Last updated: June 8, 2020
Video
Falls Nature Trail in Spring
Transcript
This is Superintendent Mel Poole. I'd like to welcome you to Catoctin Mountain Park, over 5,800 acres in the Blue Ridge geologic region of the Appalachian Mountains. When the federal government acquired this area in 1935, the ten thousand acres surrounding this was a clear-cut forest. Under management of the National Park Service since 1936, the southern portion of the park was transferred to the state of Maryland and became Cunningham Falls State Park in 1954. Since then, both parks have allowed their areas to naturally regenerate into excellent examples of mature deciduous forests. As you hike the Falls Nature Trail from the National Park to the State Park, imagine what it must have been like to walk this path in 1935, when the area didn't have a tree taller than a fence post. Enjoy what nature has provided us here, and thank you for taking the time to experience your America. Welcome to Catoctin Mountain Park. You're listening to the Falls Nature Trail podcast. This program describes some of the plants, animals and natural features you may encounter on the 1.4 mile hike through Catoctin Mountain Park to Cunningham Falls State Park. It ends with a history and explanation of the formation of Cunningham Falls, the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland. The trail is moderate, but rocky and steep at times, so sturdy shoes are recommended. Be aware that to enter the State Park, you'll cross Route 77, which is a busy road with many blind spots for drivers and pedestrians. Cunningham Falls State Park does not allow pets in the falls or lake area. You will see the boardwalk path that leads to Cunningham Falls immediately after crossing the road. To get started, the trailhead is located on the right hand side at the end of the gravel parking lot across Park Central Road from the visitor center. Catoctin Mountain Park encompasses 5,810 acres of forested ecosystem. Over 280 species of animals and over 750 species of vascular plants make this area their home. The spring is breeding time for many living things and is the perfect time to see animals and flowering plants. The days are getting longer, there's ample food to go around for all the wildlife and the air is pungent with fresh smells. Among the animals you may see along the trail, are squirrels, deer, salamanders, birds, skinks, eastern cottontail rabbits, snakes, and if you are very lucky, black bear. Squirrels and chipmunks are the most commonly see animals. Eastern chipmunks have distinctive black, white, red and tan markings of stripes and spots. These markings camouflage them as they live and scavenge on the forest floor. You will often see them darting in and out of crevices in logs and rocks, seeming as though they are curious about passersby. They collect nuts, seeds, berries and other foods and transport them using large pouches in their cheeks to a food cache located in an underground burrow. These cheek patches can expand to three times the size of their heads and are useful, not only for foraging, but also for transporting dirt away from the outside of their burrows. Removing dirt piles helps to hide the evidence of chipmunk homes from predators. In the same genetic families as chipmunks, squirrels are often seen performing acrobatics in an under the tree tops using their bushy tails for balance. They are scatter hoarders collecting food and burying it in different places to come back to. There are four species of squirrels in Catoctin's Mountain's forests. The eastern gray squirrel, which you may also see in your neighborhood, is the most common. They range from gray to tan gray and even black. Legend has it that during the Presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, 18 black squirrels from Canada were released at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. to help restore the dwindling grey squirrel population. Black squirrels are now a relatively common sighting, showing the efficiency of natural selection at work. Red squirrels are named for their reddish coloring. They are medium size with white bellies. They tend to be very territorial, commonly chasing other animals away from their immediate area. The fox squirrel has grayish-tan to reddish-brown coloring About the size of a small house cat, they're the largest squirrel species in the park. Fox squirrels are sometimes mistaken for grey squirrels when they are smaller, but their coppery-brown underbelly set them apart from their white-bellied relatives. Evolutionists consider fox squirrels to be living fossils with the skeletal system closest to that at the earliest known squirrel who dates back to 23 million years ago. The most elusive squirrel, the flying squirrel, sleeps during the day and doesn't actually fly. Skin flaps between their front and hind limbs help them glide long distances from tree to tree. Large eyes help them see in the dark. At about the same size as a chipmunk, they are the smallest squirrel species in the park. While it's very unlikely that you'll see one, it is common to hear them making scratching noises at night as they land on trees. The foraging