Fall Color report

Spurred on by Scott's fall color report, I decided to do one of my own. But first a story of high adventure, tortured metal and a casulty! I have a hobby of taking landscape type of photos at just about anywhere I think I can get a good image. Since I have been fighting off a cold, I compromised on my trip to Kentucky to look at some Viburnums. I determined that I would wake up early and drive over to Turkey Run State Park to see how the fall color is coming along over there. After furiously debating with myself for 1/2 an hour whether or not it was really worth getting up at 4:00 A.M., I hopped out of bed, grabbed my stuff and was on my way. I stopped along the way to take some pictures of some ponies that did what I didn't want them to do and came and checked me out, ruining the shot I wanted. I ended up with this instead: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/FrostyPonies.jpg After the ponies I drove a little more til I found a little ditch to take a picture of that looked like this: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/southwest/BestSeatAtTheCanyon1BNW2.jpg Wait, that's another story. Sorry bout that.
All went well until I strapped on my gear at my second stop at Shades S.P. I thought I had locked my camera into my tripod and threw the whole lot over my shoulder which stopped the tripod but all six pounds of camera, not being locked, continued to travel downward until it hit the parking lot, lens first. Fortunately, I had a lens cap and polarizing filter attached which both smashed and looked like this: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/odds%20and%20ends/SmashedFilter.jpg What could a rational being do when confronted with this? I'm don't remember what all happened but I do remembering laughing. Then I pushed the shutter button; it focused and took pictures just like new. The filter refused to unscrew so I applied emergency techniques with a spare tentstake that I found in a backpack in my truck. These failed so I put the lens in the truck and put on a different lens I had intended to use anyway. The rest is history. For anyone not drooling of boredom, passed out, or otherwise incapacitated, I have linked the photos of the fall color below.

Carpinus caroliniana: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/CarpinusCarolinianaFallColor.jpg

Viburnum acerifolium: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/ViburnumAcerifoliumFallColor.jpg

Acer saccharum and Fagus grandifolia: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/TurkeyRunFallColor1.jpg

Liriodendron tulipifera habit: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/LiriodendronTulipiferaHabit.jpg

Hamamelis vernalis: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/HamamelisVernalisFallColor.jpg

Fagus grandifolia: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/FagusGrandifoliaFallColor.jpg

Asimina triloba: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/AsiminaTrilobaFallColor.jpg

Acer saccharum: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/AcerSaccharumFallFoliageAtHoneycomb.jpg


Best Regards,
Ernie

Well, you gave me a good chuckle before bedtime.

If you'd made it to KY, you could've seen a few of our "ponies" who don't often behave either.

Great shots, Ernie. Are you using film, or were those digital? Sorry about your filter. Hopefully you'll find some way of getting that off of your lens. I particularly liked the shot of the hornbeam. Very nice.

I have heard that Turkey Run State Park is excellent. That is on my list of places to visit, as is the Yellowwood Lake area of Indiana which has a remnant population of indigenous Cladrastis kentuckea.

Scott

Its a good thing those unruly Kentucky ponies(?!) aren't being confined by the fencing in M & M's pony pic.

MM~ gorgeous pics, and a nice little tale to go with the ditch! LOL ;0)

VV,

If nothing unusual happens, I will be down in KY this weekend at some point. I have no plan, that comes Fri. morning. If time permits, I'll drive through limestone country to look at those ponies.

Scott- I use a digital camera for my images. I used to use film but blamed all of the bad pictures on the camera. Bought a digital camera, still got bad pictures. Read up on the subject a bit, tried different things, still get plenty of bad pictures. TRSP is a nice place to see some native plants that don't normally grow on the Plains. American Beech, Hemlock, etc. I can't say that I have really studied the plant life as I have been more focused on the artistic merits of the place. Great canyons! Nearby Shades S.P. is more of the same only a little different. I drove through Yellowwood last year after all of the leaves were down, more on a scouting trip than anything. About 50 miles north of Turkey Run is a very small preserve that I don't remember the name of. Here I ran into some Mitchella repens. I was quite suprised to find it here since I hadn't thought of it as a Midwestern plant. Actually, I hadn't thought about it since I read about it in Dirr's book some years ago. Anybody else have native populations growing near them?

Regards,
Ernie

Maakia, garden6, thanks for the kind words. I did forget my favorite tree of the day, a Cornus alternifolia. Pictured below.

Add a little distance to your trip...

My wife and I may very well be in Winchester TN (leaving Sat morning; return Sun evening) for the 40th anniversary of the Great Rivers Chapter of the Holly Society of America. It is being hosted by Shadow Nursery, and should be quite the event.

