Nature Walks
- All Green Points and Point 24
Walking vs. Hiking - Nature
walks are those casual strolls you take, using looking for birds and wildflowers as the
excuse to kill time. To us there's a big difference between a "hike" and a
"walk". A hike is what you do to get from one place to another without taking
much time to explore along the way. Hiking is done on narrow hiking trails where you have
to pay attention in order not to trip and fall while in motion. Of course all one need do
is stop to look around and listen.
A walk is slower and less guarded. Your
purpose is not just to get from here to here. Walks are always much shorter than hikes.
Old roads are great for walks because the old roads, unlike a hiking trail, are wide. You
don't have to watch where you put your feet so closely. You can easily walk side--by-side
with other people.
Birding - Sometimes you can
walk for two hours and not hear a bird. Other times you come across entire flocks. And as
every birder knows, it depends on the time of year, and the Eco land type you are in. See
our Birding page
for locations.
Flower Season - In the
Sylamore wildflowers bloom from the last few days of February until the last of October.
May and June are good months as this is when the most species are in bloom.
Where To Look For Wild Flowers
- With rare exception the best place to find wildflowers is along the highways and back
roads. You'll also find them in rock glades, along creeks, and along the river bank. All
you need do is drive along some of the back country roads, or walk along some of the
creeks, and you'll find flowers. Sometimes wildflowers grow in large colonies of several
hundred, or even several thousands of plants. You'll also find individual plants scattered
here and there.
Stay On Roads & Trails -
We highly recommend sticking to roads and trails. Once you get off into the brush there is
a lot of poison ivy, thorns, ticks, and chiggers to deal with. By staying on trails and
roads you avoid these very uncomfortable problems! We hike a great deal off-trail in the
back country. It's not worth the effort as far as finding wildflowers goes. Few flowers
grow in the low light under the forest canopy.
How Many Species Grow Here?
- We've personally photographed 122 different wildflower species in the Sylamore,
including a very rare member of the orchid family. What makes wildflower walks so much fun
is that when out looking for flowers you'll also see butterflies, birds, small animals,
deer, and a whole lot of pretty forest and hill scenery.
Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Mushrooms
- You'll see a great many types of berries, nuts, pods, fruits, and blossoms on all sorts
of trees, vines and shrubs. Mushrooms grow all year, but particularly well in spring and
fall, depending on rain levels.
Guide Books - We recommend
two books, both by Carl G. Hunter, "Wildflowers of Arkansas" and "Trees,
Shrubs, and Vines of Arkansas". These are sold by the Ozark Society Foundation at the
Blanchard Springs Caverns gift shop, and by book stores in Mountain View. You can also buy
them on Amazon. They run about $20 each. You'll see several other books for the same
purposes, we have used them all. Hunter's books are always what we come back to.
Bring A Magnifying Glass -
Many of the blooms are small, not much larger than a quarter. Yet they are incredibly
beautiful. Take a look at them with a glass and you'll be glad you brought it along.
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