and feeding behaviors of squirrels and chipmunks contribute to forest succession as forgotten caches allow for new generations of trees and other plants to sprout from the buried and overlooked seeds. The Falls Nature Trail is rocky in places providing good habitat for several species of reptiles. The five-lined skink, one of the most common lizards in the eastern United States, may be seen in your peripheral view slipping in between and under rocks. If you're quick, you may be able to see its whole body. They are brown to black with five light colored lines running from the tips of their noses to the ends of their bright blue tails. All reptiles are cold-blooded animals. Because of this, they have to use their environment to regulate their body temperature, basking in the sun or hiding in cool spaces to raise or lower their temperature. Spring is an especially great time to see these little guys coming out of their winter dormancy soaking up energy from the sun and looking for food for their hungry bellies. Snake habitat includes rocky slopes, loose rock walls, stream areas and abandoned buildings or wood piles. The copperhead and the timber rattlesnake are the only venomous snakes found in the park. They differ in appearance from other snakes in the area in that they have thin necks and triangular heads. The copperhead is tan with light and dark brown hourglass-shaped banding. These markings make it well camouflaged on the forest floor. It is primarily a night stalker and is seldom seen during the day. The timber rattlesnake can range in color from yellowish-brown to black with irregular black bands or diamond-shaped blotches. At the tail end, is the rattler, the source of the characteristic high-frequency hissing sound that can be heard when the snake feels threatened. The rattle is a series of nested hollow beads that are actually modified scales. These rattles grow longer every time the snakes shed their skin. The primary food of these and other larger snakes is rodents, but birds, insects and the occasional frog or lizard help diversify the menu. It is extremely unlikely that you will come across either species of poisonous snake found in the park, but if you do, leave it where it is and don't harm it. These snakes are normally not aggressive and won't bite unless they feel threatened. All of the animals in Catoctin Mountain Park are integral parts of the forest ecosystem and are protected by the National Park Service. More common snakes are plaid or lined garter snakes, black rat sinks and tiny delicate ring-necked snakes. As a general rule, snakes are very timid and shy and will do their best to stay out of your way. Because of their quiet nature, snakes are not commonly seen by the average hiker. If you're fortunate enough to catch sight of one, you are among a special few. All of the hibernators of the forest are coming out of their nests and dens hungry and ready for sunshine. The most well known of these, although not a true hibernator, is the bear. In the nineteen nineties, the largest animal in Maryland, the black bear, returned to Catoctin after a 20 year absence. Adults typically weigh between 100 and 400 pounds. Their color varies from cinnamon brown to black. They have good eyesight and hearing, but rely heavily on their excellent sense of smell to locate food. Black bears are not generally considered to be predatory, preferring mainly berries, acorns, hickory nuts, grasses and insects, but they will eat fish, carrion and some small mammals when available. Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of all the animals on earth. To put this into perspective, dogs have excellent senses of smell, 100 times that of a human, but a bear's sense of smell is 2,100 times better than a human's. Most black bears can smell food upwind from twenty miles away. Bears tend to be wary of humans and will often flee when they sense your approach. In the spring, it's possible to see a mother bear with her cubs. Black bear females birth their cubs during the winter while they're hibernating. The babies, usually one to three in a litter, are hairless and only about the size of a kitten when they're born. Because they are so vulnerable at first, being born during hibernation gives them a few months to become better able to take care of themselves by hiding or climbing up a tree. When the family emerges from the den in late March or April, the cubs have reached about 10 pounds and are roly poly bundles of fur bouncing around looking for fun. They will grow rapidly, gaining roughly ten to fifteen pounds a month depending upon how healthy and well fed they are. If you see a cub, it may be curious about you and seemingly harmless, but the mother is probably close by for protection. Bear cubs stay with their mothers for about a year and a half separating at seventeen months when the cub is considered a subadult. Most female subadults will settle within a mile of, or within their mother's territory. Males will travel much farther, sometimes as much as a hundred miles away. Most cases of aggression from black bears towards humans are in defense of their cubs. Remember, that they are wild and should never