FOSSILS REFLECT HISTORY
The life of those times, preserved as fossils, reveal the development of the higher invertebrates, then the fishes, and finally land animals and plants. At the foot of McAdams Peak, Twin Springs flows from Ordovician-Silurian rocks, deposited in the sea 350 million years ago. All the ridges are mantled with loess (pronounced “less”), wind blown dust laid down a million years ago at the time of the Great Ice Age. The vertical banks of yellow clay seen along the road to the upper areas are composed of this material, capped by the black topsoil that supports the present forest.
More than 60 species of trees have been listed; Pecans, Red Cedars and Butternuts being notable. Spring comes with the flowering of the Shadbush; Redbud and Wild Plum are succeeded by the even more lovely Dogwood. Flowers abound, and later berries light up dark places, and mosses, ferns and lichens, form an agreeable ensemble. Mushrooms are conspicuous for their number. With autumn the woods are a never-to-be-forgotten blaze of color.