Winter at Shanty Hollow Lake

Partially Frozen Shanty Hollow Lake

For information on Shanty Hollow Lake click here.

Trail Map

A couple of days ago we had a snow storm dumping about 10"

of snow in this area.  By today, alot of the snow had melted...

the temperature was in the upper 30s.  I thought I'd take a look at

Shanty Hollow with snow.  It's a short walk from the parking lot

to the main waterfall.  That's where I'm headed.

Many of the boulders were moss-covered, creating 
a beautiful green/white contrasting landscape.

Green on white;

Perfect little stream flowing 

Through the moss and snow.

Soon after you begin your walk you'll hear a waterfall.  
It's not the main one, but you need to stop and see it, anyway.

At the top of this hill is a small waterfall
creating this perfect little stream.  Take some
time to just listen to the water and the birds.

I saw and heard a Pileated Woodpecker.

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.
Information on Pileated Woodpeckers

I'm on the north side of the stream, looking south.  
The main waterfall is to the right (west).

Many of the boulders have little ferns growing in crevices.
You can see them in the photo above.

Here are a couple of unusual ferns in the genus Asplenium,
called Scott's Spleenwort.

Asplenium ferns tend to hybridize creating interesting individuals.

 

Scott's Spleenwort (Asplenium x ebenoides)

You can compare the frond size with the penny.

Winter rock ferns;

Growing in the rock's crevise --

Evergreen...hardy!

Getting close to the waterfall.

Some species of mushrooms grow in freezing temperatures!

Orange fungi;

Flourishing on the frozen

Decaying branches.

You can see the waterfall in the background.

Over time the stream has carved into the rock
creating this mini-canyon!

Apparently rock climbers like these cliffs.
You can see metal rings/pegs in some of the rocks
along the way (not in this photo, though).

I like the way this Yule Fern frond
looks in the snow! (aka Christmas fern)

A yule fern frond

Breaks-up the snowy background;

Green and hardy!

The wind and water have carved out some interesting patterns
in the boulders.  I see a dinosaur and a goat.

I'm at the waterfall crossing over to the south side of the stream.
The waterfall is behind me.

The waterfall at Shanty Hollow.

A video of the waterfall can be found here.

Some of these icicles are gigantic, making a loud booming sound
when they hit the ground.  

This population of clubmosses (possibly Lycopodium porophilum) 
was growing in one of the crevices in the cliff.  
The book I'm using calls this Rock Clubmoss.

Close-up of the clubmosses.

The north side of the stream.

The south side of the stream, on the right.

This area is just west of the waterfall.
Apparently, the overhang creates a perfect
habitat for liverworts (see photos, below).

Icicles and Liverworts

I was surprised to see these liverworts growing in such
cold temperatures.  It has been below freezing at night for
at least a week.

Liverworts belong in the same group as mosses, the
non-vascular plants, Bryophytes.

At this point I decide to head back the way I came, being sure

to stop, look, and listen in case I missed something.

All you can hear is the waterfall and some birds!
Take the time to stop and listen for a few minutes.

Everytime you go walking in the woods in this area you'll hear 
and see Carolina Chickadees.  To hear this species and get 
information about them, click the  website below the photo.

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.
To hear a Chickadee, click here.

This very distinctive leaf belongs to a wild orchid called
Cranefly Orchid.  The leaf will decompose by summer and a
beautiful stalk of orchid flowers will grow where it was!
Click here to see the flower.

This Moss species has produced red sporophytes!
(Sporophytes contain the spores...microscopic reproductive cells)

Heading back to the parking lot.  It gets
a little slippery, so be careful.

On the way back I walked past a boulder that I didn't look at
before, and I spotted these small rock ferns.

They look like a hybrid of Mountain Spleenwort (Asplenium montanum) with another Asplenium species.

Maybe Bradley's Spleenwort??  Look at the penny on the left
and contrast the size of the fern with the penny.

Shortly after that, I ran across these tiny ferns.

Some unusual looking fronds.  I'm sure they're
a kind of Asplenium hybrid.