be fed or harassed. If you encounter a bear, stay calm, do not approach it or run away. Avoid direct eye contact and don't panic if the bear stands on its hind legs. They do this to assess their surroundings. Remain upright, back away slowly and leave the area. Black bears very rarely charge humans, even around their cubs, but will sometimes bluff. In the busy spring season, birds are in full song to attract mates and white-tailed deer females, or does, who were pregnant through the winter are birthing their young. Don't be alarmed if you find a fawn seemingly abandoned. Their mothers tuck them away in thickets or behind logs to keep them safe while they forage for themselves. It's necessary for them to do this so they can be adequately nourished to nurse their babies. Fawn are often born in pairs as twins, so if you see one, look around for the other. To help them hide from predators when their mothers are away, fawns have spots when they are young, camouflaging them better in the understory of the forest. They shed this spotted fur at about five months of age as they grow in a heavy winter coat. As you look around, you might notice how sparse vegetation is from the forest floor to a height of about four feet. This is a browse line caused by deer. The deer population in Catoctin Mountain Park is out of balance. There are many factors contributing to their overpopulation, many of which are caused by human attempts to control the natural environment. Many years ago, without realizing the dire consequences, well-intentioned people removed predators, like wolves, coyotes and bobcats thinking that they were bad. The good animals that were left were able to reproduce without natural predators to keep their numbers down. The upset this lack of predation has caused is painfully apparent in Catoctin Mountain Park. Further problems with overpopulation in more recent years, are caused by the affects people have on deer habitat by way of suburban sprawl and other types of development. Because there are so many deer and a limited supply of food, they are forced to over graze the understory of the forest. Their main victims are tree saplings, without which the forest will cease to regenerate. Why don't the deer browse the lush grass that looks like miniature shoots of bamboo? We wish that they would, but they don't like it. This is an invasive species called Japanese stiltgrass. Native of India to East Asia, this grass was first recorded in Tennessee in 1909. At that time, the grass was commonly used as a packing material for Asian porcelain and it's thought that escaped seeds started the invasion. Up to a thousand seeds are produced by each plant allowing the shade-tolerant species to carpet forest floors. Another problematic invasive plant that grows along the trail undisturbed by the deer population is Japanese barberry. Native to Japan, this low compact shrub has small leaves of green, gold and maroon. The small straight spines that line the branches can distinguish barberry from other plants. Introduced in 1864 as an ornamental shrub, it is still a popular landscape shrub available for sale to the public. Exotic species in the park are mostly found alongside roads and trails. Roads and trails serve as vectors for these plants with seeds hitchhiking on car tires, visitor shoelaces or even attached to the fur of wild animals. Unfortunately, a few species like Japanese barberry have spread beyond roads and trails and have permeated into all regions of the park. Because invasive species like these are not vulnerable to the environmental pressures of the area they often grow prolifically. They crowd out native plants by stealing their water, sunlight and nutrients often resulting in habitat loss and a reduction of biodiversity in the forest ecosystem. You'll notice that many of the trees along the trail are double or multiple sprouted, meaning that more than one tree is growing out at the same origin. The multiple spouting that is common throughout the forest is typical evidence of a second growth or secondary succession forest. When trees are cut down, sprouts or saplings often grow out at the stumps as new generations. Their close proximity frequently makes them merge as one or twist together. At the very beginning of the boardwalk to Cunningham Falls, there are some beautiful beech trees that have grown in concert so closely that their intertwining. Before agriculture and industry moved in, Catoctin Mountain's forest and the rest of the forest systems on the Appalachian chain from Maine to Georgia consisted mainly of climactic American chestnut trees. In size, they were the redwoods of the East growing to a height of over 100 feet and a diameter of nearly 10 feet. Picture a tree with a trunk so wide that it would take at least six adults holding hands to form a circle around its base. Renowned for their rot-resistant wood and dependable crop of nuts, American chestnut was of great value to people and wildlife. These giants are now absent from the landscape, a tragic loss which has been said to be one of the worst natural calamities ever experienced in the United States. In the early nineteen hundred's, a fungus