Unlike the shorter interpretive trail, this scenic hiking trail has been left relatively undisturbed by human influence. Most of us have so few opportunities to behold nature without the contrivances of a busy civilization that here we have attempted to minimize signs, rails and other artificial hiking aides. Therefore, the following pages are included as a brief guide for this trail.
Walking through this field, you may see a yellow canary-like bird called the yellow warbler. The male warbler is brilliantly marked ... its yellow body with striped red breast is like a flash of sunlight as the bird darts in and out of the greenery.
yellow warbler
There are over one hundred different kinds of warblers in the United States and they are all four to six inches long. Because of their great variety and the brilliance of their coloring, they have been called the “butterflies of the bird world.”
By now, you have probably seen the red-winged blackbirds. These birds are found commonly on Burton Island. Red-wings love marshes and wet fields. They make their nest close to the ground where it is hidden by reeds, grasses and shrubs. The birds will sit on branches of small trees and watch intently as you walk by. The red-wings call out many interesting sounds, from a raspy “oka-fleek, oka-fleek” to a warning “chuk, chuk.” The black birds, with their fiery shoulders, let us know that we are trespassing on their territory.
(red-winged blackbird)
As you enter the forest of young elms, you will notice how the atmosphere changes. Light is dim. The importance of sunlight is obvious, for no plants are to be found growing on the forest floor.
Sixty yards beyond the entrance to the elm forest, a circular growth of young plants reach for sunlight. An opening in the forest canopy allows these plants to live. The area of direct sunlight is shown by the size and shape of the growing vegetation. These openings provide food for browsing animals such as deer.