Abbott Loop Ramble

When

Saturday, September 24, 2016 - 10:00am to Sunday, September 25, 2016 - 9:45am

What

Walk

Where

Abbott Loop, Finger Lakes Trail

Who

Torben Russo

Description

Join Torben Russo, aspiring rambler, on a 3 mile section of the Abbott Loop Trail in the Danby State Forest. We will meet at 10 O'clock at CCE or at the trail head on Michigan Hollow Road at 10:30am. The trail head is roughly 2.5 miles in on the right hand side of Michigan Hollow Road (on the right, coming from Ithaca) from Danby Road (96b). There is an obvious pull-off for it. The road turns to dirt and is dirt at that point.If you're a bit of an explorer but would like less of a walk, you can drive to the trail head a little farther up on Hill Rd. (about 3 miles from 96B) and meet there around 10:45 or so.Take Danby Roady (96B) to Bald Hill Road (it's just before Michigan Hollow Road on the right coming from Ithaca). Bald Hill Road becomes "Hill Road" on some maps, on others, continues to be Bald Hill Road. (There's a spot where there's a sharp right hand turn (this then becomes Station Road) and heads hard down hill towards Rte. 34. You don't want to go that way!) Continue straight (you'll still be on Bald Hill Road) onto what looks like a tertiary dirt road...but it will continue going up hill. There is limited parking on the left at the trail-head underneath Hemlocks.    Please bring a lunch/snack/water and we'll rest and botanize at Thacher's Pinnacles where a picnic table and beautiful view await us along with a unique ecosystem. At the most, this could be a 4.5 mile ramble. You can cut it down considerably depending on where you'd like to start, and the trail is well marked with roads nearby. Please refer to the wonderful website for more information about the area.   

Report

We definitely had some wonderful feedback from the folks that went along for the ramble! It was fun and, while it was a bit longer than many of our walks, the group was full of energy and excitement as we surrounded each-other with questions and answers about plants along the way. The weather was great. We certainly found some interesting habitats along the way - seeps, riparian zones, hemlock groves, mixed hardwood forest and of course the unique habitat upon Thatchers Pinnacle. There's also the CCC era pine plantings on the way down from the Pinnacle. See the link here for the route (and elevation).  The list of plants seen is below.

 

Plants Seen on Abbot Loop 9-24-2016

Scientific Name

Common Name

Comments

Acer pensylvanicum

striped maple, moosewood

 

Acer rubrum

red maple

 

Acer saccharum

sugar maple

 

Actaea pachypoda

white baneberry, doll’s eyes

 

Adiantum pedatum

maidenhair fern

 

Ageratina altissima

white snakeroot

 

Agrimonia gryposepala

tall hairy agrimony

 

Alliaria petiolata

garlic mustard

invasive NN

Amelanchier sanguinea

round-leaved shadbush

summit

Amelanchier sp.

shadbush, serviceberry

 

Amphicarpaea bracteata

hog peanut

 

Anaphalis margaritacea

pearly everlasting

 

Antennaria plantaginifolia

plantain-leaved pussytoes

 

Aralia nudicaulis

wild sarsaparilla

 

Arctium lappa

greater burdock

NN

Arisaema triphyllum ssp. triphyllum

common jack-in-the-pulpit

 

Athyrium filix-femina

lady fern

 

Betula alleghaniensis

yellow birch

 

Betula lenta

black birch, sweet birch

 

Bidens cernua

nodding beggar's ticks

bridge

Carya ovata

shagbark hickory

 

Castanea dentata

American chestnut

 

Cichorium intybus

chickory

at base, NN

Clematis virginiana

Virgin’s bower

 

Clinopodium vulgare

wild basil

 

Clintonia borealis

bluebead lily

 

Collinsonia canadensis

richweed

 

Comandra umbellata ssp. umbellata

star toadflax

dried up

Comptonia peregrina

sweetfern

 

Conopholis americana

squawroot

 

Convallaria majalis

lily-of-the-valley

NN, naturalized

Cornus alternifolia

alternate-leaved dogwood

 

Corylus cornuta

beaked hazelnut

 

Crataegus sp.

hawthorn

 

Dendrolycopodium obscurum

flat-branched tree clubmoss

 

Dennstaedtia punctilobula

hay-scented fern

 

Diervilla lonicera

northern bush honeysuckle

 

Diphasiastrum digitatum

running pine

 

