Crossword question, 6 across – A fruit native to the eastern U.S. that is unpalatable prior to exposure to frost, but afterwards develops a sweet gummy texture.
Answer – Persimmon.
This was a throw back hike for me. It has been in the back of my mind for awhile and with hosting 62 for Thanksgiving I needed to find a trail close to home that would not eat up too much of the photographer’s time. I had last been here in my undergrad days at Northern Kentucky University, 43 years ago. AJ Jolly Park was 13 miles from campus and my Dendrology (the scientific study of trees) professor took us there several times due to the outstanding variety of trees. What I remembered were the numerous members from the white oak family, species that I had not had a lot of exposure to in my hometown.
My how the place had changed. When in college we parked in a gravel pull off on the side of the road. Now there was a parking lot for 20 cars, a formal trailhead, and an Environmental Education Center.
The plan was to take the Interpretive Trail. It is a loop trail that goes around a wetland, which we took clockwise.
First impressions were not good as the beginning of the trail had been surfaced with aggregate gravel that was too large, a challenge for the photographer who had been nursing some foot pain.
Within a relatively short distance the trail had more typical gravel.
But that small negative was overcome by the overall quality of the experience. It is called the Interpretive Trail as much effort is made to provide environmental and habitat education for the visitors. I believe these efforts are advanced due to a relationship with the University Kentucky Extension Office that is located nearby. There are numerous signs like the one below that provide information on the ecosystem.
In addition there were excellent tree identification signs.
Even an old amateur naturalist like myself can learn something on these trails. For example, I was not aware that, like the American Elm, Slippery Elm is also susceptible to Dutch Elm Disease. That probably explains why I see less of them than I did 40 years ago.
The trail immerses the visitor into the wetland habitat with a boardwalk that ventures across the lowland.
Not surprising given our dry fall, the water level looked lower than normal.
After the boardwalk the trail bordered on the large wetland providing vistas across the basin.
Small bridges crossed other streams as they entered the wetland and the trail was well maintained.
Margins of wetlands are the most ecologically active areas in nature and we saw that here as we saw numerous birds species using the brush along the shore for coverage and forage, such as this Sparrow that was nestled in amongst a rose with small rose hips.
And then I saw it – perhaps from a hundred yards away, and as we got closer I realized it was actually two Common Persimmon trees laden with fruit. I recalled having seen the first Persimmon tree of my life in this general area of the property, but I’m not sure that this is the same one.
The fruit is a ping pong ball size orange globe of sweetness whose taste is difficult to define. When I recently tasted some that I collected from a neighbors yard, I felt that it had subtle butterscotch and cantaloupe flavors. The somewhat stringy and gummy texture is a non-starter for some tasters. It is an astringent or bitter fruit, that if tasted before it is fully ripe will cause all kinds of facial contortions. A fun trick to play on a novice. If I recall correctly, my professor and other naturalists, suggested that the presence of frost played a role in the changing of the sugar chemistry, improving the taste of the fruit. But given that the range map for persimmons extends well south into relatively frost free zones, I suspect that the timing of the first frost just corresponds with the ripening of the fruit – more of a marker of the season than a change agent.
Geographic Range Map for the Common Persimmon
It was used historically for jellies, desserts, and as a dried fruit similar to prunes. A quick search online revealed numerous recipes for these items, as well as for alcoholic products including liqueurs, wines, and beers.
For size reference I placed one in my hand.
Male persimmon trees and female persimmon trees not laden with fruit can be identified by their unique bark that I typically describe as resembling the blocks on the hide of an alligator’s back.
You will see persimmons in the grocery store but these are generally of two Asian varieties. They tend to be larger and have a longer shelf life. One has a more firm texture and can be sliced like a peach.
At the persimmon trees, the trail takes a 90 degree turn to the right and crosses a dam that separates a lake and the downstream wetland. While crossing the earthen dam we saw some Killdeer feeding in the shallows. I enjoyed their reflections in the standing water.
