Medford Leas: Out and About: April 2012

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Sharp's Run in April

Sharp's run goes under Medford Leas Way.
When it floods, the gate is closed.

The trail goes between these "trees" which are actually
branches of the fallen tree which is on the ground to the left

The trail group maintains plank bridges on Medford Leas trails.

Steps were added by trail group volunteers.

Two culverts carry Sharp's Run under the railroad embankment

There were white, purple and lavender violets

Spring Cress

Ralph's photo of the Spring Cress is better.

Friday, April 13, 2012

On the Trails

This post is a copy of Ralph's April 11 post at

http://bergiesplace.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/on-the-trails/

April 11, 2012 — Ralph Berglund
I spent about an hour last Sunday morning on the trails along Sharp’s Run at Medford Leas, enjoying seeing the awakening of plants and trees. It’s nice to see the feathery foliage emerging on the trees but our lack of rain shows in the shallow Sharp’s Run.

Here’s a Redbud. It wasn’t on the trails; it’s along the walk in front of the Estaugh Building but it was too pretty against a cloud pattern of branches to be left out.

Back on the Red Trail here’s a crab apple that I photographed last week and, below, the same branch last Sunday. This is the trail where I watch a local walk her several exhuberant Jack Russell terriers and her collie most mornings. Last month one morning I watched five deer move smartly down this trail, and last week a Red Fox crossed my grass and headed for the trail.

The red trail crabapple (see above) a week later

There are lots of wildflowers happy to be here along the Yellow Trail. Here are two for whose names I’m in debt to Maggie Heineman.

Spring Beauty

Spring Cress - Cardamine Bulbosa

Monday, April 9, 2012

Ducks in the Driveway

If the entire campus is an Arboretum, then this counts.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Test Drive - Cathedral Trail

I'ts a long story; this is the short version, followed by photos.

Sally, who uses an electric wheelchair, asked for a Nature Walk for people like herself, one where scooters and wheelchairs could be used. Okay. So o I scouted the route on Wednesday, March 28. My planned route would avoid the two trees that were so close together that a scooter cannot pass. I took photos, some of them are shown below.

Having planned a workable route, I was confident that today's test drive would go well. It did start well. Up the macadam path, past the sculptures and the bat house. The cherry trees were no longer in full bloom but the tea crab apples were. Cathedral Trail was great. But then, somehow, we were at the two trees too close together. Oh oh!, I did something wrong! Okay, we'll just cut across the grass toward the road. Everything was going well -- until -- I had the bright idea of taking a photo of Sally up close to the beehives. Very bad idea. No problem getting there, but... after the photo shoot the wheelchair was stuck. Really stuck. It had sunk down into the pine needles and the wheels would spin like a car stuck on snow. After about 10 minutes of struggle -- trying to lift, trying to put sticks under the wheels to get traction, Sally was ready to call for help. But not me. Sally patiently waited while I continued to try one thing and then another (here's where the story could very get long). Finally reason prevailed -- at least one of us was reasonable. Sally phoned the desk, explained our situation and location, and within a few minutes Wolosin and his sidekick were there. Jim picked up the extremely heavy wheelchair; he moved it around and we were free! I should have taken pictures of that . It was HEAVY!

Fearlessly (or foolishly), I intend to revisit the route. Plan it again and have another test drive, this time with a resident driving a scooter. Sally thinks I should also bring along a strong man who can lift.