Look at the fiddlehead just below the frond.

More Asplenium hybrids.
(If anyone knows the names of these ferns, please contact me
via e-mail, by going to my profile, in the margin)

Next time I'll cross the stream and head over to those cliffs
in the background.

A combination of Yule Fern fronds and
Beechdrop flower stalks!  Beautiful!

Click here for information on Yule Ferns.

This species of Juniper Moss was everywhere, like tiny pine
trees, adding to the green part of the landscape.

You're going to want to stop here and just
listen to this small waterfall...and the birds!!

Most people don't realize that some mushrooms grow
in the cold winter months.
Careful with wild mushrooms, though; there are poisonous
winter mushrooms, too!  Do not ingest them, unless you are an
expert, or you have consulted an expert!

This Marginal Woodfern was growing everywhere.  On the left

is a typical frond, at least a foot long, and on the right are some

sub-leaflets showing their sori (spore-bearing structures).

 

Click here for information on Marginal Woodferns

So much green a couple of days after a snowstorm.

Sometimes taking a walk in the snowy woods is just what you 
need to connect with your natural surroundings...to gain an
appreciation for the living things that you share Earth with.

Everything green that you saw is providing you with the air you
breathe and removing the CO2 from the air...not to mention
giving you the pleasure of their beauty!

Get out and explore!!

 Click here to see Shanty Hollow in November.
and here  to see it in May,
and here to see it in September.

Beaman Park in Winter

A frozen Henry Creek

Today was a great day for a late winter walk... 
sunny, but below freezing.  I visited one of my favorite places, 
Beaman Park, in NW Nashville.  
5911 Old Hickory Blvd. 37015

To get there from I-65 (north of Nashville), take Old Hickory and head west past I-24.
Go a few yards past Eatons Creek Rd and you will see the sign (photo below).
Take a right at the sign and park near the Visitors' Center.

I'd park as close to the Visitors' Center as I could.

Take a look inside, and buy something before going home.

Click here for Information about Beaman Park

The map, below, was taken from the website Nashville.gov

Today, I walked from the Nature Center (top left of map),
  along Henry Creek, all the way  to the Creekside Trailhead (bottom
of map)  next to Little Marrowbone Creek, and
walked back the same way.  
I did not walk on the Henry Hollow Loop (the trail in white).

Begin your walk behind the Visitors' Center on the 

Sedge Hill Trail.  This first trail is a little over a half mile.

This is the reason they call this the Sedge Hill Trail.
Sedges line the trail just about all the way to the creek.  

They don't look like much now but in the Spring 
they have some neat looking stamen and pistils.
Click here to see the Sedges with stamen/pistils in Spring

This marks the beginning of the descent to Henry Creek.  

A slow descent;

Observing all life forms

Along the way.

Robins are so common around here that people tend

not to appreciate their beauty.  Next time you see some robins,

stop and just watch them and enjoy their beauty.

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.
Information on Robins (plus their songs)

This is a well-managed trail, always safe and clean.

After a good walk downhill you will see the bridge
that spans Henry Creek.  Today, the creek was almost frozen
 solid.  You can see the Creekside Trail on the other side. 

Henry Creek Bridge;

Slowly walking over

The frozen creek.

Looking upstream. 

Anytime you look up on a winter's day you will most likely

see a Turkey Vulture gliding across the sky.

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.

Information on Turkey Vultures

A turkey vulture;

Gliding over our heads

Without one flap.

On the other side of the bridge you will see this sign.
Turn right to walk the Creekside Trail.
(refer back to the map at any time)

Soon you will see a short side trail that leads to Henry Creek.

You can see the bridge that you just crossed, in the background.  

Stay at this spot for awhile and just observe and listen.

If you're a birder, this is a great place to be. 

If you see a bird the size of a Robin scratching in the fallen

leaves, then it's probably a Hermit Thrush.  

Stop, look, and listen!

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.
Information on Hermit Thrushes

A solitary bird

Scratching the leaves;

A hermit thrush.