was accidentally introduced into New York City from trees imported from Asia. The blight quickly spread on its new host, the American chestnut, destroying it throughout its range. The infection reached the Catoctins in 1912, and by the nineteen forties had killed most of the larger chestnut trees. American chestnuts can still be found in the understory as shoots from the blight resistant roots. They can be identified by their narrow and sharply serrated leaves. Sadly, by the time the trees reach 20 feet in height, the blight attacks through cracks in their bark bringing certain death. Today, Catoctin Mountain's forest is mainly an oak-hickory deciduous forest, but beech, tulip poplars, dogwood and maple, among others, are common among the Falls Nature Trail, as well. Deciduous forests like the one encompassing Catoctin Mountain Park are special for many reasons. One of which being the awe inspiring color display they give us when they lose their leaves in autumn. This type of forest is only found in a few areas of the entire world, the eastern portions of the United States and Canada and in parts of Asia and Europe. Unfortunately, much of the deciduous forests in areas other than North America have been vastly depleted, making the Appalachian region's deciduous forests arguably the best examples left on earth. One of the easiest trees to identify, shagbark hickory, looks like its bark is peeling off in vertical strips giving it a uniquely shaggy appearance. It has the compound, elongated leaves typical of all hickories. Beech is one of the more common trees along this trail. It has finely toothed papery leaves and smooth light grey bark. Almost all of the trees that you see carved with people's initials are beech. Because of the bark's texture, it is tempting for some people to leave a permanent mark. Unfortunately, the carvings leave the tree vulnerable to disease, pests and temperature extremes, not to mention that they are eyesore and the act is illegal. Tulip poplars are easy to identify in the spring by their beautiful yellow, orange, pink and green tulip-like blooms. Dogwood, a low-growing tree with distinctive layers of branches is another flowering tree native to this area. It's white to light pink, four-petal blooms are synonymous with spring in the Catoctin Mountains. There are a number species of plants in Catoctin Mountain Park that have been used for medicinal purposes throughout the region for many years. Witch hazel and spicebush are particularly common throughout the forest and along the Falls Nature Trail. Both are large shrubs, meaning that they may be as large as some low-growing trees, but have multiple branches coming from their base, rather than a distinctive trunk. Spicebush is aptly named for the spicy, lemony aroma that it emits when its leaves, or the berries it produces in the fall, are crushed. The roots, branches, leaves and berries have been used by many to produce natural remedies for coughs and colds. Spicebush also provides important sustenance for wildlife. Witch hazel is used still today for its natural astringent properties. You can find it in your local drugstore with the first aid supplies or as an additive in skin care products. Squawroot, also called cancer root, for its supposed cancer-fighting properties, is a non-photosynthesizing wildflower that looks a bit like corn on the cob. In the spring, this yellow to brown plant produces tiny white and cream-colored, tightly clustered flowers. Found mainly around the bases of oaks and beech, they feed off of the roots of their host tree. Because they're so small, this parasitism does not affect the tree in any detrimental way. Squawroot is named for its use by Native American women to treat symptoms of menopause. There are several other plants found along the Falls Nature Trail including the wildflowers Hepatica, Wood and Rue Anemone, Bluets and Pussytoes that also have traditional, medicinal and dietary uses by wildlife, Native Americans and modern residents alike. Flowering plants, like trees and wildflowers, generate blooms to help them reproduce. Flowers carry both portions of genetic information necessary to produce offspring, just as men and women each carry half what is necessary to have a baby. Plants can carry everything for reproduction in a single individual or take turns bearing male or female genetics from season to season. A flower's primary job is to be pretty. They are a beautiful lure by color, fragrance or shape for pollinators like insects, bats and birds to dip inside looking for a meal. As the pollinator is trying to eat, it accidentally transports pollen, the male portion of a plant, to the female portion of the plant deeper inside the flower. When these two parts mix properly, the plant is able to produce fruit. The fruit of any flowering plant, be it an acorn, walnut, berry or pine cone, is the next generation of that plant species, a baby tree, shrub, flower or fern. Without flowers and their pollinator partners, we would grieve the loss of much of the beautiful landscape and wildlife, as well as missing out on apples, berries most nuts and honey. Because plant life in Catoctin Mountain