Abandoned Railroad, Westtown, NY
Today is Thursday, June 22nd, 2023. The weather is humid and muggy and the air is thick. It’s about 70℉, which is average for a summer evening such as this. Without looking at the weather forecast, I can tell that it is about to rain. The aromatic smell of the incoming storm is unmistakable.
My site is somewhere very personal to me. As a kid, I frequented hikes and summer days at this place. With that, however, I have never thoroughly explored this place. It was always an in-and-out trip, never more than an hour, so I am excited to get to know this area in more depth. Not even a five-minute walk from my house is an abandoned railroad track. In its glory days it used to run all the way to Goshen but these days it just runs along a portion of the main road to my house: a 15-20 minute walk to the end. You can still see remnants of the track in the form of wooden planks running perpendicular to the path periodically. When I was younger, you could find the massive nails that held the railroad together but I think they’ve all been collected since then. A creek runs along the trail’s side, winding away at points but always finds its way back to mirror the trail. You can always smell freshly turned dirt, probably from the multitude of fauna living in these woods, and hear a choir of different birds over the sounds of the bubbling creek. Where I sit diverges from the main path. I know where to turn because of the abandoned trailer landmark. Over a fallen tree mushrooms have conquered and behind a missive oak is where I find my sanctuary. My elevated perch overlooks the creek where you can clearly see where erosion has made its mark. There is a clear view of a tree with many, if not all, of its roots exposed. You can see the trauma it has endured and yet it is still standing and still growing. Much of the ground and trees are covered in moss and lichen which gives the entirety of the woods a green hue, like a filter on a photo. If you look carefully, you can find animal bones littering the floor – remains from a battle and untimely death. I love this place because it is so evident that nature will always take back what is rightfully hers.
- What makes poison ivy leaves shiny?
- What determines if moss or lichen grows?
- Why are the mushrooms only growing on fallen trees?
- Why am I only finding 1 or 2 bones and not a whole skeleton?
- Do different substrates determine the growth of different mushrooms?
- Why are the rocks on the shore and in the creek so big?
- Why is the river flowing at different speeds?
- What kind of aquatic life is in the creek?
- Do wild birds prefer different seeds over others?
- How does light intensity affect what grows where?
- Does moss really face east?
- Do different flowers attract different pollinators?
- What plants are more adapted to acid rain?
- How do different soil types affect plant growth?
- How do different types of pollen affect air quality levels?
- How to identify different birds by their call?
- Does the trailer affect what grows around it?
- Why are you able to smell the rain before a storm?
- How long did it take for the creek to reach the level that it’s at?
- How many different ant species live in the woods?
- How many different tree species live in these woods?
- Why are there different types of trees in the woods?
- What types of rocks are by the creek?
- What different kinds of mushrooms are growing here?
- What animal did these bones that I keep finding come from?
Why are poison ivy leaves shiny?
Growing up in rural New York, I was taught at a young age how to identify poison ivy: reddish-green, shiny leaves, and serrated edges. I always assumed that the shine was from the irritating oil. However, my assumptions were incorrect. The shiny leaves and reddish hue are not good indicators of poison ivy. They are only red during their infantry and the shine is only visible during the Spring and poison ivy leaves are irritating all year round. It can be assumed that the shine is a thick waxy coating used to protect the young leaves from drying out (Is Poison Ivy Shiny? – Anita Sanchez.).
Next time, when I go back, I am going to collect the bones that I keep finding and try to identify what part of the animal it’s from and what kind of animal it belonged to. They seem to be the same type of bones which is interesting, to say the least. I am excited to get to know and explore more of this area as I haven’t really diverged off the path much.