This is the organization founded by the likes of Theodore Klein; Bob Simpson; Bon/Ferry Hartline; Joe McDaniel; Lloyd/Helen Hahn; Hal Elmore; Joe Hickman; Earl Cully; and many more I'm not remembering just now that were great midwest plantsmen (IL, MO, IN, OH, KY, TN primarily) that loved hollies but deigned to plant others as accompaniments.

Many of these fine people are no longer with us; only 5 of the founders remain. It has been a while since I last attended one of these meetings, and I need to catch up with the crew.

Not to mention the opportunity to part with some $$ at the plant auction and at Shadow's container farm...

VV,

Very tempting! If it wasn't so darn far, I'd probably do it. I'd love to hear that Winchester twang spoken again! The plant auction is doubly tempting. When does it take place? If you see Earl, could you tell him that I said hello, please? I've been meaning to get down to visit him but take off on these wild idea trips. If the weather is cloudy and windy, I may just hotfoot it down there!

Best regards,
Ernie

We've secured our reservations. I'd be happy to pass greetings on to Earl. Will he know who Ernie/malusman/LHDP is?

Home base for the meeting is the Jameson Inn (Decherd/Winchester TN metroplex). The program is as follows, for Saturday 10/21/06:

12 noon Tours of Shadow Nursery (leave from Jameson Inn)
3:30 pm Return to Jameson Inn
4:45 pm Charter bus heads to Jack Daniels Visitor Center, Lynchburg
5:30 pm Social hour (supposedly some beverages while botanizing)
6:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Business meeting
8:30 pm Plant auction

Bus back to Jameson Inn (full of full HSAers, and auction plants in tow).

SUNDAY

8:30 am Head to Shadow Nursery container farm. Participants get to buy plants there.

You could do worse than spend a fine October weekend in south central TN with some serious (and sometimes somewhat sarcastic) holly fanatics.

VV--Are you taking orders? I see V. p. t. 'Red Robin' on his list, #3 containers. I wonder if this is the 'Dart's Red Robin' listed in Dirr. I have never seen it in the US.

I can be bought, especially if it involves viburnums.

Ernie, Beautiful pics. Especially liked the b&w Liriodendron, that's my idea of skyscrapers. As to that little ditch story!?

VV,

I make no plans. Well, not usually. I'm the epitome of the 'Last Minute Man.' If the weather doesn't cooperate for picture taking, I may show up for Saturday evening. Is this a ' just show up' deal or should I do some contacting of people just in case? Earl should know me, if not tell him that Ernie Wiegand from Hoerr's (pronounced "Hare's" as opposed to someone of the opposite sex who.......)

Vadap- as it is getting to my bedtime, I'll have to ask you to wait til tomorrow when I should have more time to spin another tale of.....of, well, you know, little ditches and big rocks in the southwest.

Regards,
Ernie

LHDP:

Earl says hi; "That Ernie is a fine young man."

I attribute the comment to his advanced age.

Klepto:

They are indeed V. p. t. 'Dart's Red Robin'; three handsome scallawags are ensconced under irrigation at the Valley. Other orphans originally unanticipated, but still managed to follow me home:

V. p. t. 'Mary Milton'
V. p. t. 'Fireworks'
V. setigerum with some rather incredible fruit
V. japonicum x V. dilatatum 'Chippewa'

Sweeeeeet--a new VPT to the USA!

VV,

It is becoming quite clear to me that Mr. Cully is a fine judge in character, not only of plants but also people. ;-) I did end up in Louisville, via St. Louis (Mobot.) Bernheim was packed with folks enjoying some sort of festival which made it hard to photograph the plants. I had a fine drive around Seneca Gardens Sun. A.M. Saw a couple of really nice specimans of Parrotia persica. Got completely lost, thanks to the winding, Kentucky roads. In my wayward travels, I drove into a city park that said "Loop road." This turned out to be not a true loop but with all sorts of side roads entering and leaving it and not enough signs for leaf peepers to follow. At one point, it led to a big wooden-teepee-looking structure that had a fine speciman of Ailanthus altissima along the road. What a fine large tree it is! Keep us up to date next spring as the new accessions strut their stuff.

Regards,
Ernie

Ernie:

Thanks for giving me my first big birthday chuckle! You've joined the legions of non-Louisvillians (and a fair number of locals) to get turned around in Cherokee Park. Designing this treasure in 1893, good old Fred (Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.) meant for park users to be immersed in the experience of the rolling limestone upland and creek valley landscape. So...you're not supposed to be distracted by signage and you are intended to get lost. That's called wayfinding. We'll see who has had a Scouting background.