After crossing the dam we started to climb a mild grade. I remarked to the photographer that this appeared different than I recalled. This was the area where I was expecting to see the collection of species from the white oak family that I had experienced in college (White Oak, Chinkapin Oak, Chestnut Oak, Bur Oak, and Post Oak). Instead we were generally seeing Redcedar and other early reforestation trees. Then we saw this.
An interpretive sign reported that this area was disturbed in 1985 when it was cleared to access fill dirt to build the dam that we had just crossed. The large number of trees from the white oaks that I remembered were the casualties with just a few specimens remaining.
Still, the trail was inviting as it rolled across the terrain.
Just beyond the succession area trail signs invited us to venture onto the Homestead Trail. The name suggested history and the photographer is a sucker for history, so she agreed. This trail was no longer surfaced with gravel, but rather leaves. The trees with the persistent leaves in the photos below were of the white oak family so I was happy.
This was not a mature wood but it had some inviting features including some evergreen Christmas Fern.
It was a mixture of quite tall cedar and young oaks.
The leaf litter on the trail displayed the diversity of trees in this young forest. I believe that I see Red Oak, White Oak, Post Oak, Shingle Oak, and Black Cherry amongst these leaves.
Perhaps the icon on this hillside was this large Shellbark Hickory.
As we completed the loop we recrossed the wetland to return to the parking area.
Odds and Ends:
In addition to some of the white oaks and the persimmon, this venue was also my first exposure to oak galls when we studied them in Dendrology class. This part of Campbell County, Kentucky has an abundance of Shingle Oak trees and they are one of the primary hosts for both the Horned Oak Gall and the Gouty Oak Gall. The galls are abnormal growths of woody tissue that develop when females of a couple species of non-stinging wasps lay their eggs in one to two year old twigs. The developing larvae release a growth hormone that causes the tree, through a proliferation of woody tissue, to form a protective callus around the larval nursery. The entire process takes one to two years for the emergence of an adult wasp, but the abnormal tissue growth remains, somewhat disfiguring the tree, but rarely leading to its demise. In this part of Kentucky it is rare to see an established Shingle Oak without galls present.
One of my favorite trees is Musclewood which is named for the ribbons on its trunk which look like flexed muscles. It is a small tree of the understory and is also called Ironwood due to the density and strength of its wood. Historically they were used for tool handles.
And finally special recognition of the outstanding benches located throughout the two trails that we hiked. They were placed as part of an Eagle Scout project.
In summary, the Interpretive and Homestead Trails are examples of those outstanding community venues that allow folks to get immersed into nature without traveling a long way. And luckily, most communities have some. This one has special importance to me as it was one of the places where I started to study trees scientifically, and to understand the individual roles that the various species of trees played in the ecosystem. It was also part of the process, where I began to look at trees like an artist, seeing the beauty that was present in their architecture, the texture of their barks, and the coloration patterns that develop when they host other organisms like mosses and lichens. To this day, when I think of the White Oak Family I think of this small spot on Earth.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns.
Overview:
Location – 1261 Race Track Rd, Alexandria, KY 41001. It is 20 miles south of downtown Cincinnati.
Parking – Gravel lot for 20 cars.
Facilities – at Environmental Education Center nearby.
Trail Conditions – gravel and grass on the Interpretive Trail and leaf covered bare dirt on the Homestead Trail. Overall it is an easy trail with minimal elevation change. The combined length of the two trails was roughly 1.3 miles.
Benches – excellent benches throughout the trails.
Picnic Tables – many at the parking area.
Print Map Link – https://campbell.ca.uky.edu/sites/campbell.ca.uky.edu/files/cc_nature_centerv5.pdf
Kids – Kids 4 and over should do well here.
Dogs – welcomed on a leash.
Suggested Paired Hikes – There is a 4.8 mile paved shared use trail and a 9.5 mile bridle path/hiking trail in AJ Jolly Park. https://campbellcountyky.gov/egov/documents/1647459537_35045.pdf
Links:
https://campbell.ca.uky.edu/program-areas/environmental-education-center
AJ Jolly Park: https://campbellcountyky.gov/division/blocks.php?structureid=74