Looking downstream at the bluffs. 
The icicles reveal how cold it is, today.

There are evergreen Yule Ferns everywhere. 
The name comes from the fact that people used to decorate their homes around
the winter solstice, using these ferns or making wreaths from the fronds.  
aka christmas fern
Information on Yule Ferns

Looking downstream toward the Creekside Trailhead.

As you can see, moss grows all year long.  Pretty hardy plants.
Basic Information on Mosses

At the top of each stalk are the spore cases of the moss plants.
Mosses don't make flowers and seeds.  The male plant makes sperm and the female makes eggs.
After the egg gets fertilized the zygote will grow into the stalk/sporecase, called the sporophyte.
These sporophytes release spores, which grow into male and female plants.  

Snags (standing dead trees) play a very important role in

forest ecosystems.  They are homes to many species of both

vertebrates and invertebrates.  

A typical snag. 

Today, I saw a little Titmouse .  They are one of the birds that you will most likely hear and see on your walks.  

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.

Click here for Info on the Tufted Titmouse, and hear its call.

A titmouse sticking

Its head out of a hole;

A cold morning walk.

A neat looking fungus, whose mycelium is slowly decomposing

 this fallen limb.  Many fungi can be seen during the 

frozen days of winter. 

The next thing you'll run across is this smaller bridge,

which spans a small stream that empties into Henry Creek.

I walked up the stream to get this photo.

You can see the trail heading off into the background to the left. 

I turned around and got this shot of this beautiful waterfall
turned into ice.  The water was flowing under the ice. 

A little waterfall,

Flowing under its icy 

Outer layer.

One of my favorite sounds...

the sound of a little waterfall.

What's living here, I wonder?

If you want to learn about the many species of birds that are found

in this area during the winter, then go to the website, below.

 Click here for Info about Winter Birds

You can see the bridge that we just crossed; the stream is on the
right, passing under the bridge, and Henry Creek is on the left.

You might have noticed that some trees tend to hang onto 

some of their dead leaves throughout the Winter, until

the new ones appear in spring.  One species that does this

is the Beech tree (below).

Click here for Information about Beech trees

Beech trees are very distinctive and can be identified 
by three main characteristics:
1.  a very smooth bark,
2. the dead, tan, leaves, remain through winter, and
3. the leaf buds look like spears.

Another small (frozen) stream emptying 
into Henry Creek.

Another bird that you will always hear when you're walking in

the woods is the Carolina Chickadee.  It has a variety of calls that

you can hear by going to this site.

Photo taken from the Cornell website, below.
For Information and to hear a Chickadee, click here.

Crossvine  
This vine will produce some beautiful 
trumpet-like flowers in the summer.
Information on Crossvines

Getting very close to the Creekside Trailhead.
Sit here, look around and listen.

Ahead on the left is an area with many red cedar trees.

Besides the Beech tree, here is another conspicuous tree 
easily identified in the Winter, the Red Cedar tree. 

Red cedars are evergreen trees and are known as a

pioneer species.  This means that they are the first species to

populate a barren area.  With time the deciduous trees grow

above the cedars, shading them out and killing them.

That's why you do not see cedars in a mature forest in TN. 

If you do see them, they'd probably be near a creek or at
the edge of the woods where there is plenty of sunlight.
Information on Red Cedars

The Trailhead is about 100 yards beyond this point.
There is a parking lot there, if you choose to park there next time.  From the Nature Center to this trailhead is about 1 mile. 
(see the map) 

You can take a little break here.  

From here you can continue up the hill to the Ridge Trail

and circle back down to the bridge spanning Henry Creek,
or you can just walk back the way you came.

I turned around at this point and headed back

the way I came, on the Creekside Trail.

Looking back the way I came. Heading back 

to the bridge and up the hill to the Visitors' Center.

What a great hike!  It was cold, but

once you start walking you warm up.

Just make sure you dress appropriately

for walks like these.

Hope you get a chance to visit Beaman Park. 

Wildflowers will be coming out soon!!

Click here to see Beaman Park in the Spring.

So, get out and explore!!