Park, especially the wildflower population, is threatened by many environmental factors, such as deer browse and invasive species we urge you to observe and enjoy, but not pick anything. We want to be sure that the beauty you see perseveres for others to appreciate in the future. As you travel farther along the trail, you may wonder why there are so many downed trees. When Hurricane Isabel hit the U.S. in September of 2003, she brought major storms that inflicted severe damage along the Falls Nature Trail. Some storm damage wood is recycled as firewood or building materials here at the park. Downed wood that is not hazardous to people is left to fulfill its role in the ecosystem and provides a special opportunity to examine root systems and the insides of trees closely. A tree that has been sawed off shows the layers of growth that developed through its lifetime as rings. Count the rings to approximate the age the tree was when it died. Thinner rings indicate times of drought. Black spots and holes are usually a sign of disease or insect damage. There are several very large trees that were pushed over by wind, exposing massive root systems. The roots of a tree are like drinking straws used to absorb water and soil nutrients and transport them to the rest of the tree. they also provide vital structural support and store nutrients to use in the production of spring foliage. Root systems generally spread out widthwise one to five times the length of the farthest reaching tree limb, but mainly go down only about 18 inches. Forest ecosystems are important, not just for wildlife, but also for humankind. Former President George Bush Senior explained the significance of forests well when he said, "Trees can reduce the heat on a hot summer's day, quiet highway noise, feed the hungry, provide shelter from the wind and warmth in the winter. You see, forests are the sanctuaries, not only of wildlife, but also of the human spirit and every tree is a compact between generations." At this point, you're welcome to turn off or pause this program until you arrive at Cunningham Falls. This podcast will continue with an explanation of the unique geology and natural history of the area. Remember, to be extremely careful when crossing Route 77 to get to the falls boardwalk path. At 78 feet in length, Cunningham Falls is the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland. Known historically as McAfee Falls for the original owners of the property, the name was changed when a photographer named Cunningham made the area famous in the late nineteen forties. Here at an elevation of thirteen hundred feet, Big Hunting Creek surges over a metabasalt slope of greenstone forming the falls over a steep gradient of 9.4 percent. The water flows through riffles, runs pools and drops as high as 12 feet and eventually flows into the man-made Hunting Creek Lake in Cunningham Falls State Park. It continues as Big Hunting Creek flows into the Monocacy River, then the Potomac and finally into the Chesapeake Bay making Catoctin an important watershed area of the bay and ultimately of the Atlantic Ocean. 600 million years ago when lava flowed over the land, the development of the Catoctin metabasalt formation began. The greenstone making up this area resulted from the cooling of lava that at one point was over 2,000 feet thick in places. Over millions of years of pressure and erosion, this geologic area became one of the hardest and oldest exposed metamorphic rock formations in the United States. Over four hundred million years ago, through uplifting caused by major tectonic plate shifts, the Appalachian Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, begin its formation. The Catoctin Mountains make up the easternmost portion of the Blue Ridge province of that range. After the final plate thrust 65 million years ago, streams began their down cutting process carving through the new mountains, deepening valleys and establishing stream beds. The falls began being chiseled out when the down cutting stream that would become Big Hunting Creek encountered the erosion-resistant greenstone of the metabasalt formation of the Catoctins. Falls and pools were formed as the water tried to follow the path of least resistance down the mountain. Because waterfalls are in a state of constant, but extremely gradual change, they tend to move upstream over many years. The Cunningham Falls we see today are not exactly the same as the ones originally named, but the differences may not be noticeable. As time progresses, Big Hunting Creek will continue to cut new falls farther and farther upstream as it wages its battle against the greenstone in its attempt to reach the ocean. This concludes our podcast tour of the Falls Nature Trail. Thank you for being with us here today. As you admire the falls and then hike back along the trail to the trail head, think about the amazing change this area has seen and the changes that are yet to come. Enjoy the sounds of nature and the beauty surrounding you here in the Catoctin Mountains.
Description
Falls Nature Trail in Spring (mp4 file)
Duration
29 minutes, 28 seconds
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