks and limbs w~1ich was the roof of th~ house (or lodge) of the b ea ver . Walk along the darn to the place where it is broke ~. In Spring 1980 the beavers returned and b~ilt a small dam here . This ha s raised the level of the lake. You wi ll find a medium tree before you get to the beave r h~t ch , and another like it, the last tree on the dam, rig':Jt a t tho: stream and beaver dam. This is the Princess tree. The leaves are very big and h ea rt s haped . Purple blossoms appear in the . Spring and clusters of brown seed-pods a re seen all Winter. This native of China is well established here. Careful ly c ros s the break in the dam right at the water line . The Trail goes up hill back into the forest . Look for large grape vines near the top. Do you see Beech trees? In the middle of the Trail is a representative Red Maple. Look around, you will 7 see several more. The leaf is more-or-less starshaped but the edge has deeper smoother notches than the Sweet Gum you learned earlier. Further along the Trail and to the right you will see a large tree which has many woodpecker holes. The largest were made by the Pileated Woodpecker, a rare woodpecker as large as a Crow. It is black with a red, black, and white face, and a red topknot. On this section of Trail you will see two trees with similar names and similar leaves. The American Hornbeam has very smooth bark and the trunk looks like it has "muscles" (remember "Arnericanmuscles" . The Hophornbeam has long thin strips of fine bark which will "hop" off the trunk if you rub it. The bark of these trees is the best way to identify these two. The leaves are very similar and l ook just like an Elm leaf. As you reach the top of the hill, the clearing, and the road, you will have the opportunity to show what you have learned. How many kinds of Pine are common in the Mid-South? The next tree has star-shaped leaves and a rough ball. What is it? This tree has smooth b ark and muscles. What is its name? This tall tree has a leaf and blossom shaped like its name. What is it7 Stop for a rest at the Troop 27 cabin. _ You will see several evergreens with red wood and a distinctive smell. They are Redcedar trees. Proceed along the old road (this is the West Road) until you come to a cleared area on the right. In this area are Adirondack shelters, named after the mountains where they were developed. They are open and cool in the Summer. In the Winter the reflector fireplace warms the shelter but lets the smoke escape. Go in to the cleared area, the Trail exits at 8 '· the far end. Along the right edge of the clearing you should indentify Sweet Gum, Yellow (Tulip) Poplar, Dogwood. The Trail leaves the clearing at the marked shelter. Follow the Trail downhill. In the soft ground at the foot look for tracks of deer and raccoone The Trail goes up to the left to the Shepherd Lake overlook. Below you see Shepherd Lake. A man-made dam produced this lake. Hemker Lake was once this beautiful. Stay away from the steep banks. Shepherd Lake is a private lake outside the Camp Currier property. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRY TO APPROACH IT. This area is overgrown with Kudzu. Kudzu is a vine from Asia. It covers the ground (and everything else) and prevents it from washing away. Kudzu prevents erosion but kills all other vegetation in its path, even mighty trees. Kudzu dies with the first frost. While overlooking Shepherd Lake you may identify a tall dead tree to the right of a large clump of trees. This is a favorite haunt of ttie Redheaded Woodpeckers. Look for th2ir red heads and black wing with white patch. Listen for the thin high voice of the Peewee as it calls its name to you. Watch for Cardinals everywhere in the forest. Look for an old chimney. The Trail resumes here and returns to the West Road. We will go several hundred yards on the West Road (to your right) to a turnoff that goes to the right. Follow this, taking its left fork, passing Troop 34 ' s cabin, and down the hill to Clay Cliff. Notice how steep this bluff i s . The stream has eroded its base . Erosion is relatively you:-ig here. You should see fish and frogs i n the stream. Backtrack to West Road. Just before reaching the ranger 1 s house, you will find on your l eft another specimen of the State Tree of Tennesse e . What is it? In front of the ranger 1 s house, take a left on the gravel road, down and up th2 hill. Take the left fork at Indian Meadow, a favorit e camping area Along thr::! road, by the water pump, yo:.i will find 9 several trees with smooth leaves and checkerboard bark. Their orange fruit is called· what? Indian Meadow is a favorite haunt of the Red-headed and the Red-bellied Woodpecker,· s o ke~p your eyes and e ars open. Cros s Indi a n Meadow to the Pavilion ·and fo llow the Trai l thro ugh t~e camp s ites back in the corner, and then down the hill to Nature Lane. Follow Nature Lane to your right to Suicide Cliff. Along the way you will see several kinds o f fern. The easiest to learn is Chr istmas Fern. It is a n t e vergree n and used f o r decorations at Chris tmaa . Each leaflet is shape d like a little Christmas s tocking. A l arge y ellowish -gree n fern i s BROAD BEECH Fe rn. Maiden-hair Fern and Polypody F e rn are along the trai l. F o llowing Nature Lane, take a left across the s tream to find famous Suicide Cliff. Twenty-five y e ars ago this wa s steeper than Cl ay Cli ff seen earlie r. Er osion h as worn it down. The dirt from S uicide is now part of t h e meadow that was once Hemke r L ake. Backtrack to Nature Lane and find the ma rked T rail that goes up the hill. Past the clearings you will find a water pump and the main central gravel road. To your left, within sight is Tomahawk Dining Hall where you started. Before boarding your ca ~ , check all your Scouts for ticks. One in one hundred ousand ticks carries the germ of Rocky Mountain Spott~d Fever. The tick must j feed on a human for several hours before it can transmit the germ, so if you get the ticks right off now, you should have nothing to worry about. The Peckerwood Nature Trail is a Volunteer project service to The Chickasaw Council. We hope you en joyed the Trail and learned alot. An attractive Trail Patch is available for $1.50. Order f r om: P eckerwood Nature Trai l 1 3 4 5 Hickory Ridge Co ve Memphis, Tn., 38116 10 NOTES 0 ~ 0 Cl> < <» Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1979 Title A name given to the resource 1979 Camp Currier Peckerwood Nature Trail Guide Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Troop 346 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Chuck Schadrack Camp Currier Camp Currier Map Map Program Trail