Epipactus helleborine

helleborine

NN

Erectites hieracifolia

pilewort

Bald Hill Rd

Erigeron annuus

daisy fleabane

 

Eupatorium perfoliatum

boneset

 

Eurybia divaricata

white wood aster

 

Euthamia graminifolia

grass-leaved goldenrod

 

Fagus grandifolia

American beech

 

Fragaria virginiana

wild strawberry

 

Fraxinus americana

white ash

 

Galeopsis tetrahit

hemp nettle

 

Galium circaezans

wild licorice

 

Gaultheria procumbens

wintergreen

 

Gaylussacia baccata

black huckleberry

 

Geranium robertianum

herb robert

 

Geum canadense

white avens

 

Hamamelis virginiana

witch-hazel

 

Helianthus divaricatus

woodland sunflower

 

Hemerocallis fulva

orange daylily

NN, Bald Hill Rd

Hepatica nobilis var. acuta

sharp-lobed hepatica

 

Hesperis matronalis

dame's rocket

NN, Bald Hill Rd

Huperzia lucidula

shining clubmoss

 

Impatiens capensis

jewelweed, touch-me-not

 

Juniperus communis

common juniper

 

Leersia virginica

white grass

 

Leucobryum glaucum

white pincushion moss

 

Lindera benzoin

spicebush

 

Liriodendron tulipifera

tuliptree

seedlings

Lonicera canadensis

American fly honeysuckle

 

Magnolia acuminata

cucumber tree

 

Maianthemum canadense

Canada mayflower

 

Maianthemum racemosum

false Solomon’s seal

 

Malus pumila

wild apple

naturalized

Medeola virginiana

Indian cucumber root

 

Melilotus albus

white sweet clover

NN

Mitchella repens

partridgeberry

 

Oclemena acuminata

whorled wood aster

 

Onoclea sensibilis

sensitive fern

 

Osmunda claytoniana

interrupted fern

 

Ostrya virginiana

hop hornbeam

 

Picea abies

Norway spruce

NN

Pilea pumila

clearweed

 

Pinus resinosa

red pine

 

Pinus strobus

eastern white pine

 

Polygonatum pubescens

downy Solomon's-seal

 

Polygonum virginianum

jump-seed, Virginia knotweed

 

Polypodium virginianum

rock polypody

on tree

Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas fern

 

Populus grandidentata

big-tooth aspen

 

Potentilla simplex

old-field cinquefoil

 

Prunella vulgaris

heal-all

 

Prunus serotina

black cherry

 

Prunus virginiana

choke cherry

 

Pteridium aquilinum

bracken

 

Pyrola cf. elliptica

shinleaf

 

Quercus alba

white oak

 

Quercus montana

chestnut oak

 

Quercus muhlenbergii

chinquapin oak

summit

Quercus rubra

northern red oak

 

Rhus aromatica

fragrant sumac

summit

Rhus typhina

staghorn sumac

 

Rosa multiflora

multiflora rose

invasive NN

Sambucus canadensis

common elderberry

 

Sassafras albidum

sassafras

 

Solidago bicolor

silverrod

 

Solidago caesia

blue-stemmed goldenrod

 

Solidago flexicaulis

zig-zag goldenrod

 

Solidago rugosa

rough-stemmed goldenrod

 

Sparganium sp.

bur-reed

bridge

Symphyotrichum laeve var. concinnum

narrow-leaved smooth aster

 

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

tall white aster

 

Symphyotrichum lateriflorum

calico aster

 

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

New England aster

 

Symphyotrichum prenanthoides

crooked-stemmed aster

 

Symphyotrichum puniceum

swamp aster

 

Thelypteris noveboracensis

New York fern

 

Tiarella cordifolia

foamflower

 

Tilia americana

basswood

 

Tsuga canadensis

eastern hemlock

 

Uvularia cf. grandiflora

large-flowered bellwort

 

Uvularia sessilifolia

sessile-leaved bellwort

 

Vaccinium angustifolium

lowbush blueberry

 

Vaccinium pallidum

early lowbush blueberry

 

Vaccinium stamineum

deerberry

 

Veronica officinalis

common speedwell

 

Viburnum acerifolium

maple-leaf viburnum

 

Viburnum lantanoides

hobblebush

 

Viburnum lentago

nannyberry

 

Vinca minor

periwinkle

invasive NN

Vitis aestivalis

summer grape

bridge

Vitis riparia

riverbank grape, frost grape

 

NN= Non-native/naturalized