By August, last year’s fallen leaves have been pretty much covered over by forest floor dwellers’ seasonal growth. Here a shaft of sunlight calls attention to a fern frond.

Even in the heat of full summer, Heritage Park in central Cobb County is a good place to be.  On this workday the temperature was in the high eighties with high humidity and some overcast, but conditions were pleasant enough while we worked under the forest cover.  Especially since – happily! – ticks and chiggers were not a problem today.

We tended the butterfly gardens as we always do, and continued pushing  (or more accurately, pulling) away at the main invasives here:  English ivy (Hedera helix) and re-sprouts of privet (Ligustrum sinense).  We were thrilled that a lot of downy rattlesnake plantain (Godyera pubescens) has re-emerged in an area previously cleared of ivy, and noted that the wet weather has encouraged the sprouting of plenty of mushrooms, including Boletus, Clavaria, and russula species, a yellow variety that may be an amanita, and a leathery bright-red one.  (While not plants, of course, fungi are an integral part of the forest floor and of interest to us as well.)  Several types of cicada were serenading us, and some jays were calling in the woods.

Our workdays are the second Saturday of every month.  For the time, locate the date on the Calendar at left of the home page (About Us and then Welcome).  For map and location information, select “Conservation” from the top strip of GNPS website, click “Restoration” from the drop-down, and then select “Heritage Park Trail” from either the list on the left or by scrolling down to it on the right.  Fill in “Contact Us” or email connieg6474@gmail.com to indicate your interest.

Hope to see you out at the park soon!

 

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