Old Trees in Oakham

The Oakham Open Space Committee and the East Quabbin Land Trust had invited friends and supporters to join naturalists Caren Caljouw, Ron Wolanin, and Tom Rawinski on a guided tour along one of the Oakham Wildlife Management Area trails this morning, so with a vague notion of where I was going, I headed for the intersection of Gaffney and New Braintree Roads around 8:40. Not surprisingly, though my destination was hardly 7 miles from my home, I got terribly lost and only by sheer luck did I meet up with the group of about 25 shortly after 9 am. Thank goodness we have guides for the hike, I thought to myself.

The naturalists introduced us to a variety of species, both plant and animal, which inhabit this forested tract of land. Here are some names I’m able to decipher from my scribbled notes: Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), False Solomon’s Seal (Smilacina racemosa), Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus), Woodland Milkweed (Asclepias), Indian Cucumber (Medeola virginiana), Cat Brier (Smilax rotundifolia), Hay-Scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), Beechnut (Fagus grandifolia), Maple Leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), Red Eft (Notophthalmus viridescens), Huckleberry (Vaccinium), Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens), Oak-Apple Gall Wasp (Amphibolips confluenta), Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum), Shadbush (Amelanchier), Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium), Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens), Black Birch (Betula lenta), Yellow Birch (Betula lutea). Woodland lore included these interesting tidbits:

Plants in the Lily family are often edible (commercially grown asparagus is a Lily)
Invasives are also found here but the area is not overgrown with them
A “Wolf Tree” is a large tree which stands by itself and is generally older than nearby trees
The Lady Slipper Orchid requires specific soil conditions; it is not a generalist
Bright red coloring in animals is often a warning coloration signifying “poisonous”
Native Americans made extensive use of woodland plants for food and medicine
The word “aspirin” is formed from “A” in acetyl chloride plus “Spir” from Spiraea ulmaria
Porcupines do not throw quills, which are in fact mildly antiseptic

For me, the highlight of our woodland walk was the sight of magnificent black gums (Nyssa sylvatica) clustered together in a swampy area off the main trail. Cores taken from some of these trees by researchers from the Harvard Forest indicate that they may be 500 years old! The tupelos are known as the longest-lived of the deciduous trees (conifers live to be much older).

We returned to our cars a bit before noon, feeling exhilarated by the sunshine and greenery. Here are some of the photos I took to document these extraordinary sights.