The true loop road is the Scenic Loop, about 3 miles of one-way driving lane paralleling the multi-use non-motorized lane. If you drive the speed limit, you won't be thrown by centrifugal force onto the side road appendages that lead out of the park. This traverses the center of the park, and allows for vehicular enjoyment of the scenery without terrorizing those moving at slower speeds without having to pave any more of the park. Fred would've been proud of us.

The side roads connect back into adjoining neighborhoods; they were the price of getting the original landowners to part with their properties that became the park lands. Connectivity made adjoining parcels more valuable, and thus easier to part with the pieces most desirable to create the Cherokee Park of today. Means to an end...

The big wooden-roofed shelter (you must not have noticed the curvilinear I-beam steel support structure with massive stone/concrete bases) is affectionately known as the Teepee. That area of the park is known as Hogan's Fountain; funny, you didn't mention that fine stone sculpture of a cherub with turtles and Scottish terriers (created by early 1900s female sculptor Enid Yandell, oh she of a broader perspective) spouting water next to the male Tree of Heaven. Fred had originally designed a much more reserved hip-roofed open wooden shelter at this site. It burned down sometime mid last century, and the teepee went up sometime in the '60s, I think. It's a Louisville icon now, and sturdy as a bomb shelter. The 1974 tornado didn't even faze it. If it ever fails, I expect we'll do something a little more rustic but just as serviceable. The Ailanthus is scheduled for the chipper, but you may have noticed that we have a few more formidable invasive problems to deal with before that one.

How did you like the big old beeches?

Hi Ernie. I haven't 'met you', but your beautiful pictures and stories are great. I have been to Turkey Run once before, perhaps 30 years ago on my way driving west. I remember it being the finest virgin deciduous forest I have ever seen. Can you remind me where it is and how big? And does anybody know about when the spring wildflower display there would be at peak? I recall going through there when the virginia bluebells were at peak in the creek bottoms, and it was a breathtaking display. We are thinking about going down at the peak of the wildflower time -- I would guess about the last week in April?

BTW, we do have Mitchella repens growing locally though it is far more common in northern Michigan than southern. It grows at a place about an hour from me, Haven Hill State Park, which is a mature beech maple woods. My impression is that it likes relatively cool growing conditions, and in northern Michigan is commonly found in mixed conifer-deciduous woos.

VV,

Happy 39th! How many times is that now? LOL, j/k. I find it pretty interesting that ol' Fred designed the park. To be quite honest, I wasn't in the park very long. I made it past the Teepee and the next thing I knew, I was out in the city. When I start leaf peeping, I'm rather dangerous on the road. Luckily, no accidents yet. I'm also pretty much oblivious to objects of mineral constitution which explains me not seeing the Fountain or the curvilinear I-beam. Turtles and Scottish Terriers? I can't seem to make a connection. Maybe I need to have my perspectives broadened? I was really impressed with the number of beech that were present all across the eastern portion of the Louisville area. I'm rapidly becoming a beech fan for their fall color (in addition to their other fine attributes) so this was real treat for me. I ended up too far from Seneca gardens to return and take some photos. I was anxious to get to Brown County, IN to do more leaf peeping so I called it quits in Loo-vull. Oh, and I was never in the Boy Scouts.

David, nice to 'meet' you. Thanks for the kind words about my pictures and stories. The only thing about stories is that you have to keep doing something bigger to top the last one. This can be a tiring thing unless one is predisposed to 'just making it up.' Turkey Run is about 1 hour east and a bit south of Champaign, IL. You can read all about it here: http://www.turkeyrunstatepark.com/history/index.htm but it appears to be 2300 acres. I seldom vary from my route that I have found that I like which is probably unfortunate. I looked at the file information on pictures of bluebells taken the last 2 years. 4-16 and 4-17 were both good times to visit bluebells in Central IL, about 100 miles west of Turkey Run. I don't suppose that there would be much variance in that small difference unless they were shaded by canyon walls or something. Also, I like to be there just before peak since some plants will have flowers senescing at peak and I like all nice and green plants with fresh new flowers for my pictures when possible. There are even white ones: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/scenics/Indiana/ParklandsBluebells13.jpg as well as lavender and pink if I remember correctly.
It's interesting to know that MItchella is growing in MI. I can definately understand it liking northern MI better than southern.

Regards,
Ernie

Whoa, another great 4th of July thread in October.

Neat Ansel Adams style photos. Extremely impressive to get that depth